Elevated open front bottomless chicken coop in roof covered compost run area. Need advice.

[KRudnicki]

Hi guys.
I don't have chickens yet, but will in next year (when I finish my house. Family first, chickens later), and want to have a good plan to start.
I live in Poland, zone 6b, temperate climate. Cold winters (sometimes about 0F/-18C, rarely below, but mostly about 23F/-5C), hot summers.
I want to make a small market garden (I have 1200sq meters/12 916sq ft land) and it will be mostly covered by vegetable beds, so no option for free range or rotational grazing.
My chickens will be essential for my garden, because I need compost. A lot of compost. And I like eggs. Of course living with animals will be benefitial for my kids too.
So here is the plan.
As I said, I need a permanent location for chickens. There will be a fenced run about 10tx23 ft/ 3x7m with roof and raised stationary chicken coop similar to Justin Rhodes chickshaw. This coop will be about 10 ft deep, 6 ft wide and about 3 ft high (3x1.80 m) with no bottom and front wall, raised about 4 ft from the ground, attached to run frames (I will add some ladder for chickens). The run will be covered with materials high in carbon like fallen leaves, woodchips, hay etc. I will also add a chicken moat along fence. My birds of choice will be australorps, and I want to have about 16 chickens.
Run and coop will be on the north side of the property facing the south.
I read Prince T Woods book about fresh air chicken coops, but I want chicken poop to fall directly into the run bedding and compost (that is why the coop will have no bottom).
From the other side Im afraid that there will be to much wind from bottom, so maybe covering also west, north and east side of the run with osb or some wind barrier will be good? I don't know. Need advice. Why do you guys think?
Maybe someone have a similar setup?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Are there foxes, wolves, lynx or bears in your area?
My biggest concern with an open bottom coop is the variety of mustelids in Poland. You may have stoats, polecats, weasels and mink. The latter two can get into any opening as large as an inch. If they get in, they will kill every bird in one night. Just food for thought.

 

[tralfaz]

Welcome, new here also and to chicken and we have the same climate at 6b. I'd be concerned with the open bottom and the ability to retain heat in the winter. Even with and a heat source, it's going to be hard to keep to a comfortable temp

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Cold hardy breeds don't really need a 'comfortable' coop in winter. They don't take off their winter coats at night and put on pajamas when going to bed like people do. They wear their winter attire 24/7. Chickens can sleep in trees and some even opt for that than sleeping in a perfectly good, well ventilated coop. I've had birds sleep high in trees at well below freezing through wind, rain and snow and stayed quite healthy - till taken by a predator.
IMO, we only have coops for predator protection and protection from rain to keep the birds and bedding dry. Unless one has fragile breeds, they don't even need wind protection. After all, they are outside in cold wind all day. Why would they all of a sudden need coddling at night?

 

[KRudnicki]

Are there foxes, wolves, lynx or bears in your area?
My biggest concern with an open bottom coop is the variety of mustelids in Poland. You may have stoats, polecats, weasels and mink. The latter two can get into any opening as large as an inch. If they get in, they will kill every bird in one night. Just food for thought.

We have foxes, for sure. Never saw any minks, but they can be somewhere here.
I didn't mention that but I'm going to bury a net, or hardware cloth both in the property fence line and chicken run. In the run I could use aviary mesh 0.63 inches.
I also have two cats, and I can also put their outside houses near chickens. I will think about it. Thanks

 

[KRudnicki]

Cold hardy breeds don't really need a 'comfortable' coop in winter. They don't take off their winter coats at night and put on pajamas when going to bed like people do. They wear their winter attire 24/7. Chickens can sleep in trees and some even opt for that than sleeping in a perfectly good, well ventilated coop. I've had birds sleep high in trees at well below freezing through wind, rain and snow and stayed quite healthy - till taken by a predator.
IMO, we only have coops for predator protection and protection from rain to keep the birds and bedding dry. Unless one has fragile breeds, they don't even need wind protection. After all, they are outside in cold wind all day. Why would they all of a sudden need coddling at night?

So do you think that kind of coop could work?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It can definitely work. Chickens don't really care how they are housed. I was just concerned about predation.

 

[KRudnicki]

It can definitely work. Chickens don't really care how they are housed. I was just concerned about predation.

I will think about that. Thanks for dispelling my doubts

 

[tralfaz]

this conversation reminded me of this meme