Ramp

[22ChickenNuggets]

Hello all! So we decided to redo our coop ramp. I felt like the issue with the old one was the reason we had a bumble foot. So we made a new one, painted it with exterior paint. But now it seems too slick and my Cochin Roo will not go up or down. I literally had to carry him down this morning.. (good thing out of that was he didn’t come out being a jerk, probably embarrassed him a bit) I was thinking maybe grip tape? But I’m not sure that will be too rough on their feet. And also though about bringing the incline up a little by raising the bottom. But then I still think it might be to slick. I probably should of reconsidered the paint choice. I just don’t want something that will cause injury to the feet, or injury going up or down.

 

[3KillerBs]

The usual recommendation is that the ramp be no steeper than a 45-degree angle.

If your ramp isn't too steep then it's possible that your bird was just being nervous about newness. Chickens hate change.

 

[DobieLover]

Hello all! So we decided to redo our coop ramp. I felt like the issue with the old one was the reason we had a bumble foot. So we made a new one, painted it with exterior paint. But now it seems too slick and my Cochin Roo will not go up or down. I literally had to carry him down this morning.. (good thing out of that was he didn’t come out being a jerk, probably embarrassed him a bit) I was thinking maybe grip tape? But I’m not sure that will be too rough on their feet. And also though about bringing the incline up a little by raising the bottom. But then I still think it might be to slick. I probably should of reconsidered the paint choice. I just don’t want something that will cause injury to the feet, or injury going up or down.

I added some sand to some of the paint I used to paint my first ramp to provide traction. It worked fine.
You could mix up enough paint with some sand and add another coat and slip a cinder block under the bottom of the ramp to reduce the slope.

 

[22ChickenNuggets]

The usual recommendation is that the ramp be no steeper than a 45-degree angle.

If your ramp isn't too steep then it's possible that your bird was just being nervous about newness. Chickens hate change.

They didn’t have an issue with the old ramp, it’s the same angle as the old one. The only difference is it’s slicker, the old one was OSB board. Which I factored in being the cause of one of my girls bumble foot. And it is slick I watched some of the other girls slip a little. I’m just wondering if grip tape will hurt their feet. I’m also possibly thinking of mixing in some sand in some new paint and have more of a grip.

 

[3KillerBs]

They didn’t have an issue with the old ramp, it’s the same angle as the old one. The only difference is it’s slicker, the old one was OSB board. Which I factored in being the cause of one of my girls bumble foot. And it is slick I watched some of the other girls slip a little. I’m just wondering if grip tape will hurt their feet. I’m also possibly thinking of mixing in some sand in some new paint and have more of a grip.

The sand paint sounds like a good idea to me.

 

[RojoMarz]

We put some old carpet on our ramp, then put the cleats on top of the carpet.

 

[DobieLover]

We put some old carpet on our ramp, then put the cleats on top of the carpet.

Poop on carpet sounds fun...

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I used roofing from an old dog house, tacked it down, works great. But if you already have the paint, I'd go with the sand paint, cheap and easy.

 

[RojoMarz]

Poop on carpet sounds fun...

Yeah, but amazingly, after two years, there is very little poop on the carpet. The length of the ramp may play a factor, it's not very long or high. Maybe the girls only take a step or two, the hop off.

 

[K0k0shka]

I don't like ramps and don't have one. They take up way too much space and are a tripping hazard for the humans. Instead of a ramp, I gave my chickens steps. I used logs, but you can achieve the same effect with anything - cinder blocks, bricks, wood, etc. It's more natural to them so they don't need a warm up period to figure out how to use it. Hopping from one height to another is natural to chickens. Walking down a steep smooth incline - not so much.

The only time I use a ramp is if I have chicks with a broody who can't jump up. Chicks always hate the ramp, and learn to jump very quickly, so even then I don't keep it around very long.