coop in planning stages, got some questions

[yyz0yyz0]

I'm still in the planning stages for my coop, but i'm running out of planning time as it's chick season.

I plan to make the run predator proof(at least as well as I can) and not have the coop closed off from the run at night.

I will be using DLM in the coop and would like to have the run entrance in the floor of the coop.

Now to the question: what is the best way to keep the deep litter from falling out the door in the floor?

Design thoughts I've had:
1. just cut hole in floor and let the litter fall out as it will
2. build a 3" retaining wall around the floor opening that the girls will have to jump over to get in or out.
3. build a 3" retaining wall bigger then the floor opening so there room for a hen to come up into the coop at floor level then jump over the 3" wall into the DLM area.
4. build a 3" retaining wall around the floor opening and run the ramp to the top of the wall so they just step from the ramp to the DLM area and back
5. build a 3" retaining wall around floor opening on three sides then build a small 3" tall platform on the 4th side that the ramp goes up to, then the girls step off into the DLM area

how big an opening should this floor door be for regular chickens?

I'm leaning toward 4 or 5 as my best options but was wondering if anyone has other ideas or sees any problems with my thinking?

thanks

 

[4 the Birds]

Yes you will want ledges or boards at the door entrances to keep the bedding inside. In the Summer I leave the coop walk-in door open for extra ventilation (it has a roof over the entrance into the run to keep out rain). A 3" or 6" hop for a grown chicken is a piece-of-cake!

It sounds like your coop is raised on poles. You could just cut a 1x1 ft hole and put a board over it with hinges. When you want a full clean then just sweep out as you mentioned. I personally just pull a wheel barrow up to the door and use a grain shovel for any annual cleans.

This shows a 1x6 at the door to keep in bedding

 

[yyz0yyz0]

thanks for the reply.

Yes, the plan is to have the coop raised up on legs with some protected run area below it. It will have large cleanout doors on the back of the coop that I can just put a wheelbarrow under and pull all the bedding out for cleaning.