I submit my framing and design to you for approval...

[3KillerBs]

No I wasn't attacking I was confused. I now see that it's more about the chicken keepers convenience and maybe not what is good for the birds. I would love to see the inside of a walk in coop design to see how you set up the nest boxes & roost to see how the birds navigate that large area.
When you walk in are you walking in the bedding on the floor. Again I'm not attacking or criticizing I'm just curious how that works. I was under the impression the raised coop was helpful when cleaning and replacing the hemp/straw flooring in the coop by putting a wheel barrow under the ledge and pulling it out at waist level. When using a walk in type do you use a rake and a shovel?
Also, hitting your head on a 2x4 rafter, how low is the roof of the coop you are talking about?

I don't have the coop page done, but you can see many of Neuchickenstein's features in my hot climate article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

I use a deep litter system (moist, actively composting over a dirt floor)* and haven't cleaned my coop out completely in over a year. Planning to dig some out this winter to fill a garden bed and fertilize my orchard.

I move litter with a pitchfork and need to buy a scoop shovel.

The roof on the Little Monitor Coop is just over 4 feet. I can't get into it.

The brooder, converted from a structure we don't build, is 4 feet tall. I used to clean it by rolling it on it's side so I could easily fork material off the ground. I had to put a floor into it after losing 7 chicks to blacksnakes so it's back to crouching torture.

As far walking in the bedding, what of it? I wear my rubber muck boots in the coop and run.

 

[NatJ]

I now see that it's more about the chicken keepers convenience and maybe not what is good for the birds.

You are partly right, because it does have more to do with the keeper's convenience.
But the extra height does not harm the birds in any way.

So this is win/win situation (good for people and good for birds), not an either/or situation where someone's going to suffer.

I would love to see the inside of a walk in coop design to see how you set up the nest boxes & roost to see how the birds navigate that large area.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/categories/large-coops.20/
This part of the site has many articles about large chicken coops. Almost all of them are walk-in coops.
Many of the articles have photos of the inside, usually near the end of the article (because they tend to have construction photos near the beginning.)

Here are a couple specific ones that I noticed have interior photos:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coop-build-woods-style.72527/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-coop-page.65912/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...hed-into-palace-for-super-spoiled-pets.73008/

For interior arrangements, I personally, I go for very basic:
--nestboxes along one wall or part of one wall, with a perch in front so the chickens can fly to the perch and then step gently into the nest.
--roosts/perches along at least one other wall, so I've got clear space to walk in the middle. It's best if they are high enough for the chickens to walk underneath them without bumping their heads, and also higher than the nests.
--feed & water in the middle of the space, either hanging or up on something like cinder blocks or milk crates.
--plenty of room for me to open the door and walk in to access everything.

How the birds navigate the area? The same way they navigate a run or navigate while free ranging: they walk, run, jump, fly. Some people put in ramps, but I've never had chickens that needed those (Silkies, Frizzles, and some heavy breeds might.)

When you walk in are you walking in the bedding on the floor. Again I'm not attacking or criticizing I'm just curious how that works.

How it works to walk on the bedding on the floor? Um, I put on my shoes or my rubber boots and walk on it, the same way I walk on anything else.

It's not really any different from walking across my living room, or my yard, or into a horse's stall, or into a goat shed, or any other place I might want to walk.

I've kept chickens for years, and it never occurred to me to wonder about that before-- chickens walk on it and so do I. No big deal.

I was under the impression the raised coop was helpful when cleaning and replacing the hemp/straw flooring in the coop by putting a wheel barrow under the ledge and pulling it out at waist level. When using a walk in type do you use a rake and a shovel?

Rake & shovel usually work fine, but it depends on the bedding. A mat of hay or straw might require something like a pitchfork to stab in and pull off pieces, while fluffy shavings might be easier to scoop with a snow shovel (wide flat blade that can scoop a lot at once).

If you're fit enough to crawl under a raised coop or into a coop with a low roof, you are probably fit enough to put bedding into a wheelbarrow from a low floor or a raised one. And if you toss the bedding out the door into the run, you can skip the wheelbarrow entirely.

But it is possible to have a coop that is both raised AND walk in, if you really want to have the floor at wheelbarrow height.

 

[Swivelhip]

This is what I have. Do not have to step inside to gather eggs. ”Training flap” works good to teach newcomers not to poop in laying boxes.

 

[Silexian]

You would have to put 2x4 joist closer than you would 2x6 joist. To keep the floor from feeling spongy.

 

[Krugerrand]

How are the designs coming along? I just saw some pictures of @Ted Brown 's coop and remembered he has a walk-in that's a fair bit off the ground.

It may be worth checking out the coop page and bouncing ideas off of him:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-kd-knock-down-10-by-16-coop-pictorial.75421/

 

[Ted Brown]

My walk in coop is raised between 3-4' off the ground due to ground contour. I built a three riser step mounted sideways to it as I approach from the front. It takes longer to unlatch the hasps than it does to mount the stair. Quite aside from the other major advantages (eg the additional 160 sq fr of sheltered run space, deterant to critter ingress) I push snow off the stoop rather than lift and throw.

I am in and out of the space under the coop on a regular basis, yes I have to crouch but I can move around on my feet occasionally using hands to balance. Would do it again with no hesitation.

Happy to answer any queries.

 

[762]

How are the designs coming along? I just saw some pictures of @Ted Brown 's coop and remembered he has a walk-in that's a fair bit off the ground.

It may be worth checking out the coop page and bouncing ideas off of him:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-kd-knock-down-10-by-16-coop-pictorial.75421/

Started
Construction. Interestingly mine will be similar to the one you posted, with the run butting up against the face of the coop, roof sloping opposite direction. Progress so far…

 

[spaceylocust]

Nice plans. We built a coop that is intended for temporary “flocks” like meat chickens or turkeys, and can be used for storage of garden items in winter, or to separate out a breeding group. It can be divided in half (so two doors) or used as one. It is 5’ tall in back, and taller in front. It is nearly all wire, but we use clear panels for wind/water deflection on portions of it. It is over engineered.

View attachment 3290954View attachment 3290955

We also have an elevated main coop, which is great. It is about 2.5’ elevated, providing awesome shade in the hot months.

I like your building inspector!

 

[spaceylocust]

Hubby is a code certified building inspector so I tend to think about buildings from that stand point. Couple things to think about. Since you occasionally get hurricane "run off", please make sure your coop can survive without being blown off your foundation. That is my biggest concern about it being so high. A coop on the ground can be tied down easier. It isn't impossible, just needs to be thought through. Second, with your heat and humidity, you might want to leave the PITA top of the side walls open, just covered with hardware cloth. After we build our coop, we realized how much more ventilation we needed and ended up cutting out one of the gable ends and cutting out 2 more large openings above the roosting birds' heads.

I love the deep litter method and am glad you plan to use it. You won't naturally get the microbes, etc. from the ground so you may want to look into how to incorporate them to your litter to help it "compost." If you make your stairs moveable, you could easily place a wheelbarrow at the opening and just hoe out the litter.

Beautiful design and we pray all goes well with your build and with your flock!