Coop and run questions

[Pasleep]

I am getting near the point where I will be starting on the build for my coop and run. The picture shows the site I have in my garden. I want the the run to go down the slope towards the summerhouse, while the coop with be positioned next to the shed where all the plant pots currently are. I have about 3'3"x4'6" for the coop and 13'x4'6" for the run. Will this be enough space for 4-6 hens?

So my questions are:

1. I am part way through finishing the shed and before I put the cladding on was wondering if I build the coop onto the side of the shed as an extension or have it standing alone. Are there any pros and cons to having attached to the side of the shed? There will be no access to the coop through the shed so it would purely be making the back wall.

2. What are the pros and cons of having the entrance in the floor? I have seen a few coops that have the ramp coming from underneath and think this may work for my coop as it will facing a slope and thought the ramp may end up being a bit steep if it came from the front.

3. I have also seen coops with just a mesh floor so dropping fall through and can be cleaned from outside. Would I need some form of solid base for the winter to keep the chickens warm at night? I live in southern England so temperatures don't drop to much in the winter maybe down to about -5 at the most.

4. The run is going to be sited on grass. Do I need to do anything to the ground or will they be fine out on the grass until they ruin it then put down sand or bark later?

I think that's it for minute. I'm sure I'll think of others as I go through the planning and design stage. Thanks in advance.

 

[azygous]

Building a coop and run on a slope is a challenge. I have a slope and I found that instead of ramps on the steep spots where I needed pop holes to the coop, a hanging step worked better. As long as a chicken has a landing, or a couple of them like steps, they can access an entrance from quite a drop. I can see that working for your floor access and it sure does preserve precious space.

As for size, the space you've been allotted is going to restrict you to four chickens. Any more, and you are likely to see behavior issues. A mesh floor is fine as long as it's a tight mesh so chickens won't injure their feet.

Yes, they will ruin the grass. Chickens dig and scratch and that tears up sod which has shallow roots. However, if you can figure a way to keep the grass, it will hold the steep slope in place better than plain soil, and chips or sand will migrate down the slope under the chickens' busy little feet. Another reason to keep the number of your flock to a manageable four chickens.

On pondering the problem of how to keep the grass from being completely torn up, a heavy (so chicken's can't hurt their feet on it) steel field fencing, 10 cm squares, laid over the grass would keep the chickens from scratching up the grass roots. I hope you will be able to let them free range for a period each day to prevent boredom.

 

[Pasleep]

Thanks for the reply. I hadn't considered the sand or chipping working down the hill though I do have some fencing here so may try that on the grass first and see how that goes.

I figured 4 hens was going to be my limit so that's fine.

I was going to raise my coop off the ground and utilise the underside almost as an extension to the above coop. In the summer it would have the front open and one side mesh with the back and other side solid wall. In the winter I would add clear plastic panels to the open front and side with a pop door in the front panel. This way I could have the coop entrance in the floor of the main coop and the hens can come down under the coop on rainy days in the summer but still be in fresh air and in the winter it would be sealed from the cold but still open to daylight with a pop door I can close at night once they're inside.

 

[PirateGirl]

I built the door/pop hole/ramp for the chickens through the floor of my coop.

I did this because I live in a windy and generally cold climate. The entrance is more sheltered, less drafty, and let's less heat out.

The cons are that it takes away some of your coop square footage and the chickens kick out the bedding through the hole. Also sometimes bedding gets lodged on the ramp and in the hinges and it's hard to close up at night.

Chickens like to be messy and kick and scratch, I don't know that it's much worse than if the door was on the wall of the coop.

For me, the pros of protection against the weather outweigh the cons. If weather isn't a factor I think the traditional design of a door with a ramp on the wall of a coop is probably better than the floor.

 

[Birdinhand]

I build on a hill, I terraced out flat platoes in the earth so that I didn't have to deal with how the chickens will eventually work the soil down the hill. I went with an opening into the inner cop/roost from the bottom to retain heat better and protect them better from the crazy wind we get here sometimes. anything you do to retain heat has to be thought through with adequate ventilation. you don't need to insulate where you are, but I'd add some windows in the roost where morning light can get in during the short winter days to help them with egg production. as for the grass, there won't be anything growing in their run, they scrape everything down to dirt unless you offer a huge amount of space, which is generally impractical. no worries, they seem to enjoy scratching and pecking the same dirt, over and over. I'd keep the whole thing covered, dryness is king when it comes to chickens.

 

[nminusyplusm]

Have you considered using the deep litter method? You could dig out some of the dirt towards the shed and give yourself a level base on which to build the coop and the composting litter would keep them entertained if they won't be free ranged. Keep in mind, each bird should have a minimum of 4 sq ft of coop space, not including nest boxes, and 10 sq ft of run. More room is always better, though.

 

[Pasleep]

The area for the coop is already a level base. It's only the run that is on the slope.

I had planned to have windows in the coop on the front wall and the side wall above the external nest boxes to allow for natural light to enter the coop. The front window will be openable while the side would be fixed. Plus open vents above each window. I also plan to have the front wall a one complete door which I can open to access the entire coop for cleaning.

The entire run will have a roof and be enclosed at the back as it is up against a fence so should remain fairly dry when it's wet.

I will have a look at the weekend and see how practicle it will be to make some level terraces for the run.

Thanks for all the answers so far.

 

[Pasleep]

So I have looked at the site now and have decided that I will level out into terraces to make things easier in the future. It'll also make it easier to built the run as it will be nice straight angles instead of the slope.