Ramp or ladder?

[kmart60]

View attachment 2796000I 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.

Oh, that is so sweet!❤

 

[DobieLover]

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?

It's sitting on a cinder block. It's to prevent the ramp from being too steep. I have not measured the cleat spacing but I'm guessing it's about 8" apart.
I would aim for keeping a ramp less than 45 degrees. Mine is around 35.

 

[3KillerBs]

(EXTREMELY solid in some cases, I'm lookin' at you 3KillerBs ),

Guilty as charged.

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?

That would be a great option. I was going to suggest putting a 90 in the ramp to turn it away from the door.

Even my heaviest Brahma can easily hop up 6-8 inches.

You could also build stairs from concrete blocks. (DH didn't want me using that many blocks that he wanted for other purposes).

 

[perkolator]

Pretty much up to the humans to decide, chickens will figure it out, lol.

I have a solid ramp with rungs leading to my coop. It’s steepish because it’s going uphill and the door is pretty high - but everybody is able to walk up it. I thought about doing a ladder or maybe a suspended porch/ramp/platform thing that doesn’t meet the ground, but decided the ramp would be most accommodating if we raised chicks again. It’s also very easy to change the ramp for something else with how I mounted it with hook and eye bolts

My overhead roosts in the run have a tilted ladder that’s got rings spaced about 10-12” - they all get up it fine, even our fat lazy Cochins get up/down there daily since nobody sleeps in the coop anymore.
Their 2nd nest box area has no ramp, just a bar about 18” off the ground they have to jump to - everyone can do the jump.
The run is two cinder blocks high because of our slope, with a chicken door set into a human door above that (entry is sorta like a 3-step staircase how it steps up) - everyone can simply walk up it.

 

[Happy hen lover]

View attachment 2796000I 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.

Very clever.

 

[aart]

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?

Would help to see some pics of your coop and pop door.
I use concrete blocks at the bottom of run ramps too, it helps to keep the bottom of ramp off the damp ground to prevent or slow rotting.
Cleats 1/4 to 1/2" high and spaced 4-6".

I would aim for keeping a ramp less than 45 degrees. Mine is around 35.

Ditto Dat.

 

[rosemarythyme]

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?

Yes, as in actual stairs. You could hinge it so it lifts out of the way when you're coming in, or they can be built with a 90 degree turn somewhere to get them out of the way.

And you can also do a bunch of tree trunks. I don't remember who it is but at least 1 person on here has tree trunk "steps" that are more organically placed (like a cluster, not in a straight line), and the hens hop their way up.

As for rise height, however tall a cinderblock is is a good height. I use cinderblocks for my steps and even 3 week old chicks can manage it.