So do I REALLY need a walk-in coop?

[Ben Lynnsy]

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

nope, don't want them in my barn.

 

[NatJ]

a nice pull-out drawer for cleaning

I would probably skip the drawer, and make a flat floor that is a little higher than your wheelbarrow. Then you can open a big door, rake everything into the wheelbarrow, add fresh bedding, and close the door. (If you don't have a wheelbarrow, then make it high enough for whatever you would use instead. You probably don't want a permanent manure pile right at the door of your coop.)

You might find this article interesting:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/
It's a coop for 4 hens.
It is not walk-in.
It does have the recommended amount of floorspace, roost space, ventilation, and so forth.
The author of that article used the coop for some years, and is still active on the forum, so you can tag them with questions if you want to know other details about how it performed over time.

 

[Ben Lynnsy]

I would probably skip the drawer, and make a flat floor that is a little higher than your wheelbarrow. Then you can open a big door, rake everything into the wheelbarrow, add fresh bedding, and close the door. (If you don't have a wheelbarrow, then make it high enough for whatever you would use instead. You probably don't want a permanent manure pile right at the door of your coop.)

You might find this article interesting:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/
It's a coop for 4 hens.
It is not walk-in.
It does have the recommended amount of floorspace, roost space, ventilation, and so forth.
The author of that article used the coop for some years, and is still active on the forum, so you can tag them with questions if you want to know other details about how it performed over time.

Thanks! I found that coop page a few days ago, and I keep returning to look at it. It does look pretty good. I'm going to talk to my neighbor about helping me build it.

 

[NatJ]

Thanks! I found that coop page a few days ago, and I keep returning to look at it. It does look pretty good. I'm going to talk to my neighbor about helping me build it.

I notice the page talked about some renovations-- I would assume the renovated version is better than the original, but I don't know for sure.

 

[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

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Yes. You need one. You will wish you had one if you don't start with one.

True story!

 

[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

 

[Ben Lynnsy]

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

Yep, that's kinda what I'm thinking I want. coop elevated about torso-high with wide swing out door for scraping, and a walk-in run. Chicks will (prolly) only be in the coop at night in decent weather, which we have most of the time in central NC.

 

[aart]

Sounds like you have some very constraining constraints.

Maybe I missed it, but.....
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

Geographical aspects should guide your design.
Hot climate have very different considerations than freezing cold snowy ones do.

 

[Ben Lynnsy]

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

NICE!! Did you build that coop? It's BEAUTY!! That's kinda what I have in mind. It would be just right for me, and I'd sit it inside a prebuilt 8X8 predator-protected 8x8 run that I could buy from Tractor Supply. I hate this "not being able to build stuff", but I just don't have the strength to muscle that stuff around anymore, or the help.
I'm thinking I will prolly not be affected by chicken math either. I want enough chicks to have about 3 eggs per day, and that's enough. I have enough "collections" of things that do not require daily care, LOL. I just want to be able to eat eggs, LOL