Ramp for bantams

[Seaecho]

I think I've got our coop and run worked out in my head. I will get pics tomorrow. I have a 4x4' cage that is connected to a 7x4' run that I bought online. My coop is less than 2 feet from the ground, and I'm assuming bantam chicks, as small as they are, will need a ramp. I see pics of ramps online and this site all the time, but was wondering--if I put my tiny bantams outside at age 5 weeks or so, will they be able to travel up and down a 2-3 foot ramp, considering they'll be a lot smaller than a larger breed? I'll check on them every morning and night and during the day, of course. I'm just concerned one might fall out of the coop in the middle of the night and not know how to get back in. (Coop and run are all enclosed, so I will leave coop open at night). Thanks for any help!

 

[azygous]

No problem. My chicks are going up and down a ramp at five days old.

Two feet isn't so high that they might not even need a ramp. Chicks by five weeks have good strong wings, they are capable of low level flight, and should be able to achieve lift with those wings to navigate a jump of just two feet.

 

[Seaecho]

Oh, that makes me happy! I'll provide them with a ramp, but I'll worry less about it now. Thank you!

 

[chickens really]

Hello....Put a Door on the Coop to close them in at night...Then they won't fall out....

 

[Ridgerunner]

I’ve seen 2 week old chicks fly vertical 2’ and horizontal 3’ when Mama told them to. It was obvious looking at them that they could have gone a lot further if they wanted to. These were full sized fowl chicks, bantams usually fly better than full sized fowl unless you have Silkies. Silkies can’t fly so they will need a ramp.

Whether you use a ramp or not the problem will not be that they can’t get up, the problem will probably be that they don’t want to. At five weeks they tend to sleep in a low spot, in your set-up that will be on the ground. Mine do that whether or not I lock them in the grow-out coop for a week or two before I let them into the run. I have to train them to go inside. Every night at dark I lock them in the coop for the night, so yes you might need a door to close them in. Even if you normally leave it open a door gives you flexibility in managing them anyway. I think having an elevated coop instead of one on the ground makes a lot of difference in this.

I normally have around 20 chicks when I do this. What normally happens is after two or three nights of putting them in the coop at dark a few start going in. Each night it might be a few more. Usually after a week or so they are all going in. I have had a very few broods that all figured it out after one night. I have had some broods that it too three weeks before all were going inside on their own. The only thing consistent about them is that they consistently don’t go in the first night.

Don’t confuse “can’t” go in with “won’t” go in. That’s two different things.

 

[Seaecho]

It's very hard to explain, but there's already a door on it, and the cage will be snugged right up to it, with the coop door open, so I'd have to pull the cage away every night to close it. Not feasible. The two cages together are 11x4.' Coop is an old rabbit hutch. I was trying to get pics with the sun in my eyes, but at least you get the idea.

 

[Seaecho]

Sorry I posted a couple pics twice. I forgot to say the first cage (the one closest to the coop) will be raised on wood in order to go right up to the door. The door will be cut in half so I can reach in the other side to clean it. That's why I asked about a ramp--because the cage butted up to the coop will be higher than the bigger cage. And yes, I'm getting Silkies and Cochins.

 

[Ridgerunner]

With Silkies you definitely need a ramp. I still expect you to need to put them in the coop at night until they get coop trained.

 

[Seaecho]

Well, I don't know how I'm going to be able to lock them up in the coop at night. We have a lot of altering to do as it is. Maybe I can just place them in the coop every night, and keep going out to check to see if they're still in there until they're trained (?)

 

[Ridgerunner]

All you can do is try. One thing about chicken keeping, you need to be flexible. If something doesn't work, try something else.