The Lava Lounge

We started the build in May of 2018 while we had three SLW, two GLW, and two NH Reds in the brooder in the basement. In order to accommodate a flock that size, we decided on an 8' by 12’ coop with two poop decks and four roosts at various heights. We thought six nest boxes would be sufficient. The nice thing about the nest boxes is that I can remove the dividers to reconfigure as needed. That makes it really nice when someone goes broody and wants to raise chicks.



This design gave me a lot of floor space. The coop also has five repurposed (but functioning) windows, so lots of light in there.



It's set up on concrete pylons and skirted in hardware cloth to keep the predators out. There is also hardware cloth between the joists and the subfloor for added security from chewing predators. The girls do not have access to the area under the coop.



The coop is clad in the 8' by 4' shed siding and the metal roof slopes from front to back. There are ventilation holes around the roofline that have been covered with hardware cloth to keep the predators and small birds out.



We primed everything with a couple of coats of Kilz. We didn't actually paint (with a tinted outdoor paint) until 2020. Basically, because I'm lazy and the flockers didn't seem to mind.



The entire inside of the coop was treated with Thompson's Water Seal. We decided not to paint the inside for some reason that I can't remember. In hindsight, it might have been nice to paint it white. (FYI, you can't easily paint over Thompson's Water Seal, so make your decision before you seal.)



The lowest poop deck is about 18" off the floor. Each has two roost bars. The bottom (also treated with Water Seal) was lined with cut-to-size pond liner and then filled with natural, washed, coarse-grain river sand from our local quarry. I've since removed the liners as it makes it easier to scoop poop and replace the sand every year or so. I also add Sweet PDZ every few months to replace the sand that gets thrown into the compost pile with the poop. Sweet PDZ is available at your local feed store. I buy mine in 40-pound bags from the equine aisle. It's called Sweet PDZ Stall Refresher and is a LOT less expensive than the 10-pound bags you might find in the poultry aisle and called by some other name. It's all the same thing, a natural mineral called zeolite. Just make sure you get the granules, it's less dusty. And yes, it is safe for the chickens to eat.



Initially, we had a ramp that led up to the upper-level poop deck, but I discovered that the girls preferred to hop from one level to the next. The ramp was waaaaaay too steep, especially for my bigger breeds, so that came out early on.



Here are my first flockers exploring their new digs. You can see the pop door behind the waterer. That door leads into the run.



From the first day in the coop, they didn't hesitate at all to hop right up to the highest levels to roost. All of my birds have done that!



Hubby just finished building a removable brooder. My Speckled Sussex, Dottie, is broody as of early May 2021. I'm hoping to sneak some Brahma chicks under her next week, but the brooder is ready in case she rejects them. (Update: Dottie was an awesome Mom! She raised five Brahma chicks right in the nest box.)



The initial run was 9' by 18' and covered by a metal roof. We have since added on another 9' section that does not have a permanent metal roof but is enclosed with the 2" by 4" fencing all around (including overhead). Hubby built a hoop roof out of 2"x4" framing and PVC pipes bent in a U shape. Add a reinforced clear tarp over the top and, voila, no more rain or snow in the run!



The nice thing about having such a large run is that I can leave my chair in there... even though I know someone is always going to park her feathered fanny on it when I'm not around!



The other nice thing about having a large run is that you can add a loft space! The loft is about four feet off the ground and has a nice, wide set of steps for access. I had to add fencing along the front to keep the ladies from jumping off. No bumblefoot here! And, the Grandpa's Feeders fit nicely underneath. The loft is high enough that I can still easily fill them without cracking my head and they're protected from the worst of the weather under there.



They'd spend all day up there. Lily, especially, likes to get up there and nap - away from all the other girls!



It's nice to have options when it comes to waterers...



I realized pretty quickly that I'd need a sunshade to keep me cool in the summer... That came later, after the entire run was wrapped in 2" by 4" fencing.



There are easy to access (from the outside) nestboxes on the side and front of the coop. Each has a hinged, wooded lid secured with a latch and carabiner.



Here's the view from inside the nestbox. The wood panels just slide into the slot on the 2" by 4" screwed to the outside wall. Easy-peasy!



Chicken Math is a real thing, so we had to add on to the run... Because in addition to my Wyandottes and Reds, I added a BLRW cockerel, two EEers, a Salmon Faverolle, a blue Cochin, a Speckled Sussex, a black Jersey Giant, and a light Brahma! After about ten months, I rehomed the cockerel, the Reds, and the Wyandottes. But not before my alpha went broody and hatched seven chicks!! Six of those were cockerels, so they found new homes too. Lily, my GLW x BLRW cross, is still with the rest of the flock. No roosters, no problems! You can see the smaller coop in the background for "the boys." Our neighbor down the road uses that as her brooder and emergency isolation coop now.



In 2020, we finally got around to painting... And we added a cover over the side window that gets all the later afternoon sun in the Summer. Hubby also designed an ingenious cover for the unroofed part of the run. He used 1" PVC piping to form a half-hoop frame and we covered it with a reinforced, clear tarp. Works like a charm for both snow and rain!



Here's a better view of the hoop roof.

There are only a few things that I'd do differently if I were to build again. I'd add a "people door" from the coop into the run; I'd make sure there was a two-foot overhang on the roof, and I'd double the covered run space. Otherwise, the flockers seem to be pleased and everyone who's seen it says it's nicer than most peoples' homes around here!

EDIT AS OF JUNE 2022:

Today was a glorious day weatherwise, so hubby and I removed the poop decks and roosts and replaced them. The roosts are now 12” and 16” off the floor and are made of 2” by 6” lumber planks. I realized that my oldest girls are getting up there, my year-old Brahmas are fat-bottomed girls, and my chicklets are able to get up to the highest points, but still want to fly the four feet down to the floor. I opted to remove the poop decks to make it easier to clean and also so I could reach the windows on the back wall of the coop (Hubby has a huge wingspan, so he was always the one to open and close those windows). I’m looking forward to watching the girls figuring out who sleeps where tonight!


The debris pile. Poopy lumber, but it’ll get used!



Hubs added two supports posts - one in the center of each roost - so now I can sit on the roost!



While we were working on the coop, we refilled the run with more sand. After almost five years of scooping poop and walking around in there, it took nine bucket loads to fill!


Ginger, my Gladys Kravitz wannabe, checking out the new sand between load dumps.





“Hey Dale, didn’t this step used to be a lot higher? Did we get more sand in here?” “Why yes Deuce, I think we did!”