Help with the design of a chicken coop

[ChickenManny]

Hey Y'all,

I need some help. I need to design an elevated chicken coop. Both the hen house and the run have to be elevated. Due to the shape of my lawn, and with sprinkler heads everywhere, I do not have the availability to lay a concrete foundation and build the traditional coop. I have an area that I can build a coop, along a retaining wall, but I need to elevate it.

The coop dimensions would be: 3' x up to 12-14'. The legs would be approximately 18" tall. The house and run would be approximately 4-5' tall, peaked or gable roof, hardware cloth, windows, fan/heat lamp, and solar power. The coop would be sitting on top of landscaping rock, approximately 1-3" in size.

The chickens cannot free range. HOA and Red Tail Hawks present. Coop must be elevated because putting a concrete pad in where I have to put the coop is not a viable option.

Where I am stuck is what to make the floor of the run out of. What material do I use that will not go bad, or weigh a ton? How to clean the run for chicken poop?

I have looked on the internet for pictures of an elevated run. I found one, but no specifics on plans, construction, etc.

I plan on having 4 to 6 six hens. NO more. No rooster.

Any ideas? Please help.

Thanks,

Manny

 

[jthornton]

Use dirt for the floor.

JT

 

[JDN]

A pic would probably help...us the rock Bed above or below the retaining wall?

 

[JDN]

That was the basic idea. Taking into consideration that weeds come up in that bed all the time and that I use roundup, I didn't want to hurt the chickens with that. Also, with the rocks being uneven, snakes, mice, and rats could find their way in. That's why I decided to do an elevated run and coop.

Now I can do this: I can take all that stone out, and put it around the house in areas where it is presently located. I can replace the big stone with pea gravel, which would be just as good for drainage and possibly better on the chicken's feet. However I am still concerned with the chicken poop and it causing weeds to prop up. Stone has to be there for drainage. No getting around that.

The chickens will eat emergent vegetation...and I would just bury an apron of hardware cloth in the rock to keep out raccoons, etc

 

[MigraineMan]

You might draw some inspiration from Justin Rhodes' chickshaw. It's mobile, has a mesh floor, and he shows you construction details.

 

[ChickenManny]

What I have come up with so far:

3'x12' base.
4x4 legs, corners, and at the 4' and 8' centerline, all framed in.
4x4 concrete post footings to keep wood off ground/rot prevention.
2x6 outer walls to create the floor box.
2x6 floor joists, 16" on center (9)
1/2"x1/2" Hardware Cloth stapled on top of frame. Extra predator protection.
Window Screen stapled below the frame to prevent wasp nests under the frame

This will complete the base. It is sturdy and will provide a solid platform for the coop above.

Now I am thinking about designing a small section where I can have removable trays to collect the chicken poop for fertilization in the flower beds and for the garden.

I may widen the platform to 4'. IDK yet.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[JDN]

So...why floor the run?...3x12 run under the coop, and then i would double the footprint, probably wider, for the run...

 

[ChickenManny]

So...why floor the run?...3x12 run under the coop, and then i would double the footprint, probably wider, for the run...

The chicken coop will sit on top of a rock bed that sits against a retaining wall, which was put there as a medium to help with drainage when it rains. My home sits cut into a hill top where there is not that much soil vs. granite rock. I can go out about four feet from the retaining wall where the ground is level, then it starts to slope downward. The rock area needs to stay clear of grass/weeds, which if the chicken crap was to fall down into, would fertilize and cause me issues. I also want to harvest the fertilizer to use in flower beds and in the garden, along with giving it to neighbors to help build report and develop a coop mentality should the proverbial poop hit the fan in this country.

Four feet would be the maximum I could probably go from the wall, and the coop would be right up against the wall. I do not have the ability to keep it a foot off the wall.

 

[ChickenManny]

Use dirt for the floor.

JT

I do not know if dirt will be practical being that the floor is elevated. I have concerns if it gets wet, which I am sure it will. Sand would be easier because I could easily create a PVC drain system in the floor and have the water drain out. Dirt would make mud, which would absorb into the wood and make the case for rot over time.

 

[lazy gardener]

I also can't understand why the run must be elevated above ground. How big is your yard? Does sprinkler system wet the entire yard?

Building the run off ground IMO will set you up for all sorts of problems. Chickens were created to scratch and dig in the vegetation and soil for their grub. Preventing them from doing so will set you up for all sorts of behavioral problems. Starting with feather picking and possibly leading up to active aggression including blood shed and or cannibalism.

The yard does not need to be level to build either a structurally sound coop OR run. If needed, you could even build a terraced affair which would give your birds contact with the ground, which you will want to convert to deep litter management. In such a tight space with HOA limitations, I'd also consider giving them a planted "greens box" which would be covered with hardware cloth to keep them from destroying the plants.