Greenhouse/new coop design

[hillbillygreen]

I only have 4 birds, may have a few more in future, but I want to redesign my coop to be half greenhouse on the south side and north side coop. It will only get southern and eastern light due to a neighboring building. I have even considered just parking their existing little tiny coop/house right inside the new building and attaching an old chicken run up to the door.
Pros:
-I get to overwinter plants/extend the growing season (zone5)
-Chickens can help with bugs
-Convenient fertilizer
-They sunlight even in dreary weather
-Solar warmth in winter

Cons/Issues:
- How to control heat in summer/ ventilate? (even though they can free range)
- I'd like to make a short run/plant shelving they can peck around under, but need to work out easier cleaning than
-Chicken dust will make for dirty windows.

Any other issues/experiences you may have encountered or thought of?

 

[Alaskan]

I have a greenhouse connected to my chicken shed, which connects to my chicken coop.

It works very well!

If you want to have both chickens and plants in the greenhouse at the same time....

I have seen a couple of greenhouses where all of the plants are up on benches, and the area under the benches is wired for the chickens. It ends up being a chicken tunnel.

Yes they will make lots of dirt get onto the greenhouse windows, but in the spring I wash it all down.

I would suggest the greenhouse be seen as an extra area that they can access. So I would still have a bit of covered run, and a coop, both of which are connected but not IN the greenhouse.

Because yes, there is usually very little ventilation in a greenhouse, but if they do not sleep in there, and it is connected with a large door to a well ventilated area, it can work well.

Ideally the coop would connect to an open run, a covered run, the greenhouse, and the vegetable garden.

The chickens can have the greenhouse all winter, they can clean up the vegetable garden in the fall and till it up a bit while eating weed seeds in the spring.

However, the greenhouse is often too hot, and often too humid in the summer growing season, so during full summer it is more difficult to make it a good chicken space especially if you are trying to grow in it at the same time.

 

[hillbillygreen]

These are excellent thoughts and pointers, Alaskan! Thanks for the input!

I still need to decide if my location would cast too much shade on my vegetable garden... which could be a deal-breaker. It's always about location, isn't it? I like your idea of an interconnected system.

I'll keep thinking on design!

 

[hillbillygreen]

Here's some blueprint ideas I have. I'm using chicken tunnels to lead them to alternate chicken runs. One for summer and in winter, I'll fence them in my garden.

There are 2 ideas for where to put the coop. Idea 2 blocks light and they could only access one run, but I could build larger. Idea one would be on wheels and I would move them for the summer and winter. I want to access their food/ water from a hatch inside the greenhouse, but haven't decided when or if to let them inside yet.

 

[Alaskan]

Also.....

You could build both a summer coop and a winter coop.

Then... since you would always have 1 building empty, the empty building could be a quarantine area, or broody area, or simply tool storage.

I also wonder, if you are a creative type, if you would want to try.... ... and put a chunnel across the greenhouse door... to make it easier to have one coop access both runs.

The chunnel going across the door could be either made under a step.. so you walk over it. Or, it could exit from the top of the coop and you walk under it. So the chickens would use a long sky bridge.

Or... figure out how to have a secure chunnel with one section that swings out of the way like a door... that would be the greatest challenge.... but then, maybe fun for you.

See... with a blank canvas, too many options!