Deep litter method

[TalkALittle]

I recommend the 8x4 size over the 4x4 size. If you had an 8x4 coop, you'd put your access doors on the 8 foot side so you'd only have to reach across the 4 foot span when cleaning out.

I don't have an elevated coop, but have always thought that if I did I would elevate it enough so as to be able to put a wheelbarrow up to the access door and just reach in with a rake and pull the dirty bedding out into the wheelbarrow. This would have the obvious benefit of making cleanouts of the coop monumentally easier but would also provide enough height under the coop to reach in with a rake for cleaning or even crawling in to retrieve an injured bird (or a stubborn broody hen that decided that under the coop would be the perfect nesting site).

 

[Intheswamp]

Yes, the original plan was made with consideration for the dimensions lumber comes in; and I wanted a raised coop, but not one that was so tall or wide that I couldn't reach into it to clean it. It was planned at 6' high, 2' off the ground. If I made it only 4' tall I would have a really hard time moving around inside it, (which I think I would have to do if it were 8' long), working slumped over is not something I want to do.

The run I have now is only 4' tall for the most part, with a slope up to 6' near the coop, and I have a hard time working in there....which is why I planned this run to be 6' tall and the coop to be 4x4. I'll play around with my blueprints a bit more and see what I can come up with.

)

I was planning to hose the wire floor when cleaning, but since everyone seems to think a flat floor would be better, perhaps I'll change that, as well.


I'm thankful for everyone's input...right now this coop is only doodles on quad paper, so it's easier to take everyone's advice and change it BEFORE it's built.

Ok, terminology... Coop, the secure house that the chickens are locked in by closing the pop door. Run, the secure fenced in area that the chickens enter by exiting out from within the coop through the pop door. At least that's the way I think of it.

I've often thought that if I was building an elevated coop that it would be a 4x8. If the chicken owner isn't limited by really tight space the 4x8 size "makes sense" from several standpoints. There are some *great* examples of this size of a coop in the coop section here on BYC.

As for reaching into the coop, do as Latestarter mentioned and put the human entrance in the 8' side of the coop. You could install two doors that meet in the middle and swing out to either side. Build each door wide enough for you to easily fit through as you will need a stud in the middle for the doors to lock against. You should easily be able to reach pretty much anywhere in the coop. Or, you could build a single 4' door in the center, hinging to one side or the other...a 4' door would leave 2' at each end that you would have to reach to around the short wall.

Height of coop floor... For me, 2' would be to low. Don't be concerned with having it two feet or a foot and a half or three feet or whatever off of the ground. Rather build it to whatever height it is to a little below waist high so that you can easily lean into it while bracing your self against the outer edge of the floor and floor support. Find some different height counters, tables, retaining walls, whatever and try out "leaning into the coop" and "reaching". When you find something that works, measure the height and go with that.

How tall are you? 6' in the run would be too short for me...I'd either be bumping my head on cross-supports or either rubbing my head where the wire sags. Adding in a deep litter would shorten the height.

You will thank yourself many times over if you choose to go with a 4x8 *coop* rather than a 4x4.

Best wishes,
Ed

 

[Tiegrsi]

Ok, terminology...  Coop, the secure house that the chickens are locked in by closing the pop door.  Run, the secure fenced in area that the chickens enter by exiting out from within the coop through the pop door.   At least that's the way I think of it.   

I've often thought that if I was building an elevated coop that it would be a 4x8.  If the chicken owner isn't limited by really tight space the 4x8 size "makes sense" from several standpoints.  There are some *great* examples of this size of a coop in the coop section here on BYC.

As for reaching into the coop, do as Latestarter mentioned and put the human entrance in the 8' side of the coop.  You could install two doors that meet in the middle and swing out to either side.  Build each door wide enough for you to easily fit through as you will need a stud in the middle for the doors to lock against.  You should easily be able to reach pretty much anywhere in the coop.  Or, you could build a single 4' door in the center, hinging to one side or the other...a 4' door would leave 2' at each end that you would have to reach to around the short wall.

Height of coop floor...  For me, 2' would be to low.  Don't be concerned with having it two feet or a foot and a half or three feet or whatever off of the ground.  Rather build it to whatever height it is to a little below waist high so that you can easily lean into it while bracing your self against the outer edge of the floor and floor support.  Find some different height counters, tables, retaining walls, whatever and try out "leaning into the coop" and "reaching".  When you find something that works, measure the height and go with that. 

How tall are you?  6' in the run would be too short for me...I'd either be bumping my head on cross-supports or either rubbing my head where the wire sags.  Adding in a deep litter would shorten the height.  

You will thank yourself many times over if you choose to go with a 4x8 *coop* rather than a 4x4.

Best wishes,
Ed

I'm not sure why you thought I didn't know the difference between a coop and a run...maybe it read differently than I meant it to...or maybe it was confusing because I mentioned the planned coop height vs. the existing run I have already built for my existing coop to explain how I would have a hard time moving around in a 4' tall structure.

I am 5'8" on a good day.

Whatever coop I build, I'd like to be able to reach all of the areas inside it to clean (and possibly under it if I do keep my raised coop plan), with relative ease, as I plan to clean it regularly. I'm not bothered by having to clean it once a week or more if necessary, I already have cats I clean up after daily and a rabbit coop I brush out daily and clean bi-monthly, so I'm aware of what the work entails. It seems a lot of people here are going for the 'i don't want to have to clean it too often' approach (which is great if that's what they want to do and they can do it well), but I expect, and even want, to be with the chickens daily and don't mind the clean-up.

That being said, I will put more thought into an 8x4 coop, or at least one that is larger than what I had planned. However, I ran the numbers today and realised that I'd already planned (with revisions for a skirt instead of wire floored run) will cost about $340 in materials...which is a HUGE amount for me. I might rather keep the coop 4x4 and limit the amount of birds simply for cost reasons.

 

[Intheswamp]

So sorry for my misunderstanding.

Best wishes,
Ed

 

[kgb6days]

Hi Kristy. Have you ever heard of "cob" or Cob houses? OK, so "cob" is a mixture of straw with mud and cow patties/dung that hardens into/like brick

and is used in many 3rd world areas to build homes with. The "back to earth" faction here in the states has also gone down that road. So, when you add straw (which normally has a wax coating and breaks down very slowly) to the litter, you're possibly making a future nightmare for yourself. Especially if it's in a naturally wet/muddy area that doesn't get scratched up and turned/moved around by the birds or you. (Italics and underlines because some folks use straw and "like" it). Grass or hay is totally not a problem/issue as it breaks down very fast. Cedar, even the aromatic type, should NOT pose an issue in an outside area. Not all cedars are aromatic and only those that are cause potential breathing issues for the birds... if used in an enclosed area where the fumes will be concentrated. As an aside, those fumes can cause breathing issues for humans as well when in an enclosed area. Try standing inside a (aromatic) cedar closet with the door closed for any length of time... You'll quickly understand why it repels moths and other insects. You can absolutely add the pine shavings directly into the run. That's the ideal. Why waste all that nitrogen rich mix with carbon by throwing it into the woods? In a year or two (depending on # of chooks and size run), the soil beneath the top layer in your run will be better than any topsoil you could buy for your gardens. Keep up the good work! Your hens will love you for it

Thanks for the information and encouragement!

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
You might consider a cattle panel hoop coop or even a pallet coop....both will get you a MUCH bigger coop without the cost of what you are contemplating. My hoop coop is 10x12 and cost me around $300 to build. If you scrounge for free pallets you could most likely get by even cheaper than that. Both are easy builds and can be done with a minimum of additional help...I had one step of help in my hoop coop and that took maybe 5 min. time. My 81 yr old Mama helped me with that step, so even that part wasn't hard, just required two sets of hands.

 

[Tiegrsi]

You might consider a cattle panel hoop coop or even a pallet coop....both will get you a MUCH bigger coop without the cost of what you are contemplating.  My hoop coop is 10x12 and cost me around $300 to build.  If you scrounge for free pallets you could most likely get by even cheaper than that.  Both are easy builds and can be done with a minimum of additional help...I had one step of help in my hoop coop and that took maybe 5 min. time.  My 81 yr old Mama helped me with that step, so even that part wasn't hard, just required two sets of hands. 

If I do the bigger coop I will likely have to use pallet wood. That is how I made my rabbit's coop. I was just hoping to be able to make something...nicer.

Thank you. And I will check out hoop coops. I hadn't considered that type before and hadn't really looked at them. I'll check it out.

And no worries, Ed. I just wanted to make sure I explained myself so everyone understood. Have a good night.

 

[Beekissed]

My motto? Paint hides a multitude of sins.....you can build it with whatever you want to use and slap a coat of paint on it, making it as cute as you want.

Pallet wood is tough stuff and you can even insulate the core of the pallets easily if wanting to insulate against the heat or cold, etc. I've seen some mighty pretty pallet coops.

Here's a coop that is incorporating both materials, cattle panels and pallets...wish they had posted the final build.



Here's a BIG pallet coop! Don't know where folks find all these perfect looking pallets that are all the same size and such....



Cute one....



Couldn't find many cute cattle panel coops and was somewhat surprised to see that a lot of the pics on that search turned out to be pics of my own hoop coop after I first built it, when it was 8x10 ft. Later on I added another hoop to turn it to 12x10 ft. and also built in the end caps with scrap lumber from old packing crates.

This one shows a pic of my hoop coop and also of the deep litter I'm taking out of it to place on the garden...nicely composted.

 

[Tiegrsi]

Thank you for sharing Beekissed.

I don't know where everyone finds those nice pallets either! The ones I got before I had to tear down board by board and completely 're-build to use.

 

[Latestarter]

Isn't THAT the truth! The only pallets I seem to be able to find (free) are nasty, busted up, years old pieces that would require complete re-work. However, the wood used to build them (at least here) is hard red oak, and those boards are strong!