Coop design questions

[welikeeggs]

Hey guys!! Seeking ur advice/opinions about an idea before I get started on this project. I'm wanting to build a structure, off the back of my shop, to house a few hens and rooster. It's going to b 10x20x6.5. Here is my questions start. I'm wanting to put laying boxes against one wall and concrete n a cedar that I've cut down and then cut the limbs to make fit, as their roost. Is this feasible? Is it necessary to have a traditional coop? What are the advantages/disadvantages of this design?

I raised hens before and had a blast doing so. Ready to get a fresh start!! Thank you for all your information!!

 

[21hens-incharge]

Whether you need a traditional coop has a lot to do with where you live.

If you are in a warm climate you may only need an open air coop.
If you are not concerned about predators like raccoons or bears or bobcats etc then an open air coop may serve you well.

I have raccoons and live where it gets cold so I have a traditional coop that I can close them in tight at night.

You will find a lot of opinions on the matter for sure.

 

[welikeeggs]

Guess I should have clarified some of that. Live in Arkansas. Lows get down to 20's a few nights. Highs over 100 few days. I would enclose the structure with chicken wire for sure. Tons and tons of opposums, raccoons, dogs....it goes on and on.

 

[21hens-incharge]

If you get down to the 20's and have those kind of predators I would strongly recommend having a sturdy standard kind of coop. You will also want to rethink chicken wire since raccoons can chew or reach right through it. They will reach in a grab pieces of sleeping chickens pulling them through the wire a piece at a time.
My run is made from chain link since that is what I had. Most people will recommend 1/2 inch hardware cloth to keep them safe.

The temps getting that low they will need to be protected from the wind. There are a lot of coops in the coop pages and a lot of people have used pallet wood to make some pretty super coops.

I am a firm believer in using reclaimed materials to keep costs down as much as possible.

 

[Alaskan]

Guess I should have clarified some of that. Live in Arkansas. Lows get down to 20's a few nights. Highs over 100 few days. I would enclose the structure with chicken wire for sure. Tons and tons of opposums, raccoons, dogs....it goes on and on.

I think an aviary type thing would work wonderfully for you.

I would set it up so that there was a removable wind break around the perch area... With the one solid shop wall, ... If you get a great deal of wind, you could make one of the other walls also solid, or half solid, and the other two open.

I wouldn't go with chicken wire though... I would pick something stronger, like hardware cloth, ...


It is true that opossums and raccoons will reach their hands in through a wire fence, grab a chicken leg and pull that one part back out the wire and chew it off

However, if you have a wind block around the perching area, that will also serve as a raccoon arm block.

Don't forget all of the bird and egg eating snakes..... Tiny hardware cloth will keep them out.

20 F, as long as they are protected from wind and rain etc. Is just fine.... They don't need a box to huddle in, it isn't that cold.

 

[welikeeggs]

I didn't know that they could reach in like that. I've used Hardware cloth before, bit of a pain to use, but that would solve all the listed problems. The idea about a half-wall would work very nicely. Thank you all for your input