First post here / Framed up my first coop / First chickens...

[rosemarythyme]

I guess I may have underestimated how often I'll actually be INSIDE the coop. All of the litter can be cleaned out from the outside. Yeah, it is a little short. I've been trying to figure out how to provide more ventilation, and because of the shortness, it's kind of hard to not have birds exposed to wind while on roost. I'll figure something out.

With what I was thinking for roosting perches, it would actually be pretty much IMPOSSIBLE to get inside the coop. Guess I better go back to re-thinking that. At this stage I'm not inclined to consider raising the height of the walls. They are all framed up and installed. Raising height would basically mean starting over.

Total open area of: 35+ square feet for 15 birds. Should be sufficient.

I can crawl under the platform well enough. It won't be fun, though. You're right about that.

Realistically you won't be inside the coop for THAT long, but I do go into mine 2-3 times a day (daily clean up in morning, making sure everyone is roosted in evenings) so that's enough that I don't want to be bent over to manage things.

For the roost, you can either make the bars removable for better access to clean out, or hinge the entire unit and lift it up and out of the way when you need access.

Re: ventilation, now that's a good amount of ventilation if you put all of that in. As you're in a warmer climate, more is definitely desirable.

For getting underneath the coop... you got any kids bigger than the little one in the photos? Send the kids under there! (But this is why I have the underside of my coop closed off... I lose some outdoor space that way but at least I'll never have to fish birds (or even wild rabbits, which used to hide down there(, out of there.)

 

[aart]

For the roost, you can either make the bars removable for better access to clean out, or hinge the entire unit and lift it up and out of the way when you need access.

Great for cleaning..... but not for grabbing birds off roost at night for exams.

 

[Panhandler80]

"making sure everyone is roosted for the night"

"Grabbing birds for evening exams"

Man... Trust me when I say that would never neglect an animal I've tasked myself with caring for, but you guys may love your chickens a little more than I plan on loving mine.

Speaking of which, are most hens pretty tough by the time they stop laying?

 

[aart]

"making sure everyone is roosted for the night"

"Grabbing birds for evening exams"

Man... Trust me when I say that would never neglect an animal I've tasked myself with caring for, but you guys may love your chickens a little more than I plan on loving mine.

Those are just basic animal husbandry activities, nothing to do with 'love'.
I don't chase chickens, and looking for bugs after dark is easier and more effective.

Speaking of which, are most hens pretty tough by the time they stop laying?

Do you mean to tough to eat?
Any aged bird can be eaten if processed and cooked properly.

 

[Alaskan]

Those are just basic animal husbandry activities, nothing to do with 'love'.
I don't chase chickens, and looking for bugs after dark is easier and more effective.

X2. It is nice to open the coop, have all birds perched at eye level, see that they look healthy.... or just walk down the line and spray them if they have parasites.

 

[rosemarythyme]

X2. It is nice to open the coop, have all birds perched at eye level, see that they look healthy.... or just walk down the line and spray them if they have parasites.

x3. Though mine are pets (though not on the same level as my dogs) it simply makes things easier on you and the chickens to have them be as easily accessible as possible.

And a headcount at roosting time makes sense - I want to know if any chickens are stuck outside, which does happen from time to time (especially when I didn't get around to programming the auto door to stay open longer with the lengthening days.)

 

[aart]

And a headcount at roosting time makes sense - I want to know if any chickens are stuck outside, which does happen from time to time (especially when I didn't get around to programming the auto door to stay open longer with the lengthening days.)

Exactly....and I'd do it even if I had an auto door.

 

[Panhandler80]

Gotcha. That all makes sense.