8 Things You Should Know About Your Chicken Coop Ramp

 A chicken coop ramp is found in almost every coop design.  After a few minutes of looking at chicken coop designs, you will notice that a large percentage of chicken coops are elevated a few feet off the ground. From large coops to small ones, ancient designs to cutting-edge models, it’s extremely common to place a chicken coop a few feet above the ground. In fact, there are several very good reasons why so many chicken coops are designed this way:

• • Elevating the coop increases the amount of footage within the run, maximizing outdoor and indoor space for the chickens
  • Elevated coops provide shelter beneath them for the chickens, from hot sun in the summer and rain in wet weather
  • Raised coops are easier for people to reach into and harvest eggs
  • Elevated coops are easier to clean, because a bucket or wheelbarrow can simply be placed below it to catch debris from sweeping it out
  • Higher coops are easier to keep dry and away from wet earth, preserving the wood and the health of the chickens
  • Elevated coops provide additional protection from rodents or pests

• Hightened coops appeal to a chicken’s natural instinct to roost off of the ground, so they are likely to go up and inside at night
• Elevated coops may provide more protection from some predators, by giving the chickens a hiding place

This isn’t to say that an elevated coop is necessarily the best design, but it does offer many advantages, which is why it is such a common element in chicken coops.

However, if you build your chicken coop off the ground, there has to be an easy way for chickens to get in and out of it. While it is theoretically possible to build a chicken elevator, the easiest solution is to build a chicken coop ramp.

Why is a Chicken Coop Ramp needed?

Many people wonder how steep a ramp can be.  Shorter ramps may need to be steeper, but can make using it more difficult.  The answer has more to do with the quality of the surface than with the steepness of the ramp.  Chickens have sharp claws, and if a ramp has a rougher wooden surface, and horizontal “rungs,” they can comfortably use a fairly steep ramp. If it is slippery and doesn’t have any traction, then naturally it needs to be a gentler grade.

Chickens can also fly, although not well or far. Many people find that their chickens only use the top portion of the ramp and fly up or down the rest of the way. Some chicken owners find that if they give their chickens an intermediate step or two, they don’t use the ramp at all.

A chicken coop ramp should probably not be steeper than 45 degrees. You might be able to go steeper depending on the coop height and the behavior of your chickens.  But a good ramp needs to have the properties of both a ramp and a ladder: a rougher surface texture, and horizontal rungs spaced every few inches apart, to add traction.

What Materials are Needed for a Chicken Coop Ramp?

You will need the following in order to build a chicken coop ramp:

• A drill
• Many wood screws
• The main ramp material: a board that is approximately 8-10 inches wide, and long enough to not exceed a 45° angle of ascent. For a coop that is less than 3 feet off the ground, a 6-foot board is generally sufficient. If your coop is higher, your board will need to be longer. Some people choose to build a more traditional ladder for their chickens, rather than a ramp. The advantage of making a chicken ladder, rather than a ramp, is that it is easier to keep clean. Droppings and debris fall through it onto the surface below.  If you choose to use a traditional ladder design, you will need two long narrow support boards rather than one wide one.
• Slats to use for the rungs: These should be the width of your board, and can be ½ round molding, or any scrap wood slats. Many people even use tree branches. You will need 10 or more of these. Place rungs at least every 6 inches along the board, but closer together if you have smaller chickens.
• Hardware for attaching the ramp to the coop: Some people use hinges if they intend to fold the ramp up against the side of the coop, which can help with cleaning. You could also attach it with hooks to make it easily removable.  Screws or brackets can help make a more permanent attachment.

How to Build a Chicken Coop Ramp

1. Lay out your board or your vertical supports. Make sure you are working on a dry, clean, stable surface.
2. Using a drill and screws, attach your horizontal rungs to the board, spaced 3-6 inches apart. Attach them securely, using three screws per rung: one at each side, and one in the center.
3. Attach your ramp to your chicken coop securely.

And that’s all there is to it!

Getting Chickens to Use the Ramp

Some chickens are less likely to use the ramp, for mysterious chicken reasons.  Silkies are often slow to learn to use ramps. Reluctant chickens are more likely to use the ramp to go outside in the mornings.  Getting out of the coop into fresh air seems to be more motivating.  Returning to roost in the evenings may require more time.

Many people find that creating a trail of treats every few inches apart will coax the chickens up the ramp.  This may help teach and encourage them to use it.  Once one or two members of the flock are reliably using the ramp, the others will catch on.  Even a flock of all hens has an alpha and other will follow her example.

If your chickens are reluctant to use the ramp at first, pick them up and place them into the coop by hand at night. With patience and persistence, they will adopt the ramp on their own.

A chicken coop ramp is a simple but essential part of the life of your flock. But they are easy to make and to use, so there’s no reason to hesitate.

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