Silkie ramp to roost ideas

[charlotte-and-the-bees]

Finishing up our new coop and trying to figure out what to do for the silkies. They currently use a ramp, then walk across a 2x4 to get to the roost with the other ladies who hop straight up. In the rare occasion I’ve forgotten the ramp after cleaning, they sleep on the ground so I know they’re out of luck without a ramp of sorts.

I’d like to make it easy on them with this new coop but keep waffling on ladder versus just a series of lower roosts. Here’s the current situation. The one 2x4 across is positioned correctly and removable, everything else is just an idea or just leaning and not permanent.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Hi! I have Silkies, too, and I just place the roost low enough for them to hop up. I think the Tampa in your pic are far too steep. Haha you thought about making a second, lower roost or stairs for them?

I have stairs leading into my walk-in coop. They are just scrap wood of differing heights. I used to use a step ladder for the Silkies when their coop was 3ft off the ground.

 

[Aunt Angus]

You might be able to angle one of the 2x4s so that it is diagonal across the entire width of the coop. That would lessen the angle. Maybe.

 

[Weeg]

That angle looks steep to me. Maybe you could do something like this-

Poor sketch, but I'm imagining something that leans up against against a ramp along the wall. Like if you installed a flat, or slightly angled ramp that followed the wall to the perch, like a shelf. Then took another board and screwed it into the ramp. Hope that makes sense.
Beautiful coop by the way! I'm so jealous.

 

[Aunt Angus]

That angle looks steep to me. Maybe you could do something like this-
View attachment 2972941
Poor sketch, but I'm imagining something that leans up against against a ramp along the wall. Like if you installed a flat, or slightly angled ramp that followed the wall to the perch, like a shelf. Then took another board and screwed it into the ramp. Hope that makes sense.
Beautiful coop by the way! I'm so jealous.

I see what @Weeg means. Like a landing. That might work well and save you floor space, too.

 

[Weeg]

I see what @Weeg means. Like a landing. That might work well and save you floor space, too.

Yes! I figured it would work well for a narrow coop, probably not to difficult to install either.

 

[Krugerrand]

I had just 1 silkie for a short time that turned out to be a roo and re-homed him. When he was with my 3 girls, he would not jump up the 15" or so to the roost. So, I took a ~10" scrap 2x4 and screwed it onto a scrap 2x6. I put that on the floor where he was hunkering down for the nights and he took a liking to it. Then, I gradually moved it to a different spot on in the coop so that he wouldn't get pooped on. Essentially, I did not 'lose' ground space, as during the day they all could hop on it as they liked - it was a part of the ground.

 

[Krugerrand]

You can catch some glimpses of it in these pictures his new home.