Elevated A Frame

[Percheron chick]

You always want more run area than coop. The straight sides would reduce the size by about 1/4. Your chickens will spend most of their waking hours downstairs.

The run part is approximately 8x6 or 48 sq feet. Not that much.

 

[Free Feather]

You always want more run area than coop. The straight sides would reduce the size by about 1/4. Your chickens will spend most of their waking hours downstairs.

The run part is approximately 8x6 or 48 sq feet. Not that much.

Yeah, that is really itty. Does it need to be a tractor? You could just make that coop, with the run extending out the front as well as underneath.

 

[Bush84]

I have 8 acres they can roam when I am home. During the summer my son can take the responsibility of letting them out and getting them in at night. I may certainly make the whole thing a coop and make a seperate run, but again the whole point of this small coop was to be for a year or two until I can get my full coop built (or determine I hate chickens lol). So making the whole thing a coop and a seperate run is just more work. Then again I can make a full run now and attach the big coop to the existing run. Just thinking out loud here.

 

[Bush84]

Ok well my coop build is under way. I decided to build the a frame with the run underneath. The run is 4x8 ft and the coop is 3x8 ft. The run is a little over 2ft if memory serves. I have three nests on one side. The other side will house the feed/water. I need a little insight on a couple of things.

1. I live in minnesota where the winters are cold. Can I save space and put the feeder/water in the coop underneath? It will save a lot of space but I worry that it will limit them in the cold.

2. My nest boxes have two on the bottom and one on top of those two. How high is to high to reach? My boxes are about 16 inches. Do I need to put a ladder or will they just fly up there?

3. My next thought is about roosts. How high do they need to be? At what height do I need to provide a ladder? how high do they have to be to not get in the way of normal foot traffic? How much space do they need behind, on top, and on front? I'm trying to find the best location to keep them out of the way and maximize space.

Thanks for your thoughts!