a frame coop questions

[dftkarin]

Hi!
I'm new and soon to get 2 barred rock chicks to keep as pets and for eggs in my tiny backyard. I like the look and sound of the a-frame arks with the enclosed part up top but I have some questions about it. Does that sort of deiegn allow for the use of a droppings board (to make cleaning easier)? Also, since the ramp can take up a lot of floor space, do chickens really have enough space to move around enough? Can the deep litter method be used with a coop like this? Is there any way to have windows and good ventilation on a a frame coop? I have fantasies of removable windows with screens but wouldn't rain get in if the slanted sides had screened parts? I have a very uptight neighbor so my coop has to be attractive too. I have spent hours and hours pouring over pictures of coops here - but its hard to figure out the space in the top part of those a frame arks with the enclosed tops. Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer!! (I am loving reading these boards!)

More to add: I just read in a chicken coop book that chickens can't easily use the spaces near fences when the fence isn't vertical (like a true prism shaped ark) because their combs bump/rub against the fence - so a 3'x6' run wouldn't really count as a full 18 square feet of run space - so then I think about a rectangular run (maybe 3'x6'x ? tall) with a prism-shaped roosting/nesting/proected area above it - with a sloped roof. Maybe the low walls of the upstairs area could have screens/windows? In the book "45 Chicken Coops" there is a coop called the Poulet Chalet with this plan - but when I searched online for a picture - something else comes up.

Oh, I know I would probably LOVE to get more and more chickens but the city only allows each household to have 3 - so I can't ever go beyond that - sad to say.

 

[Chirpy]

I'm sorry, I can't answer any of your questions since I've never used that type of housing but I do want to say:

I'm sure someone will have some experience with this and come along to give you some answers.

Good luck.

Oh, I should add that you might want to think about making something bigger than you're talking about ... you will want more chickens in the future ... they are so addictive and the people here are so enabling.

 

[jenjscott]

The answer to the space question is yes, especially if you're really only going to have 2. And it depends on the size. Mine are 4x6 on the base this gives me 24 sq ft on the bottom. The top is 2 x 6 which makes 12 sq feet up top which is still plenty even with the ramp. Deep litter method is a little iffy. The rain can blow through the bottom part, making litter changed more frequent that true deep litter method. Also if you were going to go with litter, you would have to make the tractor with one end to come off to make it possible to clean. To get your ventilation, I would first cover the upper end with hardware cloth, then make a removable end panel, or part of the panel, that could be placed over that when desired. If the roof is built with a little overhang, it will protect this opening from a light rain even when open, and a really bad rain when closed.

 

[teddiliza]

Gosh, if you lived near Missouri, I'm selling one I just buillt for fun that would be perfect for your two barred rocks. I used a skylight for the roof and decorated the plywood underneath the skylight with a cross and some metal bars. The plywood blocks the UV rays.
It's under the 'for sale misc. section' if you want to see pictures if you actually do live close to Missouri.

Good luck in your search!

Teddi

 

[teddiliza]

Oh, and my barred rocks can jump 4 feet high with unclipped wings (right on top of the chain link), so I don't know that you'd really need a ramp in most cases as long as the hole for them to hop into was big enough. You could probably just use a 'perch' for them to hop onto before hopping in the coop. My husband had put some 2x4's near the roof in our big coop intending to make a shelf of it, and I'll be darned if those birds didn't make a complete vertical 4ft leap from the intended roosting bar to get higher! Never thought they'd be that athletic, but where there's a will there's a way. Goes to show you I'm a first time chicken owner.

:0)

Good luck!
Teddi