- Sep 8, 2010
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Hi all. I am just finishing a small coop (my most complex construction project ever!). Things looked great on paper, but now that I see it all together, I am worried about three things that look awkward. I'd appreciate any answers I can get.
First, the coop is 3' by 4' (intended to hold 3 or 4 bantams) and high up on stilts. The run is 3' by 8' with 4' of the run under the coop and the remaining 4' beyond it. Simple, common layout.
1) The chicken exit door from the coop to the run is 3' above the ground, and the ramp can only go about 3' horizontally because it cannot go right up to the wire at the end of the run. This means that the ramp will be inclined almost 45 degrees, pretty steep looking. Will bantams be willing and able to navigate a ramp this steep? If not, maybe I should end it in a platform well off the ground that they jump to. Is that better?
2) The inside entry to the nest box is 9" above floor level. The box is 14" wide and high. Will bantams be willing and able to hop up 9" to get in? Should I use a perching bar in front of the box? I hate to clutter the layout with a perch bar if it's not needed.
3) The roosting bar runs across the 3' width at the end opposite the nest box, right above the door to the run, with a poop table under it. It is 27" above floor level and 14" out from the wall. The only way I could lower it to the usual 24" would be to eliminate the poop table, which I hate to do. I don't have any sort of ramp up to the roosting bar, and I hate to take up precious floor space with a ramp unless I must. Will they be able to fly up there, given the relatively small confines of the coop? Or do I need some sort of ramp arrangement?
Thanks!
Tim
First, the coop is 3' by 4' (intended to hold 3 or 4 bantams) and high up on stilts. The run is 3' by 8' with 4' of the run under the coop and the remaining 4' beyond it. Simple, common layout.
1) The chicken exit door from the coop to the run is 3' above the ground, and the ramp can only go about 3' horizontally because it cannot go right up to the wire at the end of the run. This means that the ramp will be inclined almost 45 degrees, pretty steep looking. Will bantams be willing and able to navigate a ramp this steep? If not, maybe I should end it in a platform well off the ground that they jump to. Is that better?
2) The inside entry to the nest box is 9" above floor level. The box is 14" wide and high. Will bantams be willing and able to hop up 9" to get in? Should I use a perching bar in front of the box? I hate to clutter the layout with a perch bar if it's not needed.
3) The roosting bar runs across the 3' width at the end opposite the nest box, right above the door to the run, with a poop table under it. It is 27" above floor level and 14" out from the wall. The only way I could lower it to the usual 24" would be to eliminate the poop table, which I hate to do. I don't have any sort of ramp up to the roosting bar, and I hate to take up precious floor space with a ramp unless I must. Will they be able to fly up there, given the relatively small confines of the coop? Or do I need some sort of ramp arrangement?
Thanks!
Tim