Ramp angle; height of nest box and roost?

[TimM]

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

 

[downstownlady]

Do you have pics???

 

[Orchid]

1) My ramp is at almost a 45º angle, and my chickens get up and down it no problem. Most of the time they just fly out in the morning, and walk up it at night. I've seen them fly right up to the doorway when startled, too. If necessary you can add some rungs to your ramp.

2) If your nest box opening is wide enough, they will probably give a hop and a flap and jump right in there. I have noticed they can manuever a lot as long as they have some wing space.

3) Can you take a picture? If it's 14" from the wall on one side, then it must be 34" from the wall on the other side...that should be enough room for them to get up there unless it's not set up the way I'm thinking.

 

[kla37]

Our ramp is graded like that as well. They went into the coop kind of young, so we put slats on the ramp and also strips of that adhesive grippy stuff for outdoor stairs for better traction, which they needed when they were smaller. Sounds like a nice coop/run!

 

[grandmaof5]

We noticed a similar thing as we were planning out our small coop (4x7) with only 2'of the run extending beyond that which is under the coop. What we finally did is to put a large stump upright on the ground. The hens can jump easily from the pop door to the stump, then from the stump to the ground. Actually, on top of the stump, we put a larger flat piece fo stump (about 4"thick), so the whole thing looks like a table...

 

[TimM]

>> If it's 14" from the wall on one side, then it must be 34" from the wall on the other side. <<

You got it! Your math shows that you understand the layout correctly. Your answers are very encouraging. Thanks! Unless someone else here gives me good reason to reconsider, I'll go with what I've got and hope for the best.

Yes, I have quite a few pictures which I hope to post. However, although the coop is done, I need about two more weeks to finish the run. As soon as it's all done, I'll post pictures, including some construction shots and measurements in case anyone wants to duplicate it. It's not excellent, because it was my first attempt at frame construction, and I was really feeling my way. But it seems to be functional, which is all I hoped for! Thank God for this site. My design is an amalgam of three or four of what I thought were the best designs here.

Thanks again!

Tim