Coop/run in the mountains questions

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Ridgerunner said:
Where did Cumberland Plateau come from, I missed that reference. Anyway the Cumberland Plateau goes from Alabama through Tennessee and into Kentucky, a little east of Nashville. I went to college in that area at Cookeville, Tennessee. Absolutely nothing to do with this landscape.

MA, predators will be just as bad close to the house as further away. If you are a real light sleeper you might hear something at night but don't count on it as part of your protection. Your best protection is going to be building a Fort Knox. You only have four chickens, that should not be that hard to manage. Where you are you will have bear and possibly mountain lions as well as the regular predators. In your situation I think you should look really hard at having an electric fence. That's about the only thing that will stop a determined bear.

Your biggest issue in mountainous terrain is going to be erosion. You can get some pretty strong storms with heavy washing rain. Chickens will scratch the ground and gravity will move the dirt and any bedding downhill. The chickens will eventually flatten it with their scratching, except for maybe big rocks. I'd think in terms of an elevated coop on posts with a retaining wall on the bottom and a berm/swale on the upslope side of the run. The upslope fence should be built with the thought that the chickens will scratch the dirt away from it so build it deep or so it can withstand that.

Thar berm/swale at the top will concentrate water so you will likely have erosion issues where it turns downhill. I'd use rocks in the swale and at the discharge areas to stop that erosion. You should not have a shortage of rocks in that terrain.

I generally encourage larger runs and coops where possible but maybe not so much in your case. If you include trees in the run certain predators like bobcat and raccoons can climb into the run through the tree canopy. You probably need a top on it. The falling leaves can add a lot of weight when they collect on top, not to mentions snow load so I'd think of a steeply sloped solid roof. The larger the run the harder it is to make it predator proof, let alone the expense. I'd give up on the idea of them foraging the countryside and accept that the run will be bare of plant life. But put a bunch of leaves in the run (which they will scratch to the bottom). They will love scratching in there for treats and such plus turn it into compost for you. Leaves should be as plentiful as rocks. Still, make the run as large as you reasonably can.

I'm not going to pick one area above the other, I'm not looking at them. Any of them can be made to serve. I strongly believe that you should consider your convenience when building this coop/run. Your experience will be much more pleasant if you don't make it aggravating and frustrating.
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Living on top of the Cumberland Plateau is just as rugged as the before mentioned area of NC. Actually Cookeville is on the Highland Rim and not on top of the Plateau.
 
nekker57 said:
Living on top of the Cumberland Plateau is just as rugged as the before mentioned area of NC. Actually Cookeville is on the Highland Rim and not on top of the Plateau.
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'Plateau' made me think 'flat'....tho I know that's not necessarily so.
 
We used to live in te Rocky Mountains, and had a friend with property that was pretty much straight up and down. They had the coolest chicken coop. They built it into the side of the slope, so that the run sloped to fit the mountain. They dug out part of the ground to make an underground area, where they put part of the coop. That way, it kept it warmer in the winter and they didn't need electric. So half of the coop was built underground, so to speak, and half was out.
They had about 15 chickens.
 
Thanks again everyone! Nope, no mention of Cumberland Plateau from me. I'm on the NC side of the Smoky Mountains. It's very steep here. I do go over to the TN side to visit civilization a few times a year, so I can confirm that the TN Smokies are more gentle and rolling, while ours are steep with few gentle areas. The only gentle areas on our property have been put there by machine, one being the small platform our house sits on, and another across the small gravel road. The consequence of creating these flattish spots is that they are surrounded by steep slopes.

You all have inspired me---I think I'll go out and take some pictures to try and post here :)

Yes, tons of predators. Although I haven't seen any bears right around our yard, there definitely are bears in these woods. They tend to stay in the wild areas higher up the mountains but I'm definitely not denying their potential to move downhill for an easy meal!
I don't think a tractor will work because of several factors--the unevenness of the land, the steepness of the land between the flat spots (not sure how I'd get the tractor from one flat spot to another without rolling it down very steep hills!), and the need to predator-proof it and give it a good bottom of buried-in protection. Although I DO like the idea of being able to move it around seasonally!
 
I just went out and took these shots at about noon on a clear sunny day. I am so grateful for the feedback so far! This is a wonderful community I've stumbled upon!!
side lot.jpg This is option 3, the side yard across the little road. This view is facing south, and to the right is thick woods full of hungry predators. (but there is a farm below with cows and horses that don't get eaten, for what it's worth.) There is ample mid-late afternoon shade and morning sun.
drivewaywest.jpg This is option 2, the narrow spot next to the driveway, with the steep slope also potentially available to the hens. This driveway is over 30 feet wide right now and we feel a lot of wasted flat land is devoted to unnecessary space for car parking! We plan to put a raised garden bed in the bottom left corner which we hope will catch a lot of water that is currently running all the way behind our house and into option #1's land. I also have a 10'x12' shed on order for the middle chunk of the space on the left. That would leave about a 10x20' spot closer to the house for the coop and run, with additional uphill space for the run, maybe? It is in full sun and this slope faces south. Warm in the winter, but hot hot hot in the summer.
driveway.jpg This shows option 3 to the left (see, not TOO far from the house.)and option 2 behind the van, and Finnegan the Wonder Mutt is supervising! ;)

eastfacing.jpg This is option 1, with the coop right against the house and a small run in a semicircle around the whole side. That little bump out is a lame shed that we could store feed and stuff in, and there's a hose nearby. It's east facing and lots of afternoon shade, but also poor drainage. It doesn't look like it now, but water collects there in that muddy spot on the right, as well as all behind our house (we're working on resolving this, but my husband just broke his collar bone and had surgery, so all work was stalled for a bit!)
3wks.jpg Here are the girls (I hope girls lol!) at 3 weeks old, just for good measure :) :)
 

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