Determine ramp steepness

[tuner06]

Ok I have 2 questions.

1 I just got a new shed/coop would like to know how I should determine Ramp
Steepness. The chicken door is 4 feet wide and I would say it's 4 feet or so off the ground. I am housing both ducks and
Chickens in it. I was thinking 5 feet long but not sure.

2 I also have a chicken who lays soft shell eggs. I feed my chickens a complete
Feed, feed back egg shells, and provide oyster shell which she eats and she still lays
Me a soft shell. Not sure what else to do any recommendations would be great.
I've even tryed mixing in some de in the feed and that did not help either.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Your door set up sounds odd to me. The chicken door is 4 feet wide??

Ok so to determine the ramp need to know items are...
How far from the coop is the run wall? That may limit you on what you can do there.

I would try to make them a door that is lower down myself. I have very heavy breeds and do not want them to injure themselves by jumping down that far.

If you cannot do a door down low for some reason then make the ramp as shallow as you can. You can actually do it like a landing at the top and have it go down part way to another landing then turn to go the rest of the way down. That may help if your fence for the run will not allow a shallow enough ramp.

I did have a small coop that the chicken door was only 30 inches off the ground and had to make the ramp end at the fence. Most of my gals would go part way down and then jump off the side. The only one that used the entire ramp is a LARGE Buff Orpington that was hatched with a leg deformity.



You can see the ramp was quite long in this picture. I now have a large coop that is a walk in and has the chicken door with cement step for them to use. Much easier for the BO to get in and out of the coop.

 

[Hokum Coco]

Ok I have 2 questions.

1 Would like to know how I should determine Ramp
Steepness.

 

[tuner06]

This is the chicken door. I may have been wrong
On the heIght of the door to the ground it may only be 2 or 3 feet.

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This is my run I don't have a fence yet but my chickens don't normally go that far
From the coop.

 

[tuner06]

The run pic didn't post this is it

 

[21hens-incharge]

Quote:

A good rule of thumb in a perfect world:
Make your ramp twice as long as the drop which would give you a 6/12 pitch and an angle of 22.5º.
"A 4x4 block attached to the end of your ramp to make a step up will do a lot to reduce the slope also."

2 I also have a chicken who lays soft shell eggs. I feed my chickens a complete
Feed, feed back egg shells, and provide oyster shell which she eats and she still lays
Me a soft shell. Not sure what else to do any recommendations would be great.
I've even tryed mixing in some de in the feed and that did not help either.

You are doing all you can for your soft shelled egg problem. Some times it is just poor genetics on the hen's part.

I like how you included the math of it. LOL Doc has me on lots of pain meds and math did not work well in my head for it.

I think if you use Hokum's formula it should work out well.

 

[PapaChaz]

you have the room to go as long as you want, but as mentioned, put a block of some type under the end so it doesn't go all the way to the ground to make it less steep. Mine jump up from the side most of the time anyway, silly chickens..........

I do have a question though, do you leave that door closed all day while they're out? if so, where do they lay? I'd let them have access in and out all day as they want and put a next box with outside access on there somewhere

 

[Hail The Quail]

I would try kale for the soft shell or any leafy greens really