Garden Coop Modification to Lower Height?

[Dsyna78]

I just purchased the plans for the Garden Coop. Has anyone modified it so the total height doesn't exceed 6' or so? I'm in a residential neighborhood where chickens aren't allowed (per the county...there's no HOA) and I'd like to keep it low key. My backyard is fenced in and I believe it's a standard 6' fence.

There is someone in my neighborhood that has chickens and sometimes they are in her front yard. She's had them for about a year and no one has complained so I'm going to take my chances. All of the lots here are a little over 1/2 acre.

 

[Domd28]

I'm in the same situation with restrictions. I didn't buy plans, but built it to not exceed the height of the fence. Can you trim the plans to the desired height? Example: If plans call for 8' trim to 6'. I got rid of the rooster first, I don't let them in the front yard, I do however let them out in backyard the evening to forage, about an hour before their bedtime. The hens can be noisy especially after laying, but not for to long. Our coop is perimeter fence height 6', the run is 4' high. We ended up putting a tarp over the run to keep rain out. We have 9 girls. We started with 12, one was a rooster(had to go) 2 died from excessive heat. After the 2 died we added a water mister in the run for our hot days after the 2 died. It helped out a ton.

 

[Dsyna78]

I like the lattice on top of the fence as it provides a little more privacy. How far away are your neighbors? Can they hear the hens?

 

[Domd28]

I'm sure the people behind the fence can hear them, but they have some themselves. Behind the coop is a set of power line, so no neighbors there, that is where we started a compost pile. The lattice also allows the honey suckle to grow up and create more cover. We also used lattice to cover the top of the run/ We are getting a few more in the spring, so an addition is in the works. They are so addicting, plus my son loves having them around.

 

[Primo]

I think you need to post a pic of this "garden coop" so we can give you advice on how to modify. Is it on legs? If it is cut them shorter. If not then cut your vertical framing and siding shorter. Shouldn't be too hard

 

[RocketBen]

If you are in an area where chickens are not allowed and you are trying to "fly under the radar", a walk-in coop design, like the garden coop, might not be the best way to go. Something portable might even be a good idea, in case you ever had to hide it temporarily.

That being said, I also have the garden coop design, and am thinking about shortening it. I noticed on my city's website that animal enclosures are supposed to be under 6' or a permit is required. The frame itself is 6', but then the slanted roof is a foot or two above that at the tallest point. The biggest problem with shortening it is that I would then have to hunch over when inside.

My thought on shortening it would be to shorten all the vertical pieces by 1 ft at the bottom. This would be fairly easy to calculate, and leave the hen house part the same size. You would probably need to put the chicken access ladder out the side, instead of out the bottom. In your case, you might need to go a little lower. You could take a foot out of the top and bottom sections, but you will have to re-calculate more cuts for the hen house. Also, you'll have to bend over a lot more when you're inside. I would put the cleaning door on the opposite wall, so that you clean it from the outside instead of the inside. You could also use 2x6's instead of 2x8's for the rafters. This will lower the pitch angle of the roof, making it slightly less tall.

 

[RocketBen]

For reference, here's a picture of the Garden Coop.




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