- Thread starter
- #11
- Mar 30, 2011
- 46
- 3
- 34
Good questions.
The ramp serves a few purposes in my situation - it's not only there for the chickens but for baby chicks, who would not be able to hop in and out. It also believe it or not stops my dogs from getting INTO the coop. Without it there, they could fly right through it, because it is a doggy door. My dogs do not even bother to try without any leg room or angle to get through it without having to do an army crawl (and they're too old for that).
The chickens have loved it from the start. They don't try to 'skip' their ramp like many chickens - they they waltz up and down the entire thing at their leisure. Keep in mind those are 5 week old chickens in the pics you're looking at, they are so big now they fill the entire door, going in. If anything, it's a bit easier for the adult chickens than hopping, it's too narrow to fly through at their size now, and there's nothing to grab onto while hopping since the sill is flat metal and my coop is a foot down inside (not level with the door)- in other words, they'd probably do it, but grudgingly.
I have not used any water on it. I bought a little grill brush I hang near it, anticipating I'd need to use it, but have only used it a handful of times (works wonderfully when needed). The poo seems to either dry and fall off or get rained on and fall through, or they don't poo on it - I've only seen it actually crusted on and had to scrape it off maybe 3 times. Hardware cloth should hold up, we'll see. It will be interesting to see how it works in the winter.
The ramp serves a few purposes in my situation - it's not only there for the chickens but for baby chicks, who would not be able to hop in and out. It also believe it or not stops my dogs from getting INTO the coop. Without it there, they could fly right through it, because it is a doggy door. My dogs do not even bother to try without any leg room or angle to get through it without having to do an army crawl (and they're too old for that).
The chickens have loved it from the start. They don't try to 'skip' their ramp like many chickens - they they waltz up and down the entire thing at their leisure. Keep in mind those are 5 week old chickens in the pics you're looking at, they are so big now they fill the entire door, going in. If anything, it's a bit easier for the adult chickens than hopping, it's too narrow to fly through at their size now, and there's nothing to grab onto while hopping since the sill is flat metal and my coop is a foot down inside (not level with the door)- in other words, they'd probably do it, but grudgingly.
I have not used any water on it. I bought a little grill brush I hang near it, anticipating I'd need to use it, but have only used it a handful of times (works wonderfully when needed). The poo seems to either dry and fall off or get rained on and fall through, or they don't poo on it - I've only seen it actually crusted on and had to scrape it off maybe 3 times. Hardware cloth should hold up, we'll see. It will be interesting to see how it works in the winter.
