Coop/run questions

[Nickles]

Ok, I have a tendency to ramble so I'll try not to let that happen but no promises.

Right now I have 3 hens, 2 mystery chicks, and I'll probably end up with at least a couple more sooner or later. I want a rooster, but I don't want to mess up the ratio and upset the ladies. One (or both) of the chicks could be male and I don't want two roosters so I might only end up with 4 for now. The setup we have now is pretty awful. It was eyeballed and thrown together, the coop is small and hard for me to clean, the run is really long (length) and really short (height) and hard for me to walk in and the coop is the exact opposite end from the only door, there are more zip ties than nails, and all around it needs some work. Or completely redone, that's probably what will happen. I want this to be their forever home, meaning I don't want to look at it in another few months and have to expand/redo anything again, so I'd rather go too big than too small. As of right now I'm putting my limit at 10 birds, I don't think that'll change. They all roam the yard happily from morning until almost dark, they can go in or out of their coop and run any time but generally spend most of the day out walking laps and doing chicken stuff. I live in Florida, so even when it gets cold it doesn't really get cold. It does rain a lot sometimes. See, rambling already.

On to the questions!
Since they spend so much time out, do I need much of a run? How big should it be for 10 birds? I'm always hearing that a raised coop is important, can someone tell me why? We have little to no predators in my area, maybe the occasional hawk or a stray cat. I'm a huge fan of using trash to make treasures, so I'm hoping to use mostly pallets. All of the guides I've found for pallet coops have a lot of insulation. Being in Florida, where it's crazy hot more often than not, do I really want to insulate much, or at all? This one's probably dumb, is there any reason I can't give them rain water to drink? I'd like to set up a gutter and rain barrel system, but not if it's bad for them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Don’t think of a coop and run as separate items. Together they are your housing system. When chickens need room they need room, it doesn’t matter you call it. How you manage them (make space available) helps decide how much room you need in the coop and in the run.

In your situation and climate where they roam the whole yard every day you probably don’t need much of a run. The benefit to me would be that there are days you might want to contain them in the coop and run instead of letting them roam. A run gives you a lot of flexibility in how you manage them when a problem shows up. Are you going to just let them roam if that hurricane hits? Wouldn’t it be nice to lock them into a safe run if you find out the hard way you really do have a predator? Lots of things can happen where you might want to lock them up for a few days. A run gives you that flexibility.

You will hear all kinds of things, often getting conflicting views of what is important. We are all unique. We keep chickens in so many different ways with different goals, different management techniques, different climates, different set-ups, different flock make-ups, and just all kinds of other differences. Some people, especially in suburbia that have tiny flocks and they clean the coops often, are just in love with their raised coops. They can put a wheelbarrow or bin under it and just rake it out to clean it. The raised coop gives their chickens a shady spot to go to under it. There are lots of advantages to them of a raised coop. With my large flock and lots of space I am quite happy with my big walk-in coop that has a dirt floor. I hardly ever clean the bedding out (never “have“ to clean it out, I just want it on the garden every few years). I built it so I don’t have to clean often and I use a droppings board to get most of the poop out for my compost pile. Mine is big enough and the chickens spend most of the time outside in a huge electric netting pen so there is not a lot of poop concentration in the coop or my run. If space is tight and the poop builds up you have to manage it more.

The important thing about the coop (run too) is that it stays dry. A wet coop will stink and can be unhealthy for the chickens. That’s your real goal in the coop. If you can keep it dry it doesn’t matter if it is elevated or not, but it does need to match your management techniques.

Some people live in cold climates or climates they think are cold for chickens. They might need to take some measures against cold. Where you are heat is your enemy, not cold. As long as it drains well you can get by quite well with an open air coop. Your entire coop could basically be wire with one area where they can get out of the rain, roost out of the rain, keep the nests dry, and maybe block the wind from a couple of directions while they are on the roosts in case you get a strong thunderstorm. Those pallets can work great since they will allow good ventilation so it dries out after a rain and will give some shade. Sunlight and rain comes in from the sides as well as on top.

You can use rainwater as long as it doesn’t become foul. You don’t want it to become filled with algae. Another issue is mosquitoes. Rain barrels are great places for them to breed. You need to either block them off, maybe with screens, so the mosquitoes can’t get in to lay eggs or use dunks. Dunks are a biological method of controlling the mosquito larva so they can’t grow but are not harmful to you or the chickens. I get mine at a Mom and Pop gardening center but I’ve seen them at Lowe’s and maybe Home Depot.

Good luck!

 

[Emma Miriam]

I agree with all the above.

Just to add a couple things: It would be great if your birds had somewhere to go outside the coop in the rain. That could be under a raised coop if you go that route: it's often a nice place to hang feeders (since they will stay mostly dry) and will serve as a source of shade and dry dirt for dust bathing. If you don't go with a raised coop, I'd build a small covered run to serve the same purpose. Since you free-range, you don't need a 100-square-foot run, but for all the reasons Ridgerunner pointed out, some sort of small run is great to have.

Also, for raised coop vs. dirt floor, here's another thing to consider. Raised coops are good, in my opinion, for three reasons:

1. Offers a nice covered place for your chickens to hang out
2. Provides protection from burrowing predators without having to bury hardware cloth or worry about a plywood floor rotting in contact with the ground
3. In some setups, mainly with smaller coops, can be easier to clean (though if you're thinking 10 chickens, your coop will probably be around 40 square feet...not very small)

The second reason is the most important, I think. With a dirt floor, you'd absolutely need to bury hardware cloth around the outside of the coop to stop predators from digging in, which can be expensive and a pain for bigger coops. There are a few cons to raised coops, though, especially if you want a walk-in coop. You (human) want to be able to access the area under the coop easily, so most people recommend raising it 2 feet. For kids, or short people like me, that's a pretty big step-up/down while rushing around carrying eggs (ask me how I know

). Also, if you want a walk-in coop, that would mean making it at least 6 feet tall, so your whole structure becomes at least 8 feet tall, which can be a challenge to build. So, as with most things in chicken keeping, there are several good options. What you choose is up to you.

 

[Nickles]

I do definitely want some sort of run, I just didn't want to hear that it had to be a giant thing if they only use it occasionally. I think I'll keep that medium sized with room to expand if it turns out I need it.

The problem with it being raised was how big it'll be, I don't think my building skills are good enough to make an actual house on stilts lol. I was thinking of putting a plywood floor in and deciding from there what else (if anything) to put on the floor. I definitely want a walk in coop, I'm pretty tall and my back hates me so I'd rather go too big than have to stoop to walk around in it. I was thinking two pallets on top of two pallets per side, so around 8x8x8, really just a big box. Then probably shingling some of it but leaving some of it open air, or even planting some nibble treats on a side or two of it. I love standing pallet gardens. (I am a pallet addict.)

Then I'd just fence off in front of one side. How far out should I go, if it's around 10ft wide? Some days they will probably have to spend more time in there than others, so I don't want it too cramped, but most days they won't, so I don't want it too huge either.

Honestly, I've been bringing them inside when a big storm comes through. I know that's probably a little crazy, but we love and worry about them. I don't know how well that would work out with 10 birds, they might end up stuck in the garage, lol.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What physical size are those pallets? You sure don’t want to be cutting them to fit, so size your coop around the size of the pallets. I assume from you 8’x8’ comment they are about 4’ wide so 8’x8’x8’ sounds reasonable. That’s a lot bigger than the absolute minimum you could shoehorn 10 chickens in, especially in your climate and with you giving them outside access, but think about how much room you need to walk around and work in there. If you want to try a 4’ x 8’, get a sheet of plywood that is 4x8 and try laying out roosts, nests, and everything else and see how much room you have for yourself in there. I think making it comfortable for you is just as important as giving room to chickens.

 

[Nickles]

Yeah the pallets I have now are roughly 4ft by 4ft. I think 4x8 would probably be big enough, but I always have a little helper or two following me around so I feel like bigger would be better as far as the actual coop goes. I don't want to be bouncing off of anyone, none of us are overly graceful as it is, lol.

 

[Mutt Farm]

Yeah the pallets I have now are roughly 4ft by 4ft. I think 4x8 would probably be big enough, but I always have a little helper or two following me around so I feel like bigger would be better as far as the actual coop goes. I don't want to be bouncing off of anyone, none of us are overly graceful as it is, lol.

Hi! Welcome!

There are some REALLY clever pallet chicken coops if you google that. I was tempted, as here in So Cal, it's also the heat we need to worry about. X3 with @Ridgerunner .
For coop size, keep in mind that chicken body temp is 104-107 and they need air flow. Damp and stale air is a killer. It stays pretty warm and humid at night in Fla, so a little extra room might be better.
With the rain, drainage is also a concern. You would be way ahead to build up the coop/run area above grade with gravel and deep sand or similar so moisture wicks away.
For rainwater, you could, but for only 10 chickens keeping it fresh and free from bacteria and algae might be an effort.
For questions relating to how other folks in your area do things, thy wandering around here. https://www.backyardchickens.com/newsearch?search=Florida
I Look forward to updates!

 

[Nickles]

Great, thanks! I'll most likely share the rain barrel with my gardens, so it shouldn't sit long enough to get gross. I'll probably put the coop itself on a cinder block base or something similar, just to avoid wood rotting on the ground, as far as the run I don't really think gravel will be an option. My husband's been pretty patient about the whole chicken thing (complete city boy) but if I start spending too much money on it I expect that to change. We do however have a sloped yard, so water very very rarely stays puddled anywhere and when it does it's not for long, so I'm hoping that will be good enough. If I go with sand, the cats will be sure that I've made them a giant potty area and that's just more headache than I want to deal with, especially with leaving the coop/run's main door open all day.

 

[Mutt Farm]

Great, thanks! I'll most likely share the rain barrel with my gardens, so it shouldn't sit long enough to get gross. I'll probably put the coop itself on a cinder block base or something similar, just to avoid wood rotting on the ground, as far as the run I don't really think gravel will be an option. My husband's been pretty patient about the whole chicken thing (complete city boy) but if I start spending too much money on it I expect that to change. We do however have a sloped yard, so water very very rarely stays puddled anywhere and when it does it's not for long, so I'm hoping that will be good enough. If I go with sand, the cats will be sure that I've made them a giant potty area and that's just more headache than I want to deal with, especially with leaving the coop/run's main door open all day.

Sure! Gosh...what I wouldn't give for a little rain water. Our water restrictions, prices and penalties are so bad here that I couldn't even plant a full garden the past 3 years. LOL on the cats! If there is a slope, no worries. Your soil should be sandy anyway. Just things to ponder. LOL on hubby too. I pushed to the point of an eye roll, but then they started laying. Now, he's on board. Eggs are $7./18 here and stores are running out.

 

[Nickles]

Yikes! I can't imagine that much for eggs! Last I checked they were $2.50 here and I thought that was crazy.

I'd gladly share some of this rain if I could, lol.