How high and steep will they climb?

[sprettster]

I'm imagining a roost and nest box on my second story deck, connected by an enclosed ramp or ladder to a fence-enclosed run on the ground 15 feet below. Think hamster habitat for chickens. Would it work? Would it be an evil experiment to try?

sprettster

 

[tiki244]

I saw a picture somewhere looked like a tree house but on stilts and this long ladder with a rooster at the top. Boy I thought it was awesome!!!Kepp the beasts away I bet!

 

[Chatychick]

Mine will get as high as they can that isnt in a tree...

 

[Churkenduse]

I think they would love to climb they like to be high mine used to fly up to the top of my coop and roost.
Besides it is good exercise and fun.

 

[patandchickens]

It might be worth a try - however you may need some careful thought and/or trial and error with the "enclosed ramp or ladder", because they may not use it in quite the same way a hamster would ;P

I dunno about other peoples' chickens but mine often seem to prefer to hop, or hop-and-flap, rather than walking flatfooted up or down a ramp. And if yours want to do that, they'd need enough room to feel comfortable.

Could you mock something up in your current setup, to experiment with design, before going all-out and building something off your deck?

Good luck,

Pat

 

[arlee453]

I'm considering something similar...

I built my ChickNBarn up on stilts to make it easier to keep clean, but the ramp is so steep the chickens won't go up - silly chickens...

I thought if I put 'sides' on the ramp, then at least I can put them on the ramp and sort of 'encourage' them to go up until they learn it. At this point I have to get one of the kids to go into the little run to put them up in the house as I can't fit through the door...

I have some coroplast (plastic cardboard like signs is made of) that I think i'll use to put up sides high enough to keep them from jumping off the ramp.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Hi Arlee,

I know you didn't ask, but

since it may also be relevant to the original poster...

...there are two things that would probably make your ramp more chicken-friendly: 1) attach it *under* the house, not on top of the doorway floor - that way it will be less steep, and the chickens will not mind at all because you can also 2) rebuild your ramp the same way people make ladder-type roosts, with the parts they stand on being horizontal not tilted. (You will not need plywood). Chickens seem to like the ladder-type roosts just fine, and hop up and down them easily, as long as the flat side of the rungs is up rather than having it be tipped so a corner is right under the soles of their feet.

I betcha that if you knocked together something like that from spare wood, they'd start using it just fine.

Just a thought,

Pat