Sketchup - obnoxiously big double-coop design

[NerdDoc]

Well, my wife and I are about a year away from being able to buy about 10 acres and I've been playing around with a few ideas for chicken coops.

With the amount of things I've been reading about composting, I decided to mock-up a coop that took advantage of a compost pile in a couple of ways. By having the pile butt-up against the back of the chicken coop, I thought I could get a little bit of radiant heat from the compost pile (in the winter only, obviously) and give them access to a good food source at the same time. A concrete wall made the most sense for this kind of design, and then I decided maybe a concrete base would be nice for cleaning it out? Cost of the concrete looks like it would be almost $1000 if I poured it myself. If there isn't really much benefit to concrete floor, I could build a wooden floor... it would be a lot cheaper.

The concrete structure includes 1-foot high footings on the insides of the coop except for on the front. Then depending on what type of front I decide to attach,, cleaning it out could be fairly easy. Also liking the idea of cordwood construction for the rest of the walls. Windows would be glass, and able to open in good weather. South-facing roof would be something clear, either fiberglass or glass panes (depending on how warm I would need it to stay).

Thoughts on the idea? Concerns? It may be too big, but what about the idea of the split coop and concrete structure for the compost idea? Thanks!

 

[sunflour]

Looks like you have a great plan. I think building larger than you think you need is the way to go, so many of us underestimate and have to adjust and add on. I really like the idea of a safe place for them to access the compost. Good luck. would love to see your final build.

 

[NerdDoc]

Thanks for the comments, Sunflour. I've still got some ideas to toss around on keeping the compost areas secure but still allowing me to get to them with either a 4-wheeler or tractor to get things cleaned out, but that should be pretty easy to figure out once i get the fenced area size worked out. I've also considered including a closed-off loft and making the roof a bit higher, then I could store my bedding material there over the winter. Like a small version of a horse barn I'd just have to figure out if it was worth it to build an area to pack full of fall leaves and close it off so that they couldn't get up into it.

I'd be ticked if some little predator decided to try and nest right above the chickens, so I'd have to make sure a loft was really secure, since it would be packed full of leaves... thoughts on that idea?