So do I REALLY need a walk-in coop?

[gtaus]

I've been pondering, too, the "underneath" for a run. That would be exceptionally unhandy to have to get under there to get a chicken.

I don't think that is too much of a problem. You could get yourself a fish landing net with long handle to reach under the coop. That would be good enough to scare the chicken(s) out from underneath, or you just scoop them up in the landing net and pull them out. Probably easier just to throw some chicken scratch out in the run and they would come out from underneath running to get the treats before their sisters. For the occasional egg that might get laid under the coop. you could get one of those handy reacher/grabber units to extend your reach.

If it really becomes a problem for you, then just block it off. I doubt it will give you that much trouble. Sometimes we overthink the potential problems and forget how often that it is likely to really be a problem that we can't overcome.

Yes, life is easier with a walk-in coop and run, but there are a number of devices you can use to make just about anything work for you. The chickens don't care, so just think out of the box on how to make things more accessible for you.

 

[Ben Lynnsy]

I don't think that is too much of a problem. You could get yourself a fish landing net with long handle to reach under the coop. That would be good enough to scare the chicken(s) out from underneath, or you just scoop them up in the landing net and pull them out. Probably easier just to throw some chicken scratch out in the run and they would come out from underneath running to get the treats before their sisters. For the occasional egg that might get laid under the coop. you could get one of those handy reacher/grabber units to extend your reach.

If it really becomes a problem for you, then just block it off. I doubt it will give you that much trouble. Sometimes we overthink the potential problems and forget how often that it is likely to really be a problem that we can't overcome.

Yes, life is easier with a walk-in coop and run, but there are a number of devices you can use to make just about anything work for you. The chickens don't care, so just think out of the box on how to make things more accessible for you.

Yeah that might work. I haven't yet gotten past the method and amount of elevation, so I need to work that out first. If I have the coop on legs, there would be room for a run, but if I have to support it on cinder blocks, the blocks will take up a significant part of the space under the coop. I also thought about putting the blocks *outside* the coop and running 4x4 poles through the holes and sitting the coop on the pole (like this pix). But I think the weight of the coop would eventually take its toll on the 4x4's, and they would sag. I'll do the dummy coop, if not tomorrow then on Sunday, and that will give me a better idea of what I'm dealing with. I'm trying to trouble-shoot early because I have a small yard and not many options for a good place for the coop. If I can't work this out, I'll have to look at another coop design and I don't want to do that!! Thanks for your patience with my outloud thinking.

 

[Folly's place]

So, if you have the floor 36" from the ground, and the coop tops out at 55" tall, why not have it walk-in and the floor as the ground?
Mary

 

[Ben Lynnsy]

So, if you have the floor 36" from the ground, and the coop tops out at 55" tall, why not have it walk-in and the floor as the ground?
Mary

I don't think I can fit the 36" plus 55" under my tree. That is yet to be determined, And I don't really want a walk-in coop in that small space.

 

[Happy hen lover]

Ben they make cement thingys that you could place a 4x4 post in then make a platform up on posts at 4 corners under coop. Or what we did was place a tower of pavers under corners and again at every 4 feet as extra support. This is my raised coop, you can see what we did to support on 8 ft. side

 

[gtaus]

Ben they make cement thingys that you could place a 4x4 post in then make a platform up on posts at 4 corners under coop.

The ones I am familiar are called 4x4/6x6 Deck Block which are less than $10 each at our local Menards.

That might be way overbuild for a small chicken coop, but a solid paver like the following are only about $1.00 each.

Should be plenty strong for a small chicken coop. Just level the pavers and put your 4x4 posts on top of the pavers. 4x4 posts have tremendous vertical strength.

I do like the idea of having an open space underneath the coop. It would give somewhere for the chickens to rest in the shade on a sunny day, or get out of the rain if needed. If you only have a small space for a chicken run, at least you can use that space under the coop and not let it go to waste.

I think someone already mentioned that you probably should be thinking a minimum of 18 inches headroom under the coop. If you start going lower than that, then it might get pretty hard for you to do any cleaning or maintenance under the coop.

 

[3KillerBs]

I was going to suggest deck blocks.

Many coops are built using pressure treated wood as the legs, but I admit that the understructure of my coop is in need of repair due to a combination of the action of the deep litter and the abundance of wood-eating insects in NC.

 

[Ben Lynnsy]

The ones I am familiar are called 4x4/6x6 Deck Block which are less than $10 each at our local Menards.

View attachment 3205043

That might be way overbuild for a small chicken coop, but a solid paver like the following are only about $1.00 each.

View attachment 3205044

Should be plenty strong for a small chicken coop. Just level the pavers and put your 4x4 posts on top of the pavers. 4x4 posts have tremendous vertical strength.

I do like the idea of having an open space underneath the coop. It would give somewhere for the chickens to rest in the shade on a sunny day, or get out of the rain if needed. If you only have a small space for a chicken run, at least you can use that space under the coop and not let it go to waste.

I think someone already mentioned that you probably should be thinking a minimum of 18 inches headroom under the coop. If you start going lower than that, then it might get pretty hard for you to do any cleaning or maintenance under the coop.

BRILLIANT! I have something similar to the first blocks that i used to support the boards for a raised bed. But I have never seen the ones that hold a 4"x4". (Saving the pix). That would be perfect, and I could get a little more height without filling up the underneath space. Agreed.... once that run headroom gets too small, it's a huge PITA and I don't want that.

 

[Ben Lynnsy]

I was going to suggest deck blocks.

Many coops are built using pressure treated wood as the legs, but I admit that the understructure of my coop is in need of repair due to a combination of the action of the deep litter and the abundance of wood-eating insects in NC.

I had thought, when I get that far, that I might make the first "layer" of the deep bedding a liner of linoleum. Whaddaya think about that????

 

[gtaus]

I had thought, when I get that far, that I might make the first "layer" of the deep bedding a liner of linoleum. Whaddaya think about that????

I lined my 6x12 coop floor with inexpensive linoleum that I got on sale for less than $25.00 at Menards. That was 3 years ago. The linoleum looks almost as good as new. I use deep bedding in my coop so the linoleum always has at least 3 inches of litter on it. In the past, I have used everything from wood chips, leaves, and dried grass. They all work. Recently, I am using paper shreds I make at home from newspapers, junk mail, office paper, and light cardboard from food boxes, etc...

An alternative to linoleum that many people use is Black Jack 57 (BJ57) rubber coating. Here is a link on Amazon... Black Jack Rubr-Coat 57 Gloss Black Rubber Roof Coating 1 gal. It pretty expensive on Amazon, but you might find it locally at a lower price.

The fans of BJ57 swear by it, but personally I would choose whatever option is the least expensive. For a small coop, I suspect that would just be a small cut of linoleum. I do think it's important to protect the coop floor boards because it might be a pain to have to replace the rotted floor a few years down the road. Better to repaint with BJ57 or rip out and replace the linoleum.