How tall should an A-frame be?

[cochin44]

I can't help but disagree with the discouraging of A-frames. I've constructed a 16 x 8 floor with 8 foot sides, and it's working out great. The only time the chickens get off the floor area is to roost, which is no problem. My nestboxes are only 2 feet off the ground. The cost of materials is definately cheaper, and the only trick was having a mitre saw to cut the 30 and 60 degree cuts on the ends of the side boards. No wasted materials at all.

 

[happyhens]

Thanks to all for the input. I am going to go ahead and continue building the A-frame. Didn't make much progress yesterday, but I hope to work on it some more today.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I'm sorry but if you list it out, there really is not much of a difference in the amount of wood needed to construct an A-frame vs a rectangular reach-in coop. And A-frames DO use a lot more roofing material, potentially twice the amount or more, depending exactly what box-shaped coop design you are comparing to. (It is true, now that you mention it, that if you use plain stock-lumber siding on the ends, there is not much waste of material; I was thinking in terms of plywood or Actual Siding, which are quite often used and which *do* entail waste).

If you watch chickens in an A-frame, the very edges of the run and of any roost or floor in an indoor area are not used as much by the chcikens, because of the "low ceiling" there. Thus the chickens have less fully-useable floor space than a mere multiplication of length times width would suggest. (The size of the area affected by this problem depends on how slopey vs upright the sides are)

If someone is happy with their A-frame, that's great, but these disadvantages are not imaginary, even if they are not important to a particular person

Pat

 

[tdgill]

well I was set on an A frame - till now. Seems tho, if you are building a BIG one, as someone mentioned 8ft. tall that they can walk in, then they sound pretty cool. Looking at my 3 1/2 month old buff orps and picturing them full grown and MUCH bigger, I am rethinking previous A frame ideas. To give them ample space and away from the sloping sides, I imagine I'd have to go much taller than I previously wanted.

Thanks again Pat.
eta
looking at rectangular ideas now I mean....

 

[vermontgal]

I built an A-frame last summer, and now I wish I hadn't. Mine is actually a modified A-frame because I realized that the top was going to be too skinny for the chickens, and added a 6" wide separation at the top of the A.

All that work, and I am considering disassembling it for the materials this summer.

I am 100% there with the folks who say to build a square run with the coop over top - like one of these -

(NOTE: these are in the BYC coop pages - under small coops and chicken tractors.)