To get in and out of the coop

[Tamidon]

I see the boards with the rungs on them,but I'm cheap

I had a closet collapse in my house and it turns out the stuff was wrong for our walls anyhow. Could I use the shelf for the chickens to get in and out of the coop?
Here's the kind of shelf it is

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...oductId=100168252&N=10000003+90401+525780+472

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Ha! We had the same thing happen to us! I hated to throw it away once it fell off the wall so I used it as part of the brooder fence. It bends pretty easy with my fat self pushing on it. However, the chicks could get over it by the time they were 3 weeks old.
I haven't ever needed stairs for the chickens but I would worry about a leg getting hurt in it. Just my luck.

 

[scooter147]

My concern would be a foot or a leg getting caught in between the rods.
Like any animal once a chickens gets it's foot or leg caught it will pull and flap and try to get unstuck thus causing a breakage or sever injury. They will always pull AWAY making the injury worse.

I would be very cautious using that.

 

[Firefyter-Emt]

I don't mean to come off mean here, but a 2x6 is only about $5.00 and some thin strips of wood are not expensive at all. Why would you bother not making a simple gang plank for them to walk up on? I understand trying to save money, but some of the stuff I see is a bit overboard. If the ultimate goal is to build a recycled coop from a quick visit to the dump, I can see it. However, with the "love and care" I see here that people have for thier chicks, why the massive penny pincher stance? A simple plank of wood to get the chicks in the coop is hardly going to break the bank.

PS, I am not putting anyone down here, I just see this trend so often and I am confused between the utter cheap stance and the obvious massive care and love for the birds. These two do not seem to fall hand in hand to me.

 

[dixygirl]

Mine walk up a board with no skinny strips on it perfectly. I think those rungs are really just for cosmetic effect or for us to think they look cute. Mine don't need them. If they need a boost they flap their wings a bit while they are walking. Makes them jocks.

Just put a board down. They will learn what it is for in a few days with or without rungs.

PS Really the bird can just fly in if it is not much higher than 3 feet and the door is wide enough for wing room. Mine will also fly in and out of their coop sometimes. The height of about 6 human steps. Other times they hop up and down the actual steps right beside the ramp. So they can get around very easily even without a complicated design.

 

[freshegg]

I also just use a plain wide board and its no problem plus It is problely easier to clean since theres no crevises for poop to hide in.