Maximize my space!

[kalaim]

I have an 8x8 foot area, I want to put the nest boxes and roosts on one side and let them have the other side as their run side.

Should I elevate their nesting area, to give them more room on the floor for the run area?

Or is ok to have just one big open space for their nests and their run and feed area?

Hope that makes sense.

In addition they will be let out in the yard when I'm in the backyard too, when they can be supervised.

 

[Linda in San Diego]

Our footprint is 8x20. Our Coop is 4x4 and sits 3 feet above the run. The Delightful Dozen have the floorspace plus the coop space in the mornings and then are free in the yard for much of the afternoon until bedtime.

Once they are in the coop, the pop door is closed and they are in for the night, safe from anything that might be out and about that can scale 6 ft fences.

We have one hen that has just started laying, and she is retuning to the nestbox from the run to lay her eggs.

I just would not want their sleeping area to be open to things that go bump in the night. The pop door is closed once they are all asleep and then opened soon after dawn. It seems to be working for us. We refer to it as a split level.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
It is real hard to give an intelligent answer without knowing how many chickens this is for, and where you live (what climate).

As a generic answer, though, I would say put the nest boxes 18" up on the walls so they can walk underneath (making sure the roosts are higher than that!!).

Also, I am not sure how you are using the word 'run' here, but it normally means an OUTDOOR enclosure -- the floor of the coop (indoors - the building they are in at night and during bad weather) is not a run. Perhaps you are already planning on a true RUN i.e. protected outdoors space, but if not, you really really ought to (going loose in the backyard when it's convenient for you to supervise is just not enough outdoors time -- you will run into problems with pecking, cannibalism, that sort of thing when they get frustrated and bored stuck indoors)

Again, let us know your #chickens and climate, and we can probably be more helpful

Have fun,

Pat

 

[kalaim]

The cage is 8x8x6, it's totally enclosed so no chance of anything getting into it.

I'm having 3 chickens and I'm in Wisconsin, so we will have a winter to deal with.

It's a wire type cage, so they aren't totally enclosed, so I consider it a part run and part coop together.