chicken coop

[jeremy1]

I havent had chickens in along time and I want to get a laying flock together. I need a coop first I thought about a chicken tractor first but now thinking about just a permant coop. My first coop had three tin walls and roof. It was tall enough to walk in and had wire front and wire floor and nest boxes and perches. My dad then added a run to it. I see alot of coop on here have solid fronts with small doors. I live in texas so would the old design work with the wire floor and front or would a solid one work better?

 

[seminolewind]

I think I'm going to build something like you had, 3 solid walls, roof, and wire in the front. The heat here is more of a problem than cold.

 

[jeremy1]

well it did have a door in the back that about a foot tall and run all the way across the back you could lift to get air threw the back.

 

[Ole rooster]

I've never cared for a wire floor. To me it's not natural for the chicken and doesn't seem like it would be good for the feet.

 

[ChicKat]

Quote:
in Texas, my husband's grandmother raised chickens, and sold Eggs. The "Chicken House" had 3-walls, a roof, of course, and a run. They managed to have a cement floor --even back in the day-- and cleaned it out yearly to fertilize the veg. garden. They were self-sufficient. The building still stands, but the run has long been removed, and the floor has heaved, so there are huge gaping cracks in the cement. His grandmother sent her two daughters to college (in the 1940's) on egg money. My point: 3 walls can be very successful in TX.

That said, I think that you may want to consider some alternatives since times have changed since her, and your earlier coop. Times have advanced, science has contributed and our expectations of the individual chicken are higher and our acceptance of losses are lower.

Good luck with your chickens.