So do I REALLY need a walk-in coop?

[gtaus]

As we get 'more mature', that bending over gets less pleasant. Just sayin'.
Mary

I've found myself in that same demographic. Just about everything I build has an eye on ease of access for my aging body. Walk-in chicken coop and run are just a few things in my life I built with the notion of not having to bend over. I think a person could build a smaller coop, maybe elevated waist high, and have a large drop-down door or entire wall panel to provide complete access to the coop would serve the same purpose. You could clean and maintain the smaller coop without having to bend over or crawl around inside a tight space.

 

[Ben Lynnsy]

@3KillerBs is in your general (in the most general of sense) area.
They can tell you much better what works for your general area, I feel.

You don't have to have a walk-in, sure.

I feel though that it is easier for me to take care of the run.
Also, unless you are in the wild mountains with oodles of snow and freezing winds, you might be able to get away with a minimal structure: Unless the temps dip into single digits here, I don't see that I will need much more than what I have now: a wire run with half the roof covered. They will probably need more food when it gets cold.

Look though the galleries, there are coops of every size and shape the good folks of BYC have built.
In terms of prefabs, you have to really be careful. most are much smaller than indicated.
I have one I don't think I could fit 2 bantams in. I am keeping it, in case I want to get more chicks. but so far, the playhouse is no more than a yard ornament. Maybe a hospital station, if needed. Prefabs are not designed by chicken owners, and it shows (I had to lay on the ground and reach far back to grab my chicks when I had them briefly outside while I cleaned their brooder.)

Yeah, I have one of those prefabs (still unopened) that's going back to the store on Monday. It cost about $375, and for what is it, it's not worth it. Small, and the roosts are barely above floor-level, and it has a shallow clean-out drawer, needs reinforcement, etc. For that amount of $ I can probably purchase or "find" most of what I need to build a slightly bigger house that better suits my needs. I'm mentally working on that Monitor coop.

 

[Liz-6]

My run is walk in, but coup not. It’s so easy to clean ( no bending required) and there are several doors and windows I can open to access and socialize with my flock. I have 6, more than I orig planned for but it’s working

 

[NatJ]

It just seems like it would be nice to spray it down twice a year with a deep cleaning.

I think such a cleaning would be for your benefit, not because it does any good for the chickens.

But as long as it is COMPLETELY dry when the chickens go back in, I don't think it will do any harm either.

 

[Sammi_0411]

Hey again as I said I'm 33 and have mobility issues so a walk in is a lot easier also depends on ur health and back etc x

 

[Tookie]

However you build your coop and run each chicken needs a certain amount of space. Each chicken should have a minimum of 4sq ft of coop space, 10 sq ft of run space, 1 linear ft of roost, 1 nesting box per 4 hens, and 1 sq ft of permanent ventilation, bantam breeds need half the space.
You may want to consider converting a shed into a coop and building a run attached to it.

 

[Toothpick]

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking.... as long as I have access to all the "chicken places", I don't see why I need to walk in. In fact, I'm not sure I want to walk in and breathe all that "chicken-ness". LOL If it's high enough off the ground, I wouldn't need to bend over, and as long as I can reach to the poop corners with a rake or something, cleaning should not be too hard. Am I wrong?? A nice big side door would seem to do the trick.

You’re not wrong. If the roost and hen boxes are about waist high with a door for access that will make cleaning a lot easier. I think a lot of people here, including myself, have had a coop without a walk-in access in the past. Then we ”upgraded” to a walk in and realized life was so much easier. Which is why you are getting a lot of “you need a walk-in“ suggestions.

It’s not necessary IF you plan the build correctly. If you plan on moving the coop at some point a smaller one will be a lot easier to move for sure. I think we are just saying if you have the choice between a walk in coop and not…you will absolutely not regret the walk in. If you don’t have the option or building one without walk in access is just simply easier or better for your space then of course it can be done.

 

[KyCoop]

Now Ben we talked about this. Keep the flock small and easy to care for to start out with. Don't fall victim to chicken math right out of the gate. Lol
I have an elevated coop 5x6 that allows me to stand up straight and still reach all the corners. Doors on two sides. One down side is I did have to go after a sickly girl under the coop and I did have to crawl in after her. I do wish I would have built a walk in.
No matter what kind of coop you choose, you will have chicken-ness.

 

[tripletfeb]

I don't have a walk in coop but my coop is elevated to make it easy to clean out. My run is walk in and I wouldn't have that any other way

 

[tripletfeb]

OP, here is my coop that is not walk in. Like I said, it is elevated to make cleaning easier. And the front doors open all the way of course. And the long door at the bottom swings down so I can put my cart right up to it and scrape it out. I do the deep bedding method and only clean it out twice a year. No smell, no muss, no fuss. Chicken math does not affect everyone, it hasn't affected me at all. I have no desire to get anymore chickens right now. I will always have chickens but if any of mine die, I will not be replacing them to maintain 6. 6 is the max I want