Since we live in Minnesota, I needed the run to be designed in such a way that I could neatly cover it with plastic for the winter. The run stays comfortable with passive solar heat. I do have a ventilation fan to keep the humidity down. The hens appear to handle the cold above 0F, at which point I add a warming lamp. The hens have supplemental lighting fall through spring. My original design plan was to detach the coop and put it in the garage in really cold weather (in Minnesota, really cold is -20F or more). This has proven not to be necessary with a good 250 watt bulb.

Since we live in Minnesota, I needed the run to be designed in such a way that I could neatly cover it with plastic for the winter. The run stays comfortable with passive solar heat. I do have a ventilation fan to keep the humidity down. The hens appear to handle the cold above 0F, at which point I add a warming lamp. The hens have supplemental lighting fall through spring. My original design plan was to detach the coop and put it in the garage in really cold weather (in Minnesota, really cold is -20F or more). This has proven not to be necessary with a good 250 watt bulb.

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This is my run/coop combo. The coop separates entirely from the run for safe storage of the birds while the run is moved around the yard. The coop can roost six birds with two nesting boxes. The coop has rubber tires and can be moved by one person, the run sits on skids and requires a lawn tractor to be moved.

This is my run/coop combo. The coop separates entirely from the run for safe storage of the birds while the run is moved around the yard. The coop can roost six birds with two nesting boxes. The coop has rubber tires and can be moved by one person, the run sits on skids and requires a lawn tractor to be moved.

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Here is a rear view of the frame design I used.

Here is a rear view of the frame design I used.

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Sketch Up allowed me to virtually separate and attach the coop to the run so I could make sure that I had some room for uneven ground.

Sketch Up allowed me to virtually separate and attach the coop to the run so I could make sure that I had some room for uneven ground.

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Here is the coop with both the lower and higher run designs.

Here is the coop with both the lower and higher run designs.

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In this design, I raised the height of the run so as to allow the access door to sit higher against the coop.

In this design, I raised the height of the run so as to allow the access door to sit higher against the coop.

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This design set the run lower and used clear fiberglass windows to let in natural light in the run. In this design I turned the roof 90 degrees so I could incorporate the windows over the laying boxes. This design also changed the "storage area" below into a droppings catch area.

This design set the run lower and used clear fiberglass windows to let in natural light in the run. In this design I turned the roof 90 degrees so I could incorporate the windows over the laying boxes. This design also changed the "storage area" below into a droppings catch area.

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I used the program Sketch Up for all of my designs, which allowed me to completely build my plan on the computer and work out the bugs. Here the coop and run are shown together.

I used the program Sketch Up for all of my designs, which allowed me to completely build my plan on the computer and work out the bugs. Here the coop and run are shown together.

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This was an earlier design based on the same idea of the detachable coop. This one incorporated a storage area below.

This was an earlier design based on the same idea of the detachable coop. This one incorporated a storage area below.

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Coop Frame, side view

Coop Frame, side view

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I wanted to design a coop that could be detachable from the run, large enough for six hens, with two laying boxes. My final coop turned out to be similar to this original design. This drawing helped me to design the frame so I could use 2x2 lumber.

I wanted to design a coop that could be detachable from the run, large enough for six hens, with two laying boxes. My final coop turned out to be similar to this original design. This drawing helped me to design the frame so I could use 2x2 lumber.

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mnchickenfamily

Coop and Run Design Plans

mnchickenfamily
I have been raising layer hens since 2012, and I have quite a few photos and stories to share. I am working on getting these loaded.
 

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