Coop within the run vs outside of

[Ccort]

I am looking at the Large OverEz coop. I was hoping to put a coop inside my run, for extra predator protection and the ease of opening the coop door or having an automatic one and letting the chickens out. However, this coop would take up a substantial part of the run. The coop is off the ground so the chickens should be able to go under it but I am not sure about the brahams since they're bigger.
What are your thoughts of a coop IN the run versus outside of it? If they can go under the coop is that still good roaming space for them?
If the coop is not in the run, I may need it to be in a separate area of my yard because there isn't much room to have it right by it.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

My coops have a spacious run attached. They can let themselves out into the secure run which is covered.

Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way. I can't let my birds out into the major fenced yard until almost noon as I have a lot of hawk runs early in the morning with a lot of bird loss. If I keep them in the "prison yard" until noon, I don't get hawk loss.

It certainly makes my life easier as I don't have to be out early in the morning, and they have their food and water accessible in the run (yes, I take some hits from night rodents).

Then they spend a good portion of the day in the main yard (with hawk netting) and put themselves to bed at night.

It has really helped me with predator loss.

LofMc

 

[3KillerBs]

However, this coop would take up a substantial part of the run.

The 10 square feet per bird guideline for the run assumes that the space is unobstructed. If putting the coop into the run compromises the space available then you have to either put it outside the run or expand the run.

OverEZ coops seem to be better built than most purchased coops, but they are notoriously short on ventilation so remember to plan on adding ventilation to equal at least 1 square feet per adult, standard-sized hen.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I've always had walk-in runs with an attached run. But could you raise the coop any higher for the Brahmas and add a ramp? Then you wouldn't be compromising ground area.

Wait! I DID once have a coop inside the run. I forgot about the Mini Coop I built as a brooder. It was high enough off the ground that the chickens could go underneath it. I haven't had the Mini Coop for years. I totally forgot about it....

 

[Ccort]

My coops have a spacious run attached. They can let themselves out into the secure run which is covered.

Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way. I can't let my birds out into the major fenced yard until almost noon as I have a lot of hawk runs early in the morning with a lot of bird loss. If I keep them in the "prison yard" until noon, I don't get hawk loss.

It certainly makes my life easier as I don't have to be out early in the morning, and they have their food and water accessible in the run (yes, I take some hits from night rodents).

Then they spend a good portion of the day in the main yard (with hawk netting) and put themselves to bed at night.

It has really helped me with predator loss.

LofMc

I have hawks as well so the run is fully enclosed. Our hawks are out all afternoon and gutsy as all get out.
Mind me asking what rodents have gotten in? I'm still working on predator proofing the run.

 

[Ccort]

The 10 square feet per bird guideline for the run assumes that the space is unobstructed. If putting the coop into the run compromises the space available then you have to either put it outside the run or expand the run.

OverEZ coops seem to be better built than most purchased coops, but they are notoriously short on ventilation so remember to plan on adding ventilation to equal at least 1 square feet per adult, standard-sized hen.

I plan to add ventilation. Truth is, I ordered 3 chicks but was sent 9. I'm glad and wanting to keep them but I feel like a woman who went to the hospital to have a baby and low and behold, came out with triplets! So the coop I built for up to 5 chickens is now far too small. So I am looking at a quick fix, so to speak! The OverEz seems, well, easy. My run is big but obviously a big coop and triple the amount of birds changes things.

 

[Ccort]

I've always had walk-in runs with an attached run. But could you raise the coop any higher for the Brahmas and add a ramp? Then you wouldn't be compromising ground area.

Wait! I DID once have a coop inside the run. I forgot about the Mini Coop I built as a brooder. It was high enough off the ground that the chickens could go underneath it. I haven't had the Mini Coop for years. I totally forgot about it....

I was wondering if I could put the feet on cinder blocks or something like that to raise it just a but more, just in case.

 

[3KillerBs]

I plan to add ventilation. Truth is, I ordered 3 chicks but was sent 9. I'm glad and wanting to keep them but I feel like a woman who went to the hospital to have a baby and low and behold, came out with triplets! So the coop I built for up to 5 chickens is now far too small. So I am looking at a quick fix, so to speak! The OverEz seems, well, easy. My run is big but obviously a big coop and triple the amount of birds changes things.

When I order chicks I order twice as many as I actually want, raise them long enough to determine which ones I like best, then sell the extras as Started Pullets or Point-of-Lay Pullets.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I have hawks as well so the run is fully enclosed. Our hawks are out all afternoon and gutsy as all get out.
Mind me asking what rodents have gotten in? I'm still working on predator proofing the run.

Rats. Rats. Rats. (I don't know if you've ever seen Rotatouille, but I am an eyelash shy of being that old lady at the start of the movie blasting away at rats with a shotgun).

We've picked up feed at night and placed in closed coop. They chewed through the SIDES of 3/4 plywood...midway. No idea how they hung and did that one.

We've placed feed at night in metal storage, locked. They then came out during the day, running across the yard, hoarding the feeders at will.

We've tried spring traps (they get very trap savvy, very quickly, taking the bait but leaving the trap unsprung).

I've tried every holistic deterrent available on the market including plaster balls with bird seed (supposed to swell in gut and kill them...we just had white rat poop everywhere).

What works in my area (notorious for heavy rat population with our mild wet winters)? POISON. Yep, I've sunk to poisoning the blighters. I get first generation blood thinning types that require several meals before they act to better protect cats and hawks that might get them. (Second generation is one bite kill neuro toxins that can kill another animal eating the rat).

And, I got a Rat Terrier mix (feral the first 8 months of life). He's got a kill record of about 30...yep 30...in the last 5 years.

Hawks come and go. Bird netting helps. Coons, use hardware cloth buried in dirt with raised coop and d-clip type locks. Coyotes have left us alone (thankfully). I think we are too enclosed, though they are in the neighborhood. Likewise oppossums have left us alone.

Squirrels can be bothersome in the fall as they face pile into the feeders to store for winter. The dog keeps most of them out of the yard.

But rats? Oiy. Some days I feel like I'm flooded with the darn things. We joke in our neighborhood that the trick is to worry them enough so they go to the neighbors for awhile.

Poison, and my rattie, alone have helped keep the numbers to at least a livable minimum.

LofMc

 

[rosemarythyme]

If you can raise it a bit more (not sure how high it sits, maybe 12"?) AND you don't mind the thought of having to crawl underneath it to reach a sick bird, a hidden nest, etc. then there's no reason you can't have it inside the run for a little extra protection.

I think I'm one of the few people that has a larger coop (6x10) inside the run, with no access for chickens underneath. Not sure if I'd do it again in the future but it works well enough for now. Note that I did start with a larger run space than a flock of 12 would need, so while the coop did eat up quite a bit of space, I still have approx. 440 sq ft of run left.