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