Need feedback on open air coop design in AZ

[G Wiz Ranch]

Here is my open air 24ft x 18ft, its short so I can see over it and so it not so obtrusive:

 

[Mahonri]

I have a more traditional coop... it's in the shade and I had to put AC in it last summer.

still lost 3 birds to the heat.

 

[Mahonri]

...

 

[c_soto1990]

why dont you make something like mine it was easy,this summer I will be making a run that attaches right to the opening or buy a dog run and put the coop inside.

 

[ammonihah99]

Wow so many replies! Thanks for all your input! Funny thing about building this coop. I have quite a balancing act to perform—if I build it too cheap and junky the missus will not be happy. But if I spend too much time and money on it, she won't be happy either. Stuck between a rock and a hard place.

gsim - I hadn't thought of lattice—thank you. When I told my wife about it she was very supportive about that option. She would much prefer the look of lattice to hardware cloth. The problem is wild birds, as cap1717 mentioned. I originally set up an auto feed system with the girls as they are free ranging in my backyard, but the stupid birds caught wind and started eating everything. So now I have to ration their feed, only as much as they'll eat, morning and afternoon. I might just put lattice on top with a cheap type of screen underneath.

I thought about installing a floor, but it would be more expensive and our climate is very dry so even when it rains it dries up by the next day or two, even in the winter and in the shade (I lived in Eastern Europe for a couple of years and was always amazed at how long the rain puddles stuck around). Plus as I'm combining the run and the coop, my girls need their dust baths, and a wood floor wouldn't cut it.

We also don't generally have an issue with mice here (some do though), so between the cats that like to make visits, and a very small Yorkshire terrier that loves to hunt and kill small birds and mice, I think we should be fine, although time will tell.

possumqueen - Thanks for the tip on the Florida coops. Hadn't thought of that. I did however think of PVC, but the wife shot that down pretty quick. Apparently PVC is ugly—I disagree. Plus I'm not sure how well PVC will hold up a roof. I looked for that red painted PVC coop with no luck.

Funny you mentioned poo drying fast—as I mentioned before, my girls are roosting on a table on the back porch and that I have a poo collector. All I did was attach a raised dowel over a piece of plywood as a poop plank/board with some 2x2s running around the perimeter to keep the poo from falling off. The poo dries in a matter of hours and all of it stays on that poop board until I dump it around my trees. I'm actually thinking of fabricating something similar or some kind of funneling system in the new coop to keep being able to use it.

rufus - I don't really "need" a coop—I want one. They have survived thus far on their own, I am just so tired of sweeping and scraping and spraying the poo. I thought about making a small low-profile coop, but I am 6' 2" and like spending time with the birds so bending over so much is not an option for me. The area where I will be building the coop is in the shade of a giant mesquite, two pines, a lemon and a bottle tree, so shade is definitely covered.

Thanks for the tip on the deep litter method. I am curious though, why doesn't it work? Too dry?

In my part of Mesa people are receptive for the most part. My wife actually just told me that our neighbors behind us got some of their own, so the word is spreading!

As long as I stay under ten hens and no roosters I think I should be okay. Maybe I should start handing out eggs to neighbors as Christmas gifts!

Tala - How does the sawdust work for you? Is it messy?

Mahonri - My girls have spent one summer with me and so far so good. But they weren't in a coop so I guess we'll see next summer.

c_soto1990 - I would build something similar, but I already have 4 hens and want 6 more so it's a bit tight. And I want one I can walk into.

 

[Tala]

Quote:
It's pine pellets sold as horse bedding. They soak up water and turn into sawdust when they are "exhausted" then they dry back out so you don't have a muddy mess. I REALLY like them!
To "clean" the coop I take a garden rake and stir/spread everything around to make sure it's getting turned enough to dry (the chickens also scratch it around and dust bath in it, I just even it out) then I dump a 40# bag of pellets under the roosting area where the poop concentrates. A 40# bag is about $6, and I put one in about once a month or so, but you could get by with even less. Walking on the sawdust has a really springy feeling that I also like, and one of my hens laid an egg from the roost right at dusk and it didn't break landing in the sawdust! Plus, the sawdust continues to smell like pine even when damp.

 

[ammonihah99]

Thanks! I'll check and see if my feed store has it next time I go in.