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How High will chickens climb>?

Discussion in 'Coop & Run - Design, Construction, & Maintenance' started by wtbusername, Mar 28, 2012.

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  1. Mar 28, 2012 #1
    wtbusername

    wtbusername New Egg

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    Mar 28, 2012
    Revised to be more clear.

    Hello im new to the Chicken venture.
    I have been doing alot of reading and cannot find an answer to this question, so heres the situation and maybe someone will have some advise.

    I have a SHED/Childrens playhouse in my yard its a 2 story (2floors) 10x10 structure very secure alot of windows and I feel it can easily be converted to a chicken coop and its in a perfect area for 2 Run's.
    I am looking to keep a few varieties and would like to keep them seperated.

    This playhouse/2story shed has a upstairs/penthouse suite (lol) the second level is about 8-9 feet off the ground.


    Ok to be a bit more clear.

    I want 2 seperate runs outside 1 run would lead into the main floor coop
    the 2nd seperate run that houses another type of chickens would need to go up the 8 foot ramp to get into the second coop on the top floor.

    The chickens on the main floor will not have access to the top floor or vise versa.

    So my question is = will chickens go up a 8ft ramp to get into the coop on the top floor.
    My guess is they will but I not 100% sure.


    Questions:

    If I Built a Ramp that high would they feel secure enough to use it? Or would they just stay outside in the run?


    Any advise would be appeciated.
    Thanks
     
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2012
  3. Mar 28, 2012 #2
    Chookpensbuild

    Chookpensbuild Out Of The Brooder

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    Hello
    I am also new here,
    Chickens vary in their flight abilities, so you should choose a height that will effectively contain the particular breed you intend to keep. Chicken-Yard.net recommends 6-foot fencing for lightweight breeds, 4.5-foot fencing for medium-weight breeds and 3-foot fencing for heavyweight breeds.

    ​
     
  5. Mar 28, 2012 #3
    wtbusername

    wtbusername New Egg

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    Cool info But I am trying to find out if they will use a ramp that goes up 8 feet.
    guess I need to keep digging
     
  7. Mar 28, 2012 #4
    Daisy8s

    Daisy8s Chillin' With My Peeps

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    I'm not exactly sure what you're describing.... But here is some info that might help.

    Chickens like to roost at night in the highest places possible. On my brother's farm their chickens disregard the lovely coop built for them and instead sleep in the rafters of his barn above his sheep, cows, etc. I don't think you could have separate levels for different birds...everyone would want the highest perches and then they'd have to settle for lower perches if they were farther down the pecking order.

    My birds easily hop 18-24 inches (everything from my giant rooster to my tiny bantam) without moving their wings. i also have a very fat LB that can also easily hop/fly 4 ft straight up to land on a fence post that is only 3"x3" with one little wing flap. All that to say that birds are plenty nimble but I can't picture them using a ramp if it were possible to hop or fly. You could try a ladder system of off-set roosts that the birds could hop to and from instead of a very long ramp.

    If this still doesn't answer your question try to give more details of the play structure you're considering converting. Why would you need a ramp? How many birds would it house? Are there specific questions regarding space or protection you're trying to address?
     
  9. Apr 1, 2012 #5
    wtbusername

    wtbusername New Egg

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    Mar 28, 2012
    None can answer this question??
     
  11. Apr 1, 2012 #6
    SouthernAlberta

    SouthernAlberta Chillin' With My Peeps

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    I'm new to chickens. Out of curiosity, I did some Googling for the answer. 3' is the tallest ramp I can find.
     
  13. Apr 1, 2012 #7
    coolcanoechic

    coolcanoechic Chillin' With My Peeps

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    My Coop
    If I had to guess, I would say that they would. I think it should not be too steep and should be wider than usual. Perhaps close rungs would help too.
     
  15. Apr 1, 2012 #8
    hispoptart

    hispoptart Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Apr 14, 2011
    NW Colorado

    X2
     
  17. Apr 1, 2012 #9
    wvgal61

    wvgal61 Chillin' With My Peeps

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    They will go pretty high. If given access to trees they will go limb to limb to get higher. Could you build perch type thing half way or so up. Then they could go up that way. You could build two at different heights .
     
  19. Apr 1, 2012 #10
    wtbusername

    wtbusername New Egg

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    Mar 28, 2012
    cool ty
     
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