Sooo many question (Not sure where to put them)!

[salt and pepper]

Here is a new rough sketch-up of the sideways coop. I haven't gotten all the measurements in, or even figured up, but I finally got my computer back online and couldn't wait until tomorrow to throw it on here

I really appreciate all the awesome

this is an interseting idea, but why is the pen off the ground? also if that is what you are going to do, is the pen going to be made out of wire?

 

[Auscal]

If you are just thinking about eggs for you and your husband, personally, I' d only get 4 chickens. In your original plans for a 10X 6 pen, with a 3 X 4 coop inside this pen, 4 chickens would have plenty of room. My pen is 8' X 10", with a 3 X 4 raised coop in the run. Could I fit more chickens in there - sure, would I be happy with more chicken in this size pen - personally, no. I do let them out to free range some, but, if I am away, I feel comfortable with them staying in too. Also, my 4 chickens (2 red sex links, one BR & one delaware still produce 14 or so eggs a week (at two years of age, and in mid winter with no supplemental lighting). If I had more chickens, my feed bill would be higher.

 

[eksulli]

The pen needs to be raised off the ground, because we have a natural spring that runs through our yard and in the early spring we turn into a swamp. We've dug drainage and run pipe all throughout our yard and regraded almost the whole thing, to divert water from under the house AND attempt to not be a puddle every year, it's better, but not perfect. So in thinking ahead, I'd like to NOT have a mud pit for half the year, raising the pen seems to be the only way to do that I'm not entirely certain what to do with the floor. I'm thinking rabbit wire size, and then just build it up mound with dirt/gravely and then cover with sand, or figure out a floor and the fill it, but that seems like working against myself. I also at some point last night realize that the end of the coop should have a gutter on it to divert water around the coop, or it will just run under it, or toward the house.. lol.
So as your looking at the image I posted the left end would have a gutter on the over hang

If you are just thinking about eggs for you and your husband, personally, I' d only get 4 chickens. In your original plans for a 10X 6 pen, with a 3 X 4 coop inside this pen, 4 chickens would have plenty of room. My pen is 8' X 10", with a 3 X 4 raised coop in the run. Could I fit more chickens in there - sure, would I be happy with more chicken in this size pen - personally, no. I do let them out to free range some, but, if I am away, I feel comfortable with them staying in too. Also, my 4 chickens (2 red sex links, one BR & one delaware still produce 14 or so eggs a week (at two years of age, and in mid winter with no supplemental lighting). If I had more chickens, my feed bill would be higher.

That is my primary goal, we are a family of 6 and we easily polish off a dozen and half eggs a week. There are locals who sell eggs cheap and also a chicken farm relatively close, but I guess I just like the idea of keeping a few birds. I'd like for my kids to be as understanding of their food as possible. I mean we grow tomatoes, onions, pumpkins, beans, squash, and as much other stuff as I can get in the ground and growing. What we don't grow my Dad does Thanks for the input!

 

[salt and pepper]

I understand the raised pen now. well if it's going to be raised you could always make the ground plywood, and simply fill t with sand, and dirt. I like the design though.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I suggest you go to post number 3 in this thread and reread the Muddy Run article. If you have a source of water like that, you could have a real mess. A wet run is a dangerous run from a disease viewpoint. And a wet run can stink.

I don’t know the exact layout in your yard, but I’d suggest you consider building a frame around the bottom of your run to contain soil. I don’t know what the right height would be, but several inches if not a foot. Fill the bottom of that with a few inches of gravel to form a good base that can drain. I’d suggest rounded gravel, something like pea gravel or some other type of smooth eroded rocks. Your chickens will scratch around in there and may (not absolutely sure to happen each and every time, but may) scratch their feet on sharp rocks. If that happens and it gets infected that is called bumblefoot.

Then top that off with several inches of coarse sand, something like construction sand. You can use really fine sand like play sand, but coarse sand will work better and probably last longer.

The idea is that the gravel base will help stop the sand from sinking in and mixing with the dirt and mud underneath, yet give a good area that will drain. The sand on top will drain really well and the chickens will enjoy taking dust baths in it. They’ll also eat if for grit.

The reasons it needs to be contained are that rains will wash it away if you don’t. Also, the chickens will scratch a lot. They will scratch it out of the run if it’s not contained some.

I’m not sure what I’d use to build that containment. Since you are in suburbia, appearance is probably fairly important to you. You can use treated wood, metal, plastic, maybe just line it with a good quality landscaping cloth, whatever meets your appearance requirements. Whatever you use, it needs to be able to drain when it rains so you don’t build a swimming pool. Maybe leave some small gaps or drill holes and line the inside of those with landscaping cloth?

That spring and wet ground gives you a unique situation that makes it harder for you. It’s a whole lot easier to set it up right to start with than go back and try to retrofit it.

Good luck with it. I’ve got a wet-weather spring in my back yard that I call The Bog. Many years it can be a total mess for most of the spring and summer when we get rain. I kept my coop and run well away from that.

 

[eksulli]

I suggest you go to post number 3 in this thread and reread the Muddy Run article. If you have a source of water like that, you could have a real mess. A wet run is a dangerous run from a disease viewpoint. And a wet run can stink.

I don’t know the exact layout in your yard, but I’d suggest you consider building a frame around the bottom of your run to contain soil. I don’t know what the right height would be, but several inches if not a foot. Fill the bottom of that with a few inches of gravel to form a good base that can drain. I’d suggest rounded gravel, something like pea gravel or some other type of smooth eroded rocks. Your chickens will scratch around in there and may (not absolutely sure to happen each and every time, but may) scratch their feet on sharp rocks. If that happens and it gets infected that is called bumblefoot.

Then top that off with several inches of coarse sand, something like construction sand. You can use really fine sand like play sand, but coarse sand will work better and probably last longer.

The idea is that the gravel base will help stop the sand from sinking in and mixing with the dirt and mud underneath, yet give a good area that will drain. The sand on top will drain really well and the chickens will enjoy taking dust baths in it. They’ll also eat if for grit.

The reasons it needs to be contained are that rains will wash it away if you don’t. Also, the chickens will scratch a lot. They will scratch it out of the run if it’s not contained some.

I’m not sure what I’d use to build that containment. Since you are in suburbia, appearance is probably fairly important to you. You can use treated wood, metal, plastic, maybe just line it with a good quality landscaping cloth, whatever meets your appearance requirements. Whatever you use, it needs to be able to drain when it rains so you don’t build a swimming pool. Maybe leave some small gaps or drill holes and line the inside of those with landscaping cloth?

That spring and wet ground gives you a unique situation that makes it harder for you. It’s a whole lot easier to set it up right to start with than go back and try to retrofit it.

Good luck with it. I’ve got a wet-weather spring in my back yard that I call The Bog. Many years it can be a total mess for most of the spring and summer when we get rain. I kept my coop and run well away from that.

I read the Muddy Run article, which is why I realized that I may have a problem. Will go read it again The area that I putting the pen is a through area for water, it doesn't generally stay there but when it's wet it definitely goes through the area. That's why I wanted to raise the entire pen about 4 to 6" off the ground and then have another about 6" board around the base to give them some substrate to scratch in.
What I'm unsure of is if I should make a solid bottom and then fill it or if I should just raise it up and wire the bottom and then fill with substrate.

I think what you're suggesting is to make the entire foot section around the base solid and then fill? Would you put a bottom in it or just build it up?
I see what you're saying about it all getting scratched out if I didn't put a floor in.
hmmmmmmmmm..........



edit: Roadrunner! I found the bit I think you we're directing me to read! I understand what you're suggesting now, I also think it would be worthwhile to dig a drainage ditch around the coop, I would just have to kid/dog proof my moat somehow... lol

 

[CarolynF]

I read the Muddy Run article, which is why I realized that I may have a problem. Will go read it again The area that I putting the pen is a through area for water, it doesn't generally stay there but when it's wet it definitely goes through the area. That's why I wanted to raise the entire pen about 4 to 6" off the ground and then have another about 6" board around the base to give them some substrate to scratch in.
What I'm unsure of is if I should make a solid bottom and then fill it or if I should just raise it up and wire the bottom and then fill with substrate.

I think what you're suggesting is to make the entire foot section around the base solid and then fill? Would you put a bottom in it or just build it up?
I see what you're saying about it all getting scratched out if I didn't put a floor in.
hmmmmmmmmm..........



edit: Roadrunner! I found the bit I think you we're directing me to read! I understand what you're suggesting now, I also think it would be worthwhile to dig a drainage ditch around the coop, I would just have to kid/dog proof my moat somehow... lol

Again, I echo much of what Ridgerunner has to say with only a couple differences.

- imho you can't easily get under a coop to clean if it's only 18" off the ground. That's why mine is 36" up.

- I will reiterate his comment about being able to reach every part of the interior of the coop. 3' x 4' is a good size for if you only have to reach across the 3' dimension. 4 feet might be pushing it a little bit.

- In a coop that size think about where you'll put the roost. Do you want the roost above their pop door? I didn't because I leave the pop door open all the time and having a draft blow up under their toosh is the bad kind of ventilation. My roost is diagonal and they choose to sit above the nest box which increases my cleaning some days. But you'll have the external box so that will be different. Just passing this along to give you something to visualize.

- Regarding water and drainage please read post #10 on This Thread. And in addition, consider using perforated drain pipe (that black plastic stuff) to increase the holding capacity in a drainage ditch during the wetest times. A 4" dia. tube holds a lot of water vs. that same space filled with any kind of sand or gravel. Think of a vase filled with marbles.... or not.


CHICKENS: If you have really good layers you'll only be getting about 5 eggs per week, on average. If you can get them from local sources that have a track record of good layers I'd recommend that. Breeds that lay well year round will be high on your list. Leghorns, Barred Rock, Australorp, Rhode Island Reds are breeds that are continually mentioned in those categories. Many swear by Red Star, Gold Star, Black Star. These are specialized names for sex link birds. They tend to be a bit smaller than the heritage breeds which is nice for smaller enclosures like ours. You might also consider getting different age birds so they will molt at different times and you'll still be able to get SOME eggs during those weeks.