Practicality of coop dimensions for easy maintenance

[Dorte]

I am in the planning/research stage, and I'd like some input on the practicality of the dimensions of the coop.

I was intending on making the coop 6' x 4' raised from the ground by a couple of feet. One of the long sides I am thinking of keeping open to the fully enclosed run since we have very hot summers. I am thinking about putting a door on there so it can be closed for winter, but that is another story.

Here are my questions

4' seems awfully far to reach in to clean the coop when cleaning it, yet it seems to be a common width to use. Is this a valid concern, or is it really no problem in reality? If it makes any difference, the deep littler method appeals to me.

I saw someone had a platform under the roosts where she put newspapers to collect the bulk of the poop. She removed it daily, shredded it, and put it in the compost pile. I'd like to do something similar, but I don't have a shredder and my compost pile wouldn't be able to handle that much newspaper. Also, knowing myself I wouldn't get it done daily. Are there other convenient ways to get rid of the bulk of the poop (maybe weekly) from under the roosts and still use the deep little method in the rest of the coop? We live in an urban setting, so it is very important to avoid that it gets smelly


Just for information: I plan to have 3-4 chickens, but the city allows up to 6 so I figure it is safest to build large enough for 6. I can potentially make it longer than 6’ if necessary.

Thank you all for patiently answering the same questions over and over again. I know the answers to the above questions are posted already, I just can't seem to find it...

 

[line-rat]

I use a small shrubbery rake. it is plenty long enough to rake out the old litter into my wheelbarrow. it is also helpful to spread the new litter around inside the coop.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Yes, 4' IS pretty far in to reach (and you'd better be wearing an apron or old clothes)... it is sort of the maximum you'd want. I would suggest making a mockup of whatever dimensions you settle on, using cardboard or furniture or whatever's handy, and see how you will feel about it.

If it makes any difference, the deep littler method appeals to me.

OK but what people often mean by "the" deep litter method -- where you get composting going on -- tends not to usually work well in a small raised coop. Just, be aware you may need to be flexible

A droppings board, cleaned daily or weekly, helps a lot.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[HerbiLady]

Is it possible to make it so that both ends of the coop open so you can access it for cleaning that way?

 

[Prospector]

We have been framing our coop based on the information and pics in this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=334313

Our dimensions match yours (4 X 6 living space, plus laying space). I went with a design that allows me to make the most of a 4 X 8 sheet of plywood as the floor. Looking at th ebuilt coop, I thikn th e4 X 6 will be fine for us. (YMMV) I do plan to put in a number of removable inserts to make th ewhole thing more manageble though. One of those will be a removeable litter tray in the bottom of the coop. Because of the design we have used, I should be able to make th etray so that with th eback opened up we can remove the whole tray in a single piece for cleaning. By covering it with slippy stuff (Linoleum??) I should make it so that sticky goo isn't as much of a problem as it might otherwise be.

I will post a thread of the coop construction once I get to a level of completion that allows for it.

 

[Dorte]

Quote:
Thanks for the warning
Does that mean that it needs to be cleaned more frequently or just that it needs to go to the compost bin before using it in the garden?

 

[gryeyes]

You don't need to put newspaper on your poop boards. I use one of those drywall scrapers (at least that's what I think it is, I inherited it when I moved into this house) to scrape the poo off the board into a bucket, which I then dump into my composter.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Thanks for the warning
Does that mean that it needs to be cleaned more frequently or just that it needs to go to the compost bin before using it in the garden?

Both.

Pat