Stairs??

[Dixiedoodle]

This may sound like a stupid questions

BUT can chickens use stairs, easily?? IF I build a coop a foot or so off the ground will they use my stairs or do I need a ramp?? Dixie

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

Depending on the breed you might be fine, but the heavy breeds should not be asked to do stairs or you will have foot and leg injuries in the long run. Bantams and the lighter breeds would be fine with a stair up. You might want to consider that a ramp could be a good thing for your and your wheelbarrow on cleaning day though, depending on the coop size. Generally I think a ramp is better all around.

I have had house chickens for recovery times from illness or injury and can tell you they do fine with stairs, but that is on carpet and not long term.

 

[Dixiedoodle]

Great information! Thank you.. Dixie

 

[arlee453]

I built a ramp when i raised the chickNbarn and they wouldn't use it at first. I went back and put more 'rungs' on it and they use it fine now.

I don't know if 'rungs' is the right term, but you know what mean - the little strips of wood that go on top and across the ramp to help them get footing.

Just a tip - to make sure the 'rungs' of your ramp are close together enough for whatever size chickens you have. These were silkies and baby standards and they wouldn't do the steep ramp without more rungs.

If the ramp is more flat, less steep, then they might be fine with the 'rungs' further apart. But if it is steep and they won't use it, put more rungs.

 

[Gonzo the Great]

That's exactly what I had with my coop. It is around 3.25' off the ground and my stairway didn't have enough steps. Sure enough, they kept sliding in between each one and then flapping onto the ground. More steps helped keep them upwards. I need to post my pics, just finished it last month but the door is still temporary.

 

[Dixiedoodle]

How close are your rungs?

 

[Rte.66_chicks]

In the past, sometimes I would forget to lock my chickens up at night and next morning would find them roosting on the steps and landing to our back door.( I generally got up before they did.)Steps weren't a problem at all for Barred Rocks and Ameraucaunas. But the "gifts" they left on the steps were!

 

[patandchickens]

You're only talking about a 1' drop, right? They should not even need stairs for that, just hop up and down, even the big ones. If it's more like 18" or 2' then perhaps a step or two would be more charitable to the larger chickens, but gee, chickens can hop up and down pretty well...

Pat

 

[arlee453]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=32673

That's my thread on lifting up the ChickNBarn. You can see the ramp I built in the pics that they wouldn't use. I went back and added rungs 1/2 between the existing ones to shorten the space between. The pics show the OLD rungs - about 6-8" between them. The new configuration there is about 2-3" betwen them.