So do I REALLY need a walk-in coop?

[Sammi_0411]

In the end ben do what's best for u
I started with a smaller low down coop even slide out tray I was still having to half crawl in it to clean other bits chickens are messy. I am only saying that I wish I had started with a walk in but it's ur coop and chickens so entirely up to u we jus giving our personal preferences with experience we have had xxx

 

[Ozarkoak]

Our coop is not walk in its 10x10x4 feet tall. BUT we move it every 3 or 4 months. So I never have to try and clean it out or do anything inside it. All thats inside it is roosting bars. No water no food no floor no nest boxes. You could make it so you could tip it over to clean it out.

 

[SourRoses]

I don't understand why I'd be crawling around in chicken poo and dust, if I have a slide out tray, or if I have a big access door where I could rake out the "stuff" into a bin. I must be missing something.

Because they are messy. Beautiful but slobs. A lot of cleaning is scraping. Of the roosts, of the walls. Sometimes the ceiling.
Pull out trays are great in theory, but hard to make work in real life. Unlike perching pet birdies, chickens spend enough time on the ground scratching around to redistribute the bedding and get a lot of "stuff" jamming up the works. Which makes it hard to slide a tray.
Then they spend enough time perching to make their roosts messy. It requires all-over cleaning.
A bigger space than the minimums means less frequent cleaning. It means less picking on each other (4ft is a narrow space for them to pass according to chicken law).
Bigger is always better.

 

[Sammi_0411]

This is my set up x

 

[Ben Lynnsy]

Why not consider flip-flopping your coop/run location? Have your run backed up to and extending out from the barn (in the space between the tree and barn ramp), ending up with the coop space further out (where your run was going to go). Would that allow for the building headroom needed for a walk-in? You could make the run itself not 'walk-in' tall, (to fit under the tree limbs) but then cleaning might be problematic.

That would put the coop out in the middle of the yard, where it would be more exposed to the elements and wind, and would feel less "protected" than back closer to the barn. Also the walk-in "run" I want is 8x8 and is covered in wire, so it will not fit in that small space with the tree.

 

[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.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

I don't have a walk in, I consider it a con of my build (there are several lol)...BUT... I have access from front and back...
And can scrap and clean and even get in hunched over if need be...
My roosts are removable...which makes cleaning much easier...

My concern is they will lay under the coop, in which case....id be on my belly in their run where they poo all day lol...

 

[Krugerrand]

I do NOT have a walk in coop and am very happy with it 1+ year later. I built for 4 hens. 1 went Roo on me. The girls have 24-7 access to the run. The coop has all sweet pdz flooring (pine chips in the nest boxes). It gets scooped like a litter box each day or so with a more thorough complete sifting a couple times a year.

This presents no back challenges as the chickens do not have access to under the coop.

I have a 6 hen limit by township ordinance ... so my chicken math is capped. Still you do have to think long-term. Are you planning on culling older hens? Are you going to mind when their production drops? Will you replace any that die? How will you safely replace and integrate them? Can you handle some place to isolate a sick hen?

Bigger walk-in coops can make those question easier, but they can still be managed, depending on your goals.

After one of my hens died, I'm planning on adding two more. That will be my plan moving forward, replace with 2 when I'm down to 2. I'll let older ones live out their lives as practical. I'm planning on building a sort of hoop tractor coop for isolating prior to integrating any new birds. But, lots of other things have interrupted that project.

 

[DobieLover]

What's in the barn?
Can you walk off a section of the barn for a coop?

 

[Ben Lynnsy]

I don't have a walk in, I consider it a con of my build (there are several lol)...BUT... I have access from front and back...
And can scrap and clean and even get in hunched over if need be...
My roosts are removable...which makes cleaning much easier...

My concern is they will lay under the coop, in which case....id be on my belly in their run where they poo all day lol...

Yeah, removable roosts is on my "want" list. Like you, I do not want to have to get under the coop with poo. I'm thinking of a "poo sling" )if not a slide out drawer), to keep it off the ground. I could dump it in my compost bin next to the barn.