Help with our understairs run, please

[MaeMom]

Due to the nature of our yard there is really only one place to put a coop. Under our deck stairs. The area we are going to make into the run is 4x12.

I think in some ways it is ideal. It's pretty dry (it was raining hard when I took the picture, but the area is relatively dry), it will be easy to clean and access in all weather and it will be easy to fasten hardware cloth around it.
We will be making a 4x4 coop about 3ft off the ground inside the run.

I'm just not sure what to do with the floor of the run. Currently it is garden soil for a garden I planned to put in this spring before I decided to raise hens instead

I'm also going to let them out in the main yard when I'm home and I will build a tube run that is about 20 feet long.

It is about 12 feet from the house which opens into the basement. So keeping it clean and smell free is going to be very important.

We have 4 chicks. 2 Australorps and 2 Barred Rocks.



Any suggestions are welcome!

 

[jetdog]

Due to the nature of our yard there is really only one place to put a coop. Under our deck stairs. The area we are going to make into the run is 4x12.

I think in some ways it is ideal. It's pretty dry (it was raining hard when I took the picture, but the area is relatively dry), it will be easy to clean and access in all weather and it will be easy to fasten hardware cloth around it.
We will be making a 4x4 coop about 3ft off the ground inside the run.

I'm just not sure what to do with the floor of the run. Currently it is garden soil for a garden I planned to put in this spring before I decided to raise hens instead

I'm also going to let them out in the main yard when I'm home and I will build a tube run that is about 20 feet long.

It is about 12 feet from the house which opens into the basement. So keeping it clean and smell free is going to be very important.

We have 4 chicks. 2 Australorps and 2 Barred Rocks.



Any suggestions are welcome!

I would fill the run area with a course sand, i have it and love it.Dries quickly and is super easy to clean with a cat litter scoop, make it as big as possible the first time, having to do it later will be frustrating.

 

[MaeMom]

I'm in an area where we get some really cold days, I've read sand isn't great in the cold and wet.
Would trying paving stones on part and sod on another part work?

They will get out in the grass of the main yard regularly.

 

[PapaChaz]

Personal opinion, no to sand no to the paving stones. There is a thread on the deep litter method a little down the page, go read it and watch the video that's done by beekissed on how easy to set up and maintain it is.

I love the idea of the coop under the stairs. Someone else had a thread on here where he was building one and it was really neat!

 

[PapaChaz]

here's the link to the deep litter thread, hoping I have it set to the right page. If not, you want to scroll over to post 1665 on page 167 and watch the video, it's well worth the time to watch and very well done and informative:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/70/deep-litter-method/1660


and here's the link to the man who built his coop under his deck/stairs:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/958152/my-the-porch-chicken-coop-10-hens-in-dekalb-county