Chicken cote (update in post#12 of thread).

[kla37]

I think it's very pretty, but like Ms. Pat said, not very practical for where we are. We have too many predators living out in our woods. I guess if you could build a completely predator proof run and put them in it then it may work OK, but not for many chickens. Mine really like their big coop. They hang out and chatter in it in the afternoon, and like to scratch around and make a mess in it almost as much as their run.

 

[welsummer4]

Here is the reply I received from Yashar on the other thread:

Quote:
Good question.

Coop: A pen or enclosure for birds; jail; To keep in a coop
Cote: A small shelter or shed for fowl, sheep, doves, etc.; a cottage

The stressed difference, for us, is a matter stewardship. I could call the structures we make for our chickens "coops" and ,most likely, nobody would say a thing (Resolution would).
The difference between a coop and a cote is a principle of the quality of care which leads to healthy animals. Domestication is not the option of the creature. So, there is a responsibility in the hands of those whom have a life in their control.

Chickens in particular have needs that are very often neglected. I nor you fly but, they do. They have systems and processes in their bodies that rely on the exercise that flying provides. They also would not, in their natural habitat, eat their own feces.

A cote offers an ability to meet these needs.

With that said, a cote is something you could walk into. Perhaps a shed; something with a peaked roof. It offers room for the birds to fly. There is room for the food to be off the ground and away from their excrement.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/70075_sdc13012.jpg
above: our most recent structure below: feeding tables in cote above
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/70075_food_tables.jpg
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/70075_chicken_cote.jpeg
aboveur first chicken cote below: our solar cote with Americana chicks
Notice the food off the ground and the "training" roosting poles
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/70075_chicks.jpg

So, basically, a cote is a chicken house that chickens can fly in. I can see how this is beneficial for chickens' physical health and mental well-being, but as for cleanliness, I'm not convinced. These photos of the Plymouth Colony Farm cotes show a space that's considerably less clean than the environment my chickens live in:

My hen-house is 6 feet high at its tallest point, with a roost 4 feet from the floor (about 5' off the ground), but stays much cleaner than what I see here. That said, I will probably build my girls a tall, outdoor roosting shelter this spring; attached to, but separate from, their current coop. Hopefully it will offer the same benefits of a cote without requiring me to build a brand new structure for them. They will still be locked in the hen-house at night, however.

Btw, I don't agree with Yashar's assertion that coops are prisons. I think it depends on the coop. My hens enjoy over 10 square feet each in their hen-house, and 24 each in their run. Plus, they free range in my large yard when I'm home, which is most of the time. So, no, I wouldn't say I'm a chicken warden (sorry if that was a bit on the defensive side).

 

[elmo]

A chicken's need for flight is quite different from a dove's or a pigeon's or a parrot's, and thus the housing that meets the different needs of these birds will necessarily be different. I have bantams that are much better fliers than most standard size breeds, but even they spend most of their lives on the ground. They certainly do not fly around actively like our doves or parrots in our indoor bird room. I do believe most chickens instinctively want to be able to roost someplace comfortably high, though, so I cringe a little when I look at housing that forces them to roost low, just above ground level. I'm not certain, but I would worry about whether the inability to roost higher stresses them.

 

[welsummer4]

Elmo,
I just checked out your page! I love your coops. They are probably the coolest I've seen so far.

 

[Medicine Man]

Quote:
Actually, if you take a good look at what you see there, what you see is very very little poop in places where the chickens have access. Most of it is in the poop hammockx where they cannot forage in their feces. It also dries rahter quickly on the hammock rather than on the ground. What may appear filthy at first is just an acceptable tolerance between cleanings - teh entire system is far beyond the level of most peoples'.

 

[Medicine Man]

Quote:
It absolutely does and in bad cases they will go find a place of their choosing, where they would likely be less safe. I have made that mistake and they flew the coop to roost in trees or they slept on top of the coop, exposed to owls all night. For weeks, until I was able to remedy it, I had to put them to bed by hand every night.

 

[welsummer4]

Quote:
Actually, if you take a good look at what you see there, what you see is very very little poop in places where the chickens have access. Most of it is in the poop hammockx where they cannot forage in their feces. It also dries rahter quickly on the hammock rather than on the ground. What may appear filthy at first is just an acceptable tolerance between cleanings - teh entire system is far beyond the level of most peoples'.

I actually wasn't referring to the poop-hammocks. The roosts themselves are covered in droppings, as is the surface of the feeding platform (my chickens typically don't stand in their poop when they eat).

As for the hammocks, I understand that the poop dries quickly in there, and that the chickens' special diet results in better smelling and drier poop, but It's somewhat hard to believe that the presence of all those droppings directly below the roost doesn't lead to an excess of ammonia fumes for the chickens. That said, I'm not there, and I'm only basing my analysis off the photos, so I may very well be wrong. My main point was that just because you call it a cote doesn't mean your birds automatically live in more sanitary conditions than those in a coop. As your signature line says, "Good stewardship is good medicine," in other words, cote or coop, you gotta clean the poop

Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of a cote, and thats why I wrote the original post--I wanted to learn more.
A.R.

 

[patandchickens]

Chickens in particular have needs that are very often neglected. I nor you fly but, they do. <snip> A cote offers an ability to meet these needs.

(edited to correct quote attribution -- anyhow to *remove* it, since I now have no idea who said what LOL)

Sorry, I do not buy this at all. The heavier breeds of chicken really don't fly much, although the lighter ones are more inclined, and none of 'em are like doves or pigeons or songbirds.

Furthermore it is UTTERLY unclear to me how one of these so called "chicken cotes" offers any more room for flight than simply an ample-sized walk-in coop with a walk-in sized run.

I relaly think it comes down to whatcha wanna look at out of your back window

Pat​

 

[welsummer4]

Quote:

Sorry, I do not buy this at all. The heavier breeds of chicken really don't fly much, although the lighter ones are more inclined, and none of 'em are like doves or pigeons or songbirds.

Furthermore it is UTTERLY unclear to me how one of these so called "chicken cotes" offers any more room for flight than simply an ample-sized walk-in coop with a walk-in sized run.

I relaly think it comes down to whatcha wanna look at out of your back window

Pat

For the record, this quote is from Medicine Man's post, not mine. And I'm inclined to agree with Pat.

 

[welsummer4]

Quote:
I made this same point on the other thread.