Chicken ladders

Just look at that chicken climbing the ladder. The following 9 pictures show three basic types of ladders and ramps since the 16th century.

A chicken basket, chicken ladder, turkeys and two peacocks (on the back wall) are just a few things in the 1823 work by Johann Michael Voltz (1784-1858) translated as The Chicken Yard.  Click on the picture for a larger version.  I did a previous posting on chicken baskets HERE and peacocks (on/in a pie)  HERE.

While looking for more about the Voltz picture, I came across an entire blog on chicken ladders with a great collection of pictures. Check out Huehnerleiterwelten .(German for: chicken-huehner, ladder-leiter, world-welten). 

 

Labors of the Months, Book of Hours, January c1520 by Simon Bening (c1483-1561).  I tried to lighten the image to see the chicken over the door.  This type of chicken ladder has a very interesting arrangement of cross sticks or pegs on a single post. 

Both peg style ladders from the 16th century are similar to the 1929 photograph of one attached to an 19th century home.

A chicken ladder in a 1929 photograph from Zwingenberg, Germany.  

The Farm-Yard c1890 contains an open rung chicken ladder.  
 

The chicken ladder with open rungs can be seen in part of a farmhouse in Westerwald, Germany.  1938

A postcard from 1900 illustrating a ramp style of chicken ladder.
 

Two chicken ladders/ ramps on the right side, in a photograph of a farmhouse in Berge, Brandenburg.

 

Not from the site, but what an elaborate chicken coop!! Architecture: How to build handsome and convenient fowl houses durably and economically. H.H. Stoddard Hartford CT 1878

 

 

©2012 Patricia Bixler Reber
hearthcook.com