combined open coop/run design for warm climate

[wahmommy]

I live in Los Angeles, so we don't have to worry about the cold here, just the heat... I've come up with an idea and want to know what you think. We have six standard size chickens. Combined (all one building) coop/run will be 8 wide x 7 deep- front first three feet (8 x 3) will be open (hardware cloth) on three sides, just roofed. Next two feet back will have nesting boxes, then poop boards and roost at very back two feet. Will this work? I am also putting a plexiglass panel in the roof to let in a little extra light. Entire coop and run is under trees to protect from heat, but some sun gets through. I do free range them, but we have a lot of predators so I don't let them out all day, just for a couple of hours when I'm home and sometimes we go out of town and the pet sitters can't hang around to let them free range so they would end up staying in the coop for a couple weeks.

 

[Wisher1000]

Sounds pretty good! I would put the nest boxes under the poop board to conserve space and to give them more protection. As a matter of fact, you could make a door to access them from the outside. Then you could hang the food and water containers under there and make a door for those as well. My coop is open except for the last 4 feet. It is really just a covered run and the chickens love it.

o-------------------o----------------o----------------o---------------o
l 4' 4' 4' 4' l
6' l l ----->
l l
o l Additional 8'
l l of inclosed
6' l l area on
l l this end
o-------------------o----------------o-----------------o---------------o
12x16

 

[maryhysong]

You could enclose just one end, with the nest boxes built on the outside with a lid to get the eggs (add a latch to keep kids and animals out of it) then your roosts and if you are going to cover over most of the area with a roof you could put hanging feeders and waterers where ever you want that will be easy to get to.

You just want to make sure that the enclosed area is free of drafts, but still airy and well ventilated.

 

[wahmommy]

You could enclose just one end, with the nest boxes built on the outside with a lid to get the eggs (add a latch to keep kids and animals out of it) then your roosts and if you are going to cover over most of the area with a roof you could put hanging feeders and waterers where ever you want that will be easy to get to.

You just want to make sure that the enclosed area is free of drafts, but still airy and well ventilated.

The nest boxes are external, as I don't want to have to walk into the coop every time to check for eggs Food and Water will be under the poop board I think, to help keep them from getting fouled aka "fowled" LOL.

 

[wahmommy]

Sounds pretty good! I would put the nest boxes under the poop board to conserve space and to give them more protection. As a matter of fact, you could make a door to access them from the outside. Then you could hang the food and water containers under there and make a door for those as well. My coop is open except for the last 4 feet. It is really just a covered run and the chickens love it.

o-------------------o----------------o----------------o---------------o
l 4' 4' 4' 4' l
6' l l ----->
l l
o l Additional 8'
l l of inclosed
6' l l area on
l l this end
o-------------------o----------------o-----------------o---------------o
12x16

I wish I had as much space as you! We live in an urban area, so our coop is being built for six hens. We will be able to see it from inside our house, so I am setting it up so I can see the chickens from inside and to make it more attractive building-wise. Our current coop is a) poorly built b) too small and c) is in a dogrun area behind where our bedroom is so if the girls start singing first thing in the morning it wakes us up. We are moving it to the other side of the house where we can still see it but they won't wake us up...

 

[Wisher1000]

Yes, I know I am fortunate to have the space. Here is a pic of my coop...




This pic was taken before I added an eight foot, enclosed extension to the back for feed and a brooder area. As you can see, there is only a four foot section on the back end that is enclosed and I have roosts there. The birds actually get in the rafters, up against the roof in the entire coop. In the winter, if it gets really cold, I will hang a tarp on the side opposite the door and the end opposite the solid wall. This provides a wind break and they do fine. I have only had to do that once in the past several years.