pop door and the top of a coop

[Weiden Farm]

I'm building a coop in the spring and the location is sort of on the side of a ridge that drops some 7-8 feet. the low side of the ridge leads to the woods and the high side leads to a 1 acre grass patch. I was planning to put a pop door on the bottom that would lead to a fully enclosed run which is more in a woods part and I wanted to put a ramp in the coop that would lead to top of the coop with a pop door that would lead to the grassy area where they could free range from time to time.

Your comments/thoughts on this would be appreciated. Any issues with this, has anyone done this, pictures, etc..

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm trying to envison that set-up. I've probably got some things wrong but I'll give it a shot.

The shade in the run and maybe on the coop will be nice in the summer. They will like that. The drop-off and the trees may give predators easier access to the coop or run. I know you said fully enclosed run, but runs can be a little difficult to really make totally predator proof. You are doing it and it can be done, but I'll just mention that.

Not sure exactly how you are doing the ramp and pop door, but chickens like to roost on the highest thing possible. Instead of the roosts inside your coop, that may wind up being the ramp or the roof of your coop. Maybe something to consider.

I know you plan them free ranging in the open field. Don't be at all surprised if they prefer to be in the woods. Mine like the shade, don't like being in the wind, and love to scratch in leaves. With chickens, they will often do exactly opposite what you want them to.

It could be a very nice set-up, but don't be too surprised if the results are a bit different than you envision.

 

[patandchickens]

First make *awfully* sure that "ridge" or bank or whatever it is, is REALLY STABLE. If it has been sitting there undisturbed for ten years or more and is well-vegetated, it may be. If it is younger than that, it very likely isn't. If it isn't stable (vs erosion, settling, edge collapse), then I absolutely would not build there, it is too easy to lose all your hard work and much of your materials.

That said, if it IS of long standing and pretty stable and no longer changing, then I would suggest a minor alteration as follows. Don't put the popdoor in the floor of the coop, put it in the *wall*. A hole in the floor will cause all your bedding to be gettin' kicked out all the time, plus it reduces floorspace available for the chickens to use, and there really is just no need for it.

Are you planning to have a run at all?

As for whether to have a separate popdoor for accessing the upper field, chances are pretty good that the chickens will find it on their own if they are loose in the lower area. If they don't, you can chum them up there with some scratch that they see you walking up towards there scattering. Unless this is a SUPER precipitous bank (in which case you oughtn';t be building there anyhow) they are not likely to see it as a barrier.

BTW, this isn't like a bank at the edge of a river floodplain or something, is it? If it is, you might really want to reconsider locating your coop on the *low* side of it!

Good luck, have fun,

Pat