Multiple coops on one run?

[kmpcfp]

I currently have what was supposed to be a temporary raised 4x4 coop with an additional makeshift 4x4 partially enclosed roosting space/coop underneath on an attached 8x10 run. I have 8 hens. 4 sleep up and 4 sleep down. I also have 9 more viable eggs in the incubator, so I need to expand quick.

My existing chickens only roost and lay eggs in the coop. I live in zone 7, and most of the year is above freezing except for the occasional 1 week period where it stays below 30. My initial plans were to let them free range more often, but we have a lot of brazen and hungry foxes and hawks around so I have found out.​

I like the raised coop set up, it is easy to clean, easy to access, and most importantly, cheap and easy to build.

So do I bite the bullet and just build a big 8 x 10 walk-in coop that I feel would take me forever to build, but maybe a bit easier to clean/manage?

Or make a few more 4x4 or 4x8 roosting houses and just go all out on a 24/7 predator proof run?

Any problems having a chicken "village" on one run? I feel like this way it may be easier to do a paddock system for the run for when the chicks are eventually introduced to the existing hens.

Thanks for any insight/suggestions!

 

[imnukensc]

No reason you can't have multiple coops on one run as long as the run is large enough for the number of chickens. With 8 chickens already in an 80 sq ft run, you're already at the recommended capacity. I'd enlarge the run, also.

 

[aart]

So do I bite the bullet and just build a big 8 x 10 walk-in coop that I feel would take me forever to build, but maybe a bit easier to clean/manage?

That would be my recommendation....and a bigger run.

Any problems having a chicken "village" on one run?

That can work unless they all decide to cram into one coop.
Which might not happen at first with adding new chicks, but might eventually.


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[Acre4Me]

I currently have what was supposed to be a temporary raised 4x4 coop with an additional makeshift 4x4 partially enclosed roosting space/coop underneath on an attached 8x10 run. I have 8 hens. 4 sleep up and 4 sleep down. I also have 9 more viable eggs in the incubator, so I need to expand quick.

My existing chickens only roost and lay eggs in the coop. I live in zone 7, and most of the year is above freezing except for the occasional 1 week period where it stays below 30. My initial plans were to let them free range more often, but we have a lot of brazen and hungry foxes and hawks around so I have found out.​

I like the raised coop set up, it is easy to clean, easy to access, and most importantly, cheap and easy to build.

So do I bite the bullet and just build a big 8 x 10 walk-in coop that I feel would take me forever to build, but maybe a bit easier to clean/manage?

Or make a few more 4x4 or 4x8 roosting houses and just go all out on a 24/7 predator proof run?

Any problems having a chicken "village" on one run? I feel like this way it may be easier to do a paddock system for the run for when the chicks are eventually introduced to the existing hens.

Thanks for any insight/suggestions!

Since you don't seem to have extreme weather, the 24/7 run access sounds great. Must be predator proof though. Aim to have 10sq ft per bird. If you are at or slightly below that minimum, then adding some visual blocks or areas that chickens can get up or out of the way of higher pecking order chickens is important. So, some elevated roosts, pallets leaning up against a wall or fence, Large potted plant (might need some wire to keep the birds from scratching in the dirt of the plant), etc. However, if you have stormy weather commonly or big windstorms, then you may need a bigger coop for them to hang out in during poor weather.

So, if I lived in a zone 7 area and wanted to put my money into a large coop OR an enlarged predator proof run....I would go for the enlarged PP run and add a smaller elevated coop in addition to the current coop.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Aim to have 10sq ft per bird. If you are at or slightly below that minimum, then adding some visual blocks or areas that chickens can get up or out of the way of higher pecking order chickens is important. So, some elevated roosts, pallets leaning up against a wall or fence, Large potted plant (might need some wire to keep the birds from scratching in the dirt of the plant), etc.

If adding obstacles you need more than 10 sq ft per, as they can eat up quite a lot of space. A pallet not so much, but the more "junk" you add to the run the more you eat into the floor space.

 

[kmpcfp]

So I bit the bullet and just bought some materials to start making a bigger coop. it will be about 8'x10'.. It will be raised up 2-3 feet as the ground is sloped. I have a full size entry door and a 30" x 36" window that I managed to get for free. I also had some treated 4x4 posts laying around and a good amount of 2x4s in the shed. I bought some 2x6s for the floor joists, 2x3's for wall framing to supplement the 2x4s, and a ton of 6' dog eared pickets for the exterior. I bought enough to get started at least with the floor and wall framing. Hopefully I will get it done in the next few weeks!

 

[kmpcfp]

Here are my super-crude sketches. It's a fluid design and will probably make changes as I go. I have to work within the constraints of the area I am building it on. The ground slopes to the rear and this is being built in the woods. I had to work around tree roots, but the posts are in at least. The window will probably go on the backside instead.