6xL3Wx6H narrow coop set-up ideas

[artvandolay]

Sorry, it's just not a good design.
A staircase would to take up even more space.

That is why I am looking for an interior design within the dimensions I listed of 6x3x6 to see what I can fit within there.

 

[mowin]

That is why I am looking for an interior design within the dimensions I listed of 6x3x6 to see what I can fit within there.

Unfortunately, there's no good options.
Do your gals have access to other areas? Or is this the only space they will see?

 

[artvandolay]

Unfortunately, there's no good options.
Do your gals have access to other areas? Or is this the only space they will see?

Their run is larger, about 200 sq ft. including the coop floors, but that is about how large I can get the coop without getting too close in between the two walls.

The other one I have is 8ft by 3 ft and only 5 ft high. They roost in that one but it's only 2 level. I was trying to make this one higher. I can just go two level with this one too, but the higher I figured I could make 3 level at 2ft each.

 

[aart]

That is why I am looking for an interior design within the dimensions I listed of 6x3x6 to see what I can fit within there.

3 birds will fit.
Chickens just don't stack well.
Vertical space is good for ventilation, but it doesn't increase population numbers.

 

[3KillerBs]

3 birds will fit.
Chickens just don't stack well.
Vertical space is good for ventilation, but it doesn't increase population numbers.

This.

Height makes things easier for us -- we don't have to bend down and hunch over -- and it makes it easier to ventilate -- we can get the vents well above the roosts more easily -- and it even helps with heat since it rises away from the birds (why old houses in hot climates have high ceilings).

But chickens don't stack for storage and they fly at about a 45-degree angle so they need room to get up and down.

The only report I've seen here of a vertical, multi-story type space working for chickens involves very active game bantams who fly more like wild birds than the wing-assisted leaps and falling with style that most dual-purpose breeds are limited to.

Do you have photographs of the area so we could visualize the space better?

My inclination would be to set it up as an open-air coop and plan to access it from the wide side as a reach-in rather than walk-in since it's so shallow.

 

[artvandolay]

This.

Height makes things easier for us -- we don't have to bend down and hunch over -- and it makes it easier to ventilate -- we can get the vents well above the roosts more easily -- and it even helps with heat since it rises away from the birds (why old houses in hot climates have high ceilings).

But chickens don't stack for storage and they fly at about a 45-degree angle so they need room to get up and down.

The only report I've seen here of a vertical, multi-story type space working for chickens involves very active game bantams who fly more like wild birds than the wing-assisted leaps and falling with style that most dual-purpose breeds are limited to.

Do you have photographs of the area so we could visualize the space better?

My inclination would be to set it up as an open-air coop and plan to access it from the wide side as a reach-in rather than walk-in since it's so shallow.

I do have bantams and some seramas that may be able to use the upper ones if I go that high. I am limited to this narrow 3ft width but could make it longer than 6tf if needed. I want to enclose the two and maybe a third one to the left for a larger run of the whole area.

Here is a picture for you.

 

[3KillerBs]

That's so well-sheltered there that I doubt there's any reason to need a separate, enclosed coop rather than just a roofed run with roosts, nests, and just enough in the way of walls around the roost to keep any errant winds off the roost.

Here are some open air coop plans to help you figure it out.

Open Air Coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-positive-local-action-coop.72804/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/california-living.68130/

 

[artvandolay]

That's so well-sheltered there that I doubt there's any reason to need a separate, enclosed coop rather than just a roofed run with roosts, nests, and just enough in the way of walls around the roost to keep any errant winds off the roost.

Here are some open air coop plans to help you figure it out.

Open Air Coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-positive-local-action-coop.72804/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/california-living.68130/

Thanks for the ideas.

The only thing I have to worry about is the 100 degree heat in the summer and the westerly winds sometimes in the fall and winter that blow through that area, along with predators such as raccoons, skunks, and hawks. The dog isn't always out there.

I'd like them to have a shelter for them to go into but I can definitely make some sort of maze of roosts and runs out there for them, but they do like to go inside the coop at night. I want to have options for them I guess and I am experimenting with the height so that is where I was trying to get some ideas for those that want to get up high.

 

[3KillerBs]

Thanks for the ideas.

The only thing I have to worry about is the 100 degree heat in the summer and the westerly winds sometimes in the fall and winter that blow through that area, along with predators such as raccoons, skunks, and hawks. The dog isn't always out there.

I'd like them to have a shelter for them to go into but I can definitely make some sort of maze of roosts and runs out there for them, but they do like to go inside the coop at night. I want to have options for them I guess and I am experimenting with the height so that is where I was trying to get some ideas for those that want to get up high.

An open air coop is a roofed run with a shelter on the windward end. They're fully predator-proofed.

 

[SageHill]

I am trying to add another coop in a narrow area. The area is set up as 6Lx3Wx6H.

I can go up higher for more vertical space so I was thinking of making two sections up higher. A 2ft high roost up top, and another 2ft underneath for the eggs for nesting boxes. The bottom 2 feet for a run area that goes out to a larger run when I open it. It would all go around the coop house with a door on the 6ft length side so I can go in and out and have the roost and boxes all around me in a U shape.

Any other suggestions or ideas? Maybe pictures if you have a similar narrow but higher-up setup.

Sounds very much like what I have at the moment. Though the dimensions here are larger (except maybe for the height). While others have said vertical does not figure in square footage I can't say one way or the other.
Our roost area has a "floor" and a 2x4 perch and is located above the nest boxes with the "floor" of the roost area being the "roof" above the nest boxes which are placed on the "floor" of the next box area. Below that is a dirt area where the chickens can scratch around.
We've had this set up for three years with 5 chickens and it has worked well. I want to redo the nest boxes so I can access them from outside of the run - it was on the original plan - but never go to it with too many other ranch things crying for attention. This spring I hope to get the chicken area "remodeled" to what we'd originally designed.