Ramp for ducks in a chicken coop

[CrazyGoldsberry]

My husband made an awesome chicken coop for our birds but then we added 3 ducks to our flock. The coop is about 3 feet of the ground which is great for cleaning and such but I have to climb in and help the ducks out every morning. The chickens fly in and out but the ducks don't even try to use the ramp because it's just too steep of an incline. How can I make a ramp that they can use? I don't want to have to keep climbing into the coop every day. I also don't want to make the ducks a separate coop.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My husband made an awesome chicken coop for our birds but then we added 3 ducks to our flock. The coop is about 3 feet of the ground which is great for cleaning and such but I have to climb in and help the ducks out every morning. The chickens fly in and out but the ducks don't even try to use the ramp because it's just too steep of an incline. How can I make a ramp that they can use? I don't want to have to keep climbing into the coop every day.

I also don't want to make the ducks a separate coop.

Wider and longer incline is about it. Ducks will use a ramp but it has to suit their waddling body and wide feet. You may also have to cover with something so they don't slid if you have snow or ice.

@CrazyGoldsberry Welcome to BYC

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

This is my ramp, maybe you can get an idea of the angle

Its about a foot high, and four long, 18'' wide. Just plywood and 2x4. Also recommend non-slip cover.

 

[someguyhere]

This is my ramp, maybe you can get an idea of the angle

Its about a foot high, and four long, 18'' wide. Just plywood and 2x4. Also recommend non-slip cover.

 

[bydhatch]

Go for some plywood or boards and a hinge. If it's too slippery mix sand and outdoor paint together for the board. Make sure it's incline isn't too steep.

 

[chickens really]

My Ducks will not use ramps......Stairs for ducks are easier for them......


Also, keep an eye on the behaviour of the Ducks and Chickens......Lots of times they will need separate housing.......Works till the Birds mature, then all heck breaks out...........Ducks can kill Chickens....



Cheers!

 

[Duck Drover]

Our ducks use a wide ramp to get up to their water trough pond and I have seen them on the porch to the chicken coop that has stairs going up to it so they can handle both ramps and steps but ducks do not naturally go inside a coop the way chickens do. Ducks are not night blind like chickens and they do not roost like chickens so they are more likely to go under a coop where there is shelter and multiple escape routes (ducks are more predator savy than chickens too) than to enter a coop. They have to be trained to use an enclosed shelter since they naturally prefer to sleep in the open rather than in a structure they perceive as a death trap.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Can and will are two very different things. But yes wide is very important for ducks and less steep is better, that being said, 15/15 ducks will traverse this ramp several times/day in the spring-fall:

Of course they are motivated both ways. They love their pool, and their pool has no food in it and they love to eat. So they WANT to go up and down the ramp. This ramp is fairly steep 4' high in 8-10'. But it is also about 20" wide so they can navigate it better. The surface is rubber mat with a plastic chicken wire fence drawn over it for an additional toe hold if needed.

This is their favorite preening spot.

 

[bydhatch]

Can and will are two very different things. But yes wide is very important for ducks and less steep is better, that being said, 15/15 ducks will traverse this ramp several times/day in the spring-fall: Of course they are motivated both ways. They love their pool, and their pool has no food in it and they love to eat. So they WANT to go up and down the ramp. This ramp is fairly steep 4' high in 8-10'. But it is also about 20" wide so they can navigate it better. The surface is rubber mat with a plastic chicken wire fence drawn over it for an additional toe hold if needed. This is their favorite preening spot.

That's such a ginormous pool! That's awesome!

 

[Tevyes Dad]

That's such a ginormous pool! That's awesome!

Yeah, we could never eat our ducks because they're already spoiled