Ramp or ladder?

[kmart60]

The Chookie McMansion is almost complete and we're constructing the bits and bobs now. Husbana (being completely in love with the Carolina Coops man) wants to do a ladder style, but you all on this forum seem to have solid ramps (EXTREMELY solid in some cases, I'm lookin' at you 3KillerBs ), with horizontal boards for traction.
Can you tell me the pros/cons please?

 

[DobieLover]

The Chookie McMansion is almost complete and we're constructing the bits and bobs now. Husbana (being completely in love with the Carolina Coops man) wants to do a ladder style, but you all on this forum seem to have solid ramps (EXTREMELY solid in some cases, I'm lookin' at you 3KillerBs ), with horizontal boards for traction.
Can you tell me the pros/cons please?

Solid ramps with cleats offer better footing.
Ladders require the bird to hit each board to climb up.
I use a ramp.

 

[Alaskan]

The Chookie McMansion is almost complete and we're constructing the bits and bobs now. Husbana (being completely in love with the Carolina Coops man) wants to do a ladder style, but you all on this forum seem to have solid ramps (EXTREMELY solid in some cases, I'm lookin' at you 3KillerBs ), with horizontal boards for traction.
Can you tell me the pros/cons please?

It also depends on how high up the pop door or perch is.... or wherever it is you are putting the ramp or ladder.

In my green tractor there is zero ramp or ladder.

They have to jump/fly up about 2 feet to the coop pop door. Even beefy roosters do fine.

For slightly grown chicks I put in a log as a step.

And tiny chicks can't make it.

 

[rosemarythyme]

One other option, depending on how high the pop door is... of your husband is really handy, and there's room in the set up, I'd vote for stairs. No need to worry about cleat or rung spacing, and it seems they're more instinctive for birds to use.

 

[Happy hen lover]

Ramp with cleats here.

 

[kmart60]

It also depends on how high up the pop door or perch is.... or wherever it is you are putting the ramp or ladder.

In my green tractor there is zero ramp or ladder.

They have to jump/fly up about 2 feet to the coop pop door. Even beefy roosters do fine.

For slightly grown chicks I put in a log as a step.

And tiny chicks can't make it.

It's a raised coop 70 cm / 28 inches above ground level with pop door another foot higher for deep bedding method. The door is about 18" in from the side of the coop, but we stupidly put the run door (for people) only about 40" further along so unless we make the ramp angle fairly steep it will probably run across the entrance, although 18" in, so a bit of space to walk around it. We're not too concerned about that, because it's all designed for us to access everything from outside coop and run, and we can remove the ramp if we want to bring a wheelbarrow in.
The husbana is arguing we can do a ladder at a steeper grade than a ramp, therefore reinforcing his argument that Mr Carolina Coops does ladders so they must be the best.

 

[kmart60]

One other option, depending on how high the pop door is... of your husband is really handy, and there's room in the set up, I'd vote for stairs. No need to worry about cleat or rung spacing, and it seems they're more instinctive for birds to use.

Do you mean "stairs" stairs, like with treads and risers? Hadn't thought of that. We want something we can easily move out of the doorway, also to access the under-coop area if needed.
Actually, I'm having a thought. We have some large tree trunks we could cut into decreasing lengths and arrange in a line as stairs. That way we could curve it away from the pop door toward the middle of the coop and keep the people doorway clear. What would you recommend as riser height?

 

[kmart60]

Ramp with cleats here.

What is the grade of the ramp, and why did you choose it over a ladder?

 

[Hendrika]

I have one girl that has trouble with walking, and couldn't get up the ladder. So i made this space saving ramp. She uses the space between the planks for extra grip.

 

[kmart60]

Solid ramps with cleats offer better footing.
Ladders require the bird to hit each board to climb up.
I use a ramp.
View attachment 2795728

Wow, stunning coop.
Your arguments make sense. I notice there is a little step at the bottom, and others have it sitting on a cinder block or similar. Is there a specific reason? What is the cleat spacing? How steep could one go?