Ramp angle???

[Coopnrun]

Since joining this forum I've read and read and read and came to the conclusion that you folks really enjoy this chicken farming OR your just crazy!

Regardless, I think I'll fit right in!

Now for my second and third question since joining. I'm building a 4'x4' coop that will set 40 " off ground and have attached run. My question, Is there an optimum angle for the ramp going up to the small chicken door?

Also I've seen mention of a pop opening which I'm assuming is referring to the small chicken door, but what exactly does pop stand for?


Thanks!

 

[Granny Hatchet]

@aart
Welcome to BYC !

 

[MrsMistyReal]

Welcome to the funny farm, better than green acres ,yes we're crazy

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

I don't think there is an optimum angle. Maximum angle is the important consideration IMO. Just gut feel, I try to keep mine below about 35 degrees.

 

[jthornton]

I think it depends on how you make it, mine is a 1x6 with saw slots about 1" apart and 1/8" deep... My run is a little longer than the rise so maybe 35°. My neighbor has cleats on her boards and some are at 45°, she even found an egg on one cleat...

JT

 

[mechanic57]

35 degrees seems about right, but just eyeball it to be a little less than 45. Don't bother with a protractor or anything like that. The key is to have slats going across the ramp so the chickens can grip something as they go up and down. They will slide down a smooth plank while trying to walk up and down. I have my slats at 3 inches apart and this has worked perfect for chicks and adults. The plank is a 1x6 and the slats are 1x2s that are 6 inches long and spaced 3 inches apart.

 

[aart]

I don't think there is an optimum angle. Maximum angle is the important consideration IMO. Just gut feel, I try to keep mine below about 35 degrees.

Agrees, keep it around 30-35 degrees.


Can put concrete block under low end to lessen angle.
Cleats are important too....1/4-1/2" high and 4-6" spacing works well.

Pop door is small door for the chickens,
I think got it's name because when you open it they all come 'popping' out.

Extra 'training' ramp for baby chickies:

A 'porch' or platform is a good idea too:

 

[Hokum Coco]

Is there an optimum angle for the ramp going up to the small chicken door?

Longer never hurts. A good rule of thumb in a perfect world:
Make your ramp twice as long as the drop which would give you a 6/12 pitch and an angle of 26.57º.
"A 4x4 block (even higher once they develop) attached to the end of your ramp to make a step up will do a lot to reduce the slope also."

If a roof or ramp rises 6" in a length of 12", it also considered 50% Grade


in 12 = 26.57°

° = 6 : 12

 

[Ridgerunner]

Howdy neighbor, glad you joined. I agree, the name probably comes from them popping in and out. Even on a large walk-in coop the advantage of a smaller "pop" door instead of just locking the human door open is that the smaller door keeps more weather out.

40" sounds a bit high but it should be a good height for you to pull up a wheelbarrow and clean it out or to reach a nest without bending over. That gives you a lot of room underneath for feed in the dry or to reach under there for an egg or something else. You might have challenges comfortably reaching to the top inside if you need to do maintenance, but overall it's better than being too short.

Unless you have Silkies that can't fly they should be able to fly up and down that far at just a few weeks old if they want to. But a lot of time they don't want to. Instead of a ramp you could use some intermediate steps, that's basically what I do for my grow-out pen though a lot of times they just fly up and down, ignoring the steps.

To get a 30 degree angle make the ramp twice the length as the height, or 80". Those 30-60-90 triangles are used a lot in geometry because they are so easy to work with. You can make it steeper than that if you wish, but in any case something for their claws to grip like cleats or grooves is a good idea.

 

[Coopnrun]

Thanks all for the welcome and information.
I planned the coop high to avoid the bending over, bad back. The more I read into this forum the more excited I am to finish the coop and run and get some hens.