i am making mine all hardware cloth too (not just the bottom). i guess a secured run wouldn't really be possible with a movable coop/run. you could cover the entire floor with hardware cloth but most people put some dirt/sand over this so the chickens aren't walking on the wire and are able to scratch. (in my earlier posts i referred to the floor of the run as the bottom--i think this caused some confusion. sorry!)
i see what you mean more now with the inside sketches. one concern would be with the nest box higher than the roost, the hens may end up roosting on top of there instead. or so i've heard... you may end up with lots of poop up there which could be hard to clean (easier with your removable roof though--but will you need to be on a ladder to do it?
i hope you don't think i'm being critical. i like a lot of your ideas. i think the food up high is creative and am wondering if that will work in my coop (yet to be built) because it frees up some space. i planned to hang mine from the ceiling but still they would be low enough for the hens to eat from the ground level. so poop getting in there with a roost above would be an issue for me. if i could put the food higher--say have access from a roost--then i could fit two roosts.
i love the storage area idea. it will be nice to not have to haul feed out there everyday!
you may consider fewer nest boxes to save on $$, time, and space. i'm thinking of having 4 hens and 1 or 2 nest boxes but i think 2 boxes would be enough for even 6-8 birds since they only go there to lay.
how many birds are you thinking of keeping? what is the amount of floor space in the coop (it looks like the outer dimensions of the coop would be 4ft by 4ft but then would be 2ft by 4ft floor space on the inside after the storage area uses up half)? i've heard the rule of 4ft for each bird (ground space) a lot here. what is the climate like where you live/where do you live? if it's warm you may not need much floor space but if the birds are going to be "cooped" up for a length of time, they may need more room to prevent cannibalistic behaviors.
maybe to make more room in the coop you could move the storage area to the area under your coop? you would use up some run room but keep the coop room that way.
jessica
i see what you mean more now with the inside sketches. one concern would be with the nest box higher than the roost, the hens may end up roosting on top of there instead. or so i've heard... you may end up with lots of poop up there which could be hard to clean (easier with your removable roof though--but will you need to be on a ladder to do it?
i hope you don't think i'm being critical. i like a lot of your ideas. i think the food up high is creative and am wondering if that will work in my coop (yet to be built) because it frees up some space. i planned to hang mine from the ceiling but still they would be low enough for the hens to eat from the ground level. so poop getting in there with a roost above would be an issue for me. if i could put the food higher--say have access from a roost--then i could fit two roosts.
i love the storage area idea. it will be nice to not have to haul feed out there everyday!
you may consider fewer nest boxes to save on $$, time, and space. i'm thinking of having 4 hens and 1 or 2 nest boxes but i think 2 boxes would be enough for even 6-8 birds since they only go there to lay.
how many birds are you thinking of keeping? what is the amount of floor space in the coop (it looks like the outer dimensions of the coop would be 4ft by 4ft but then would be 2ft by 4ft floor space on the inside after the storage area uses up half)? i've heard the rule of 4ft for each bird (ground space) a lot here. what is the climate like where you live/where do you live? if it's warm you may not need much floor space but if the birds are going to be "cooped" up for a length of time, they may need more room to prevent cannibalistic behaviors.
maybe to make more room in the coop you could move the storage area to the area under your coop? you would use up some run room but keep the coop room that way.
jessica
