Opinions on Coop Location Within Run

[AmyJane725]

Hey guys,

Going to be having a 16x20' run built, and up until now I figured I'd have the coop in the back left corner area. I will also have a roof over the run. My plan thus far was to have the left half covered with corrugated metal, and the right side made of hardware cloth for air and sun.

It now occurs to me that if I place the coop under the covered side the chickens technically have less rain cover than if I put the coop on the "sunny" (right/uncovered) side.

What do you think? Better to let them have more room to run around on the sunny side, or better to have more overall rain protection by having the coop on the un-covered half?

 

[PouleChick]

Will the coop be raised off the ground? Not sure - how hot does it get with you if the coop is in the sun? Is there tree cover? Do you get a lot of rain?

 

[AmyJane725]

Will the coop be raised off the ground? Not sure - how hot does it get with you if the coop is in the sun? Is there tree cover? Do you get a lot of rain?

Coop will be on 2' stilts.
Um, I'm honestly not sure how hot it would get with the sun beating on it? It's pretty temperate here. Summer can get to 80s and 90s. Average throughout the year during the day is probably mid 60s. I'm not sure how hot chickens like it.
There is tree cover sort of all around, but more shady on the left side.
Yes, we get a lot of rain.

Here's a picture of the build site. I know in this particular picture the left side looks sunnier, but in reality it has a lot more tree cover. That's dense forest behind it, cedar trees. The right side just has those couple littler ones and then open area. This was taken in the morning, so sunrise-ish more than noonday type sun.

 

[PouleChick]

Looks like a lovely site! If the coop wsa on the open side then that is actually adding more shelter space again due to the coop being raised so I think I'd go with that option. Id go the other way if the coop was a premade one as they are pretty flimsy and would last much better with cover.

 

[feathermaid]

Most chickens do not do well in hot weather, they can tolerate cold much better. So whatever side will offer the most shade would be best. They'll probably still like an area for sun bathing though, and the dust bath area should stay dry. Sunshine hitting a coop all day can make it hot and stuffy inside, so it needs to have lots of ventilation.

Make sure the whole area has good drainage. A gutter is a must. If there's not a mud problem currently, there will be IF the runoff isn't redirected away once a roof goes up. I think the most important issue is preventing mud and flooding because you definitely don't want to try to fix it after the fact. My chickens don't seem to mind being out in the rain much anyway, as long as there's dry cover for them to take shelter when they feel like it, they'll be fine.

My coop has a covered run and also an open chicken yard exposed to the elements. I covered the entire ground in the yard with pvc poultry netting and then piled a thick layer of wood chips on top. My chickens scratch and dig holes out there and I haven't seen any mud show itself all winter! The heavy duty netting barrier keeps the chips from sinking or mixing with the wet ground when they scratch. The chips get wet, but not muddy, stinky or slippery and that's the most important thing to me. We get a lot of rain here too!

 

[aart]

What do you think?

Think about the height of the run and the height of the coop and how they fit together.
I would say the coop should be outside the run, but melding the 2 roofs could be tricky.
Where the coop roof and the run roof intersect or overlap is key, IMO,
especially with the rain runoff you'll be dealing with.

 

[50-45-1]

Are you talking a walk in coop or a prefab?
I have a coop that i built then attached a run too. I would not like having to go into my run to get into my coop to gather eggs.
It looks like a nice spot. With the right venilation i would situate in the shadier part of the area.
I would love to see your finished project and even shots of the process!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Don't worry about rain protection for the chickens, that is not an issue. They can handle that on their own as long as they have a dry place to go to if they want to and a dry place to sleep

Keeping water out of the run is an issue. To me this is a huge issue. You might want to read this to get some ideas.

Pat’s Big Ol' Mud Page (fixing muddy runs):

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-to-fix-a-muddy-run-chicken-coop.47807/

Another issue is heat, not your normal days but extreme weather. As long as your coop has good ventilation and does not channel wind to blast them when sleeping, winter should not be a problem for you. It looks and sounds like you will have plenty of shade in the summer, I don't see a lot of issues with that. But a couple of things to think about. That metal can get really hot if the sun is shining directly in it. That's a south, west, or southwest exposure unless trees provide enough shade. Maybe that metal doesn't need to go on those exposed sides. Another consideration, you don't want your nest to become an over so don't put your nests where the sun shines directly in them.

Looking at those shadows it looks like you will have plenty of shade on the coop. As long as you can handle drainage I think you will be fine. Good luck!

 

[AmyJane725]

Most chickens do not do well in hot weather, they can tolerate cold much better. So whatever side will offer the most shade would be best. They'll probably still like an area for sun bathing though, and the dust bath area should stay dry. Sunshine hitting a coop all day can make it hot and stuffy inside, so it needs to have lots of ventilation.

Make sure the whole area has good drainage. A gutter is a must. If there's not a mud problem currently, there will be IF the runoff isn't redirected away once a roof goes up.

Sorry. I don't quite understand what you're saying in the first paragraph. "...whatever side will offer the most shade would be best." for what? Having the coop there, or covering with the metal run roof?

Very good point about the gutter. I had my last contractor out today. Put down a deposit with them. Told them I needed a gutter on the metal roofed side of the run. Great tip. There was one corner of the run I was worried about, as it's lower than the others, so a gutter should take care of it. Thanks again.

 

[AmyJane725]

Are you talking a walk in coop or a prefab?
I have a coop that i built then attached a run too. I would not like having to go into my run to get into my coop to gather eggs.
It looks like a nice spot. With the right venilation i would situate in the shadier part of the area.
I would love to see your finished project and even shots of the process!

I'm talking a custom built walk-in coop.
I don't mind going into the run to gather eggs. I want the dual layer of protection. I live in the woods, so lots of other critters sharing the space with me.

Given the good point about how the coop could get really hot with a metal roof I'm almost tempted to just have the coop under the covered portion, and make the shadier side covered. The corrugated metal roof I'm planning on will be white, so that should reflect some of the heat, but still. I don't want to make them into chicken nuggets.

I plan on taking lots of pictures of the process. The builders are going to come on my days off/weekends, so I can see them. And they okay-ed me to take their picture too, lol.