I'm researching to build a coop for 6 Brahma hens. That's all the city allows and we want all Brahma. We don't care about show qualities or color. We like the breed and think they will be a great first flock.
So about the coop, they have to be penned full time. I prefer stationary to tractor so that I can bury the bottom to keep some of the crawlers out. So my solution for happy healthy hens is to make a larger than normal run to bring them a little closer to free range environment. We will plant some garden stuffs in there and are considering a pond with a small pump to keep flowing water. I'm thinking something like a 300 sq ft (roughly 15'x20') for the run. Have some covered for shade and the whole thing covered with some kind of material to prevent flying or overreaching predators. I'll probably use corner post 4x4s and then use pvc for all the cross pieces and overhead framing. We have a section in the yard that is useless as land and very hard to mow because of it's slope. Do chickens do ok on sloped areas?
Any suggestions or things I'm missing for the run?
I'll post later for the actual coop. I'm still formulating plans for that but I know it shouldn't be oversized like the run is. And since the city limits to 6, we don't plan to build for future expansion.
And thoughts are appreciated
I'm looking for a light Brahma. They are so adorable 
