Need help planning the rest of my coop! Please help!! (very new to chickens)

[Apreciousdragon]

We have built a coop under our treehouse. It was already partially walled so we just continued it. We are located near Houston, TX and so we decided on a more open concept coop. Hopefully we can tarp? during winter for the couple days it gets down in the 20s. Anyhow, the coop is about 12x12 square. I have been reading and reading but am having a tough time figuring out how to manage this with the least maintenance possible. I originally wanted to do deep litter method. Will that work with such an open style coop? We mostly allow free range in the yard. So we don't really plan to have a run.
Here are my questions...
1) is deep litter method (pine shavings) possible with this coop design? If it is, am I able to do a layer of sand underneath, or should it be mostly earth underneath the litter? Or should we use cement paving stones under?
2) do you put food/water in the coop? Or mainly outside? What about snacks/treats? How do I get them to stir up the litter without making it gross from food?
3) are there any particular design ideas that you love that would work in my coop? Like a certain way to set up nesting boxes or a roost?

(we currently have 9 hens and 2 young (hopefully) pullets, but hope to expand by 3-5 hens every year)

Thanks, thanks, thanks for any help y'all can give.

 

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

Deep litter can absolutely work in that coop. You can place a 2x6 or something along the bottom edge of the wired wall so litter doesn't spill out through it. If you stick to a dirt floor I would just keep the natural dirt that is there and not add sand. Do you have a predator apron to prevent animals from digging into your coop? Digging predators is a concern with a dirt floor coop. I prefer not to put food and water into the coop since that can attract rodents, all food and water stays outside. At night I put my food back into the metal trash bin it's stored in since they don't eat or drink at night. If you want to encourage your chickens to stir the litter for you, you can toss in a handful of scratch and they mix it all up looking for the scratch grains, I don't find this makes the bedding gross since they eat all of it right away (at least my chickens do).

 

[Apreciousdragon]

Deep litter can absolutely work in that coop. You can place a 2x6 or something along the bottom edge of the wired wall so litter doesn't spill out through it. If you stick to a dirt floor I would just keep the natural dirt that is there and not add sand. Do you have a predator apron to prevent animals from digging into your coop? Digging predators is a concern with a dirt floor coop. I prefer not to put food and water into the coop since that can attract rodents, all food and water stays outside. At night I put my food back into the metal trash bin it's stored in since they don't eat or drink at night. If you want to encourage your chickens to stir the litter for you, you can toss in a handful of scratch and they mix it all up looking for the scratch grains, I don't find this makes the bedding gross since they eat all of it right away (at least my chickens do).

Yes, we put an apron! Probably not as long and deep as needed, but it took a surprisingly long time! We are still covering any holes with hardware cloth, but started from the bottom and are working our way up. Great idea about adding a 2x6 lip to raise the level for deep litter!

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. If you put your general location into your profile people can give you better-targeted advice any time you ask a question.

Texas is definitely a good place for an Open Air coop. This is the one that inspired my own build here in NC. It's great that it's in a shady location too.

1) is deep litter method (pine shavings) possible with this coop design? If it is, am I able to do a layer of sand underneath, or should it be mostly earth underneath the litter? Or should we use cement paving stones under?

Deep Litter, a moist, actively-composting system, works best on a dirt floor. It's very well-suited to an Open Air style coop since it actively benefits from a little moisture (not soggieness, but damp like a wrung-out sponge.

Pine shavings along certainly *can* work, but if you can get coarse wood chips, the sort you get from a tree trimming service, that would be even better. You can also add any other dry organic material you have on hand -- for example, the leaves from those trees. IMO, a mix of materials works better than any one material alone.

2) do you put food/water in the coop? Or mainly outside? What about snacks/treats? How do I get them to stir up the litter without making it gross from food?

I *prefer* to keep my food and water outside my coop, but in my current setup (no coop page yet, but you can see most of it in this article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/ ) I have it both inside and outside -- necessary since I'm integrating juveniles throughout the hatching season.

When you want the chickens to stir up the litter just toss a handful of scratch where you want them to dig. Not too much at once -- just a literal handful.

3) are there any particular design ideas that you love that would work in my coop? Like a certain way to set up nesting boxes or a roost?

I personally set up my roosts at a convenient level for me to be able to pick chickens off the roosts for examinations, etc. I have arthritis and back trouble so I didn't want to bend down.

Likewise I set up my nests at a height were I don't have to bend down to collect eggs -- but lower than the roosts to minimize the urge to sleep in them.

 

[Ret]

Yes, we put an apron! Probably not as long and deep as needed, but it took a surprisingly long time! We are still covering any holes with hardware cloth, but started from the bottom and are working our way up. Great idea about adding a 2x6 lip to raise the level for deep litter!

I use the deep litter method too . Mine is on dirt with a mixture of pine shavings, chopped hay, leaves, and straw. The chicks keep it stirred up pretty good looking for a little scratch grains or corn thrown in . (Don’t give them too many treats are they will not eat their laying pellets!) I cannot let my flock free range because we have a problem with hawks. currently we have eight hens and one rooster. Good luck with your flock and this is a terrific forum to get information!