Help! Need roost & floor advice for 7x9 coop

[herdingcats]

Hi all,

I've looked through countless other posts and realized I need to just post some pics and ask re. our specific coop. My DH kindly did not lose it last night when I announced "I don't think the ladies have enough room to fly down!" after he had spent 2 hours building the roost bars per my instructions.

I just didn't factor in that the roost bars would take up depth in the coop.

Oops...

Here's the deal: we are moving 15 chickens in together soon (and are prepared for the meet and greet phase of introducing 11 chicks to 4 hens). 3 Buff, 3 Black Orps; 2 Silkies, 2 Easter Eggers, and 1 Blue Polish will be mingling with our 3 Black Australorps* & 1 Red Sex Link. The chicks are now 8 weeks old and as the weather improves here in the Pacific NW, we are close to finishing the new coop. Floor, windows, predator proofing are yet to be added.

Question 1: ROOST: Based on my research, the lowest of the 2 roost bars is about 3.5' off the ground. The second roost bar is almost 5' high. They are located on the N wall of the coop. We plan to install a 'poop deck.' The opposite side of the coop from the roost bars (south side) is to hold nesting boxes, and W wall is for food/water/human entry door. Access hatch to covered run will be on E wall.

Overall coop dimensions are 7x9'; essentially a big shed.
Roost bars are located on the 9' south wall.
Lowest roost bar is 2.5' from the wall.

Should I add some sort of ladder for the chickens to access the roost bars, or will they have enough space to hop up & down? Should we just lower both of the roost bars? Should I move the roost bars to one of the 7' walls so they have more space to enter/exit? E wall MUST contain the access to the run due to where the run will be located.

*The Black Australorps are not my favorite breed, and may be going to live with a neighbor if they don't take well to the flock additions. So we are planning on 15 chickens, but aside from typical predator/nature loss, the 3 Aussies are not "essential" to our flock.

Question 2: FLOOR: We live in a woodsy area of the Pacific NW. It is rainy here more often than it is sunny. Our first coop was a small, elevated design, but when we built a new coop we didn't have the option to elevate it. The coop will forever be on the ground, with a dirt floor to start. The run itself will be large enough to accommodate all 15 chickens, but they will be able to free range as well. We are looking for input from fellow mud-dwellers as to your preferred floor design. Again: we just can't elevate the coop so other options are much appreciated. Gravel? Pallets? Shavings?

Thanks all!

 

[aart]

They do need a landing area.
Best to put roosts as low as possible, but above other things.
Here's some tips:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coop-stack-up-how-high-should-stuff-be.73427/

As to your watery world, make sure the coop and run doesn't flood from surrounding run off. Siting the coop on higher gruond is good.....or berms, swales, guttering can all help.

 

[Chickens 4Ever]

If you have predators you WILL need a floor in your coop

 

[aart]

If you have predators you WILL need a floor in your coop

Not if you install a good apron.
Good examples of apron installation, tho I'd not recommend 1/2" HC...go with 14ga 1x2 or 1x1, will hold up much longer and is easier to lay flat.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1110498/wire-around-coop#post_17093528
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481208

 

[Ducksandchickens]

Make sure your roosts are at different levels. That way the hens on the bottom of the pecking order has landing soacw

 

[Ducksandchickens]

Space*

 

[Alaskan]

huh.... if you didn't have the 2 silkies I would say that your setup is fine.

You might want one step for the girls at about 1.5 feet. In my big shed I have a little perch on the wall, just sticks out a foot... as a step for anyone that needs a boost. You could just use an over turned bucket or log... whatever. 1.5 feet is super easy for chickens to jump. I right now have some full sized chickens in a tractor and the ramp to the elevated coop broke off. They are all (even the rooster) managing to hop up about 1.5 to 2 feet and immediately fold in their wings and enter the pop hole. Every night.

(the silkies though!!! Maybe put them in a cute silkie only coop???)

I might move the nest boxes under the poop shelf so that there is more open space in the coop... make the run perfectly predator proof so you don't have to close a pop door at night. .. and keep feed and water in the run.

Nothing wrong with a dirt floor, many of my coops have dirt floors.

As to mud.... ROOF THE RUN! Use big eaves to keep the water as far away as possible. Build up the run and coop floor with lots of sand. ... it will pack down pretty concrete like after awhile... and then you can have shavings on top of the sand. The poop shelf helps greatly with the coop cleanup. Depending on how bad the mud is you might want to ditch all of the way around the coop and run... keep that in mind when putting in the skirt to keep out digging predators.

 

[herdingcats]

Thanks everyone! Really helpful advice. We are predator-proofing the coop, we dug a deep trench around the outside walls and are attaching sheet metal scraps from a neighbor, buried about 2.5' deep, as well as an apron of hardware cloth mounted from the inside walls down into the trench, as a second-defense against burrowing.

Some of the scrap sheet metal will eventually form a roof over the run as Alaskan suggested. Love the idea of packing sand down.

We lowered 1 roost bar to 3' off the ground and rather than having 2 roosts staggered along the same wall, they now form an L shape, with part of the L being a higher roost bar at about 4'. So I think even the Silkies will be able to reach the lowest roost bar if we provide a stump or something, and any who want to sit on the higher roost can hop up from the lower roost bar. DH has been quite patient with all my modifications

The Silkies were an impulse...they were available when I bought our other chicks, and they remind me of Muppets. Not the most practical bird I know. Hopefully it works out to keep them. One is definitely a boss, pretty funny to watch!

 

[Alaskan]

silkies, from what I understand can't jump up much at all. One lady on here has to put her silkie up on the perch... every....single....night. Just FYI keep an eye on them .

 

[Crzytrkr]

Your sub floor if your not using concrete should be pressure treated lumber, that's the sill and cross member's then use 3/4 plywood this shouldn't be preasure treated nail or i prefer 1 1/2" screws galvanised lay the3/4" plywood get the good wood its worth it! Then if you want get some cheap 1' by 1' square tiles with the adhesive on the back and lay them or just keep the wood showing and add a 2" layer of sand so the guano dropping dont stick to the floor evry 2 days scrape at the top too the floor then rake up the droppings it's so easy yull whistle why you work!!!