Ideas for an odd coop design

[Chicken Cake]

I’m new here but not new to chickens because we had a horse farm growing up and people used to drop off the Easter chicks once they started crowing. Had a few hens, too, but never needed to go out and look for chickens because they just showed up, whether we needed them or not. All free ranged and roosted in the barn at night. Eggs were laid wherever the hen chose. Still remember each and every one, and miss having them around.

Now I live in the suburbs and have a great yard for 3-4 laying hens. Double that amount if I want to get crazy. We are actually renting some hens through a local program this month and it is going very, very well. This has inspired me to consider building my own coop and take the plunge. With 3 active kids I want to keep the footprint to a minimum so we’d add on to their playhouse.

The playhouse itself is 8X10 with a 6 foot deck and elevated about 4 feet off the ground. My idea is to build a lean to/garden shed type coop and super predator proof the underside of the playhouse (over 100 sq. feet) so they have access to it all the time. The problem I keep running into is how to arrange 3 foot deep by 6-8 feet wide for the coop. I would like to have a lower level for nesting boxes and storage with separate “cabinet” doors for the top and bottom, with the top being a roosting area. This would mean the hens need to go down a ramp and back inside the same structure to lay an egg. Is that realistic?

 

[Chicken Cake]

No interest in my coop? LOL What if I post a picture of the playhouse and ask a question about the run?

The coop will either be on the back or the right side. There is an outlet on the stairs so I’d prefer the back, but we’re already close to the property line and I could get a bigger coop on the right. Behind what is now a stump and wood pile.

We had planned to add pavers underneath some day and now I’m wondering if we could do that for dig protection instead of burying the hardware cloth. 2X6’s will go all around the bottom and we’d put sand on top of the pavers. Chickens will get plenty of free ranging on nice days.

 

[cncottle]

No interest in my coop? LOL What if I post a picture of the playhouse and ask a question about the run? The coop will either be on the back or the right side. There is an outlet on the stairs so I’d prefer the back, but we’re already close to the property line and I could get a bigger coop on the right. Behind what is now a stump and wood pile. We had planned to add pavers underneath some day and now I’m wondering if we could do that for dig protection instead of burying the hardware cloth. 2X6’s will go all around the bottom and we’d put sand on top of the pavers. Chickens will get plenty of free ranging on nice days.

It sounds like you already got everything figured out. Main points to remember when building... Make it easy for you to clean, make sure you can access the chicken roosting area. If you have to care for a sick hen it is easy to get them when they are sleeping. Have room to keep food and water covered, they like to roost high so give them that option, have a nest box that is easy for you to get to and keep clean. Make a window in their house for ventilation and light. And of course predator proof... I think you have a great space to work with!

 

[Desertbloomie]

Personally I like "odd" and out of the box ideas

IMO...pavers should accomplish what a concrete slab would do for the dig barrier.
Thumbs up to moving the wood pile & replacing with the coop