So do I REALLY need a walk-in coop?

[Ben Lynnsy]

Many predators can climb very well; no openings anywhere larger than 1/2" diameter! Sooner or later disasters happen, and we learn. It's not fun.
You might find a chainlink dog run on craigslist, and it's not a bad choice, realizing that it's not totally predator proof either. Electric fencing around the outside of the run is a good deterrent too. If you have bears, it's essential.
Mary

I plan to get an 8x8 covered run after I get the coop, because I know we have hawks, and they sometimes sit in my trees. Last winter one sat on my deck railing! So I need a covered run.... otherwise, I'll constantly be worried and i won't get anything done for watching my chickens all the time, LOL. No bears so far.

 

[Ben Lynnsy]

I'm going to respond to this first post before I read the rest of the thread since it's gotten rather long.

I see you're in Central NC. I am too, in the Sandhills.

This is my Little Monitor Coop -- which was carefully worked out to meet all the minimums for 4 chickens and to function in our HOT climate and the limited space in my then-backyard.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/

It's not walk-in, but my tall sons can touch the far wall from the access door and I can reach anything I need to clean out easily with a small shovel.

This, is my Outdoor Brooder. It's walk-in-bent-over and is absolutely torturous to clean. Before I put the floor it, it was actually easier to enlist my sons to help me roll it on it's side then to go inside with a pitchfork.

That low height is also responsible for me getting 10 staples in my scalp a year ago this week. https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/24739256

So, my initial response is that a walk-in coop is not *necessary* but it's highly desirable to have easy access to all parts of the coop.

I found your Monitor coop online a couple days ago, and I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have gone back to look at it and the instructions, LOL. Today I printed it off, and I am going to ask my handy neighbor if he will build the frame for me. If I can get him to do the frame and the heavy part, I think I can do the rest. I know he has a saw and can cut wood to the size I need, and I won't get chicks til spring, so there's plenty of time to build it. I love that little house, and I agree it covers all the bases. Did I read that you use the deep little system in it, too??

 

[Ben Lynnsy]

A walk in coop is not necessary but it is easier to clean and you can spend more tome with your birds and bond with them more. It especially is handy if you have show birds to put in a poultry show. It also works well to check in on your birds if you have a walk in coop.

I will have a walk-in run where I can sit and play with them, but I think the coop will probably not be a walk-in.

 

[Ben Lynnsy]

Since you're in NC, here's my article on Hot Climate chicken-keeping: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

And my article on ventilation: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/



I've never tried a slide-out tray but they are reported to be heavy and hard to handle.

In our steamy climate it could be challenging to keep it moving rather than sticking as the wood absorbs water.



Thank you for recommending my coop. I would be happy to answer any questions about it.

This article shows my management of the bedding in it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

Thank you, thank you!! I will be going down these rabbit holes for the rest of the night!! . I'm pretty sure you'll hear from me with questions, because I'm going to try to get my neighbor to help me build this. English is not his first language, so this could be interesting, LOL

 

[gtaus]

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.

There are a number of different chicken coop designs out there. You don't need a walk-in coop, but like you realize, you should be able to access all parts of the chicken coop for cleaning, maintenance, etc... Some designs are better than others. If I were building a small elevated chicken coop, I would look for a design with a drop down back wall or something like that where I could easily reach inside and put my hands on anything I needed.

FYI, in Square Foot Gardening, they recommend only building something about 2 feet wide for easy reach, and maybe a 3 foot reach at the most. You could probably get by with any of the small coop designs built no bigger than a 4 foot reach if you used a small rake or handy reacher to extend your arms.

I built my coop on an old boat trailer frame. It is 6X12 feet. Although it is walk-in coop, I can access the nest boxes from outside and I have the feed and water at the back panel doors. I rarely ever have to go inside my coop, given the thought and planning that I used before I built the coop.

I would also recommend trying to find a design that uses deep bedding in the coop, with a drop down panel(s), so you can easily clean out the coop when needed. Many of us with deep bedding systems only have to change out the coop litter maybe once or twice a year. If you go with a pull-out drawer, you will have to be cleaning it out all the time, and those drawers are notorious for breaking down and falling apart after a short period of time. I would recommend you avoid that drawer trap.

Like so many others have already commented, there are many, many, advantages to having a walk-in coop. If that is not possible, look for a good design that allows you easy access to all the corners of the coop so you don't have to crawl and/or bend over to clean it out. Best wishes.

 

[Ben Lynnsy]

There are a number of different chicken coop designs out there. You don't need a walk-in coop, but like you realize, you should be able to access all parts of the chicken coop for cleaning, maintenance, etc... Some designs are better than others. If I were building a small elevated chicken coop, I would look for a design with a drop down back wall or something like that where I could easily reach inside and put my hands on anything I needed.

FYI, in Square Foot Gardening, they recommend only building something about 2 feet wide for easy reach, and maybe a 3 foot reach at the most. You could probably get by with any of the small coop designs built no bigger than a 4 foot reach if you used a small rake or handy reacher to extend your arms.

I built my coop on an old boat trailer frame. It is 6X12 feet. Although it is walk-in coop, I can access the nest boxes from outside and I have the feed and water at the back panel doors. I rarely ever have to go inside my coop, given the thought and planning that I used before I built the coop.

I would also recommend trying to find a design that uses deep bedding in the coop, with a drop down panel(s), so you can easily clean out the coop when needed. Many of us with deep bedding systems only have to change out the coop litter maybe once or twice a year. If you go with a pull-out drawer, you will have to be cleaning it out all the time, and those drawers are notorious for breaking down and falling apart after a short period of time. I would recommend you avoid that drawer trap.

Like so many others have already commented, there are many, many, advantages to having a walk-in coop. If that is not possible, look for a good design that allows you easy access to all the corners of the coop so you don't have to crawl and/or bend over to clean it out. Best wishes.

Thanks!! Yeah, access to all chicken-ness is a requirement. A few days ago I ran across the page for the Monitor coop, and the person who built it posted in there thread to tell me that they live only about 70 miles from me and that they designed it for our specific weather. So I am hot on the trail of that coop now and when my next-door-neighbor gets back from his vacay, I'm going to ask him to help me build it. Take a look at it.... it uses deep bedding, too!! YAY!!

 

[Krugerrand]

I found your Monitor coop online a couple days ago, and I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have gone back to look at it and the instructions, LOL. Today I printed it off, and I am going to ask my handy neighbor if he will build the frame for me. If I can get him to do the frame and the heavy part, I think I can do the rest. I know he has a saw and can cut wood to the size I need, and I won't get chicks til spring, so there's plenty of time to build it. I love that little house, and I agree it covers all the bases. Did I read that you use the deep little system in it, too??

Smart move to plan ahead and have that coop done early. They always take longer than expected to finish.

 

[Shadrach]

Sure you need a walk in coop. How else are the chickens going to get in.

There are keeping circumstances (very cold climates for example) where the chickens may be confined to the coop for long periods of time. Yes a large walk in coop with as much space as you can afford to build is going to help you and the chickens.
For less hostile climates what you need is to be able to access all the area in the coop. This is important for cleaning and bird access when roosting.

What is important is a walk in run with the coop placed and arranged so that you can if necessary provide food and water without opening the run or coop if you are planning to keep your chickens contained in a coop and run.

Let me show you.
I've just arrived to feed and water the chickens. They've heard me coming and are wedged against the gate of the run. If I don't want to be herding chickens back into the run I have to open the gate, get myself, feed and water into the run without letting any of them out.
If I had a system where I could tip feed into a feeder without opening the run they would congregate around the feeder and I could walk in without trying not to tread on, or catch in the gate any chickens trying to get out.

Elaborate large coops are wonderfull for posting on forums with look what we built comments. The chickens don't care. They need shelter from the elements, protection from predators and somewhere to roost at night and lay eggs during the day.
If you can provide this and keep the coop portable even better. Being able to move a coop to fresh ground is a massive bonus. If you have lots of chickens then two or more simple portable coops may prove to be a better option.

 

[MROO]

Yeah it's me again, the hesitant, coopless newbie. I do "get it" about chicken math, and my intent is to have 3 or 4, but the math says I could double that, altho I really don't want to. My space is limited and I am working with a 9x9 area that is bounded by a tree on the right, my "barn" on the back and a ramp from the barn on the left. There will be a predator protected run that extends out in front of the coop for another 8 feet. The space is small, and the overhanging of the tree limits me even more. I do not want to trim my tree, but there is a nice niche between 6 o'clock and 11 o'clock where a 4 ft roof would fit. I was thinking a flatter style would allow a bigger horizontal space, and a nice pull-out drawer for cleaning would work. For those few chickens, do I REALLY need a walk-in coop?

Do you "NEED" a walk-in coop?
Nope.
Will you WANT one after dealing with one that isn't?
Absolutely!

 

[3KillerBs]

Did I read that you use the deep little system in it,

Deep Bedding rather than Deep Litter -- the difference being that it's a dry system.

Today I printed it off, and I am going to ask my handy neighbor if he will build the frame for me. If I can get him to do the frame and the heavy part, I think I can do the rest.

I'm so glad to hear that. I'll happily answer questions or get my husband, who did the building, to answer them. I can even take more photos of tricky places -- though it's currently awaiting some rehab right now.

I suggest putting it up on concrete or some such thing because the legs haven't lasted.

If I don't want to be herding chickens back into the run I have to open the gate, get myself, feed and water into the run without letting any of them out.

That's the one thing I don't like about Neuchickenstein (my current coop). I have to fend off eager-to-escape chickens to get in.