space under coop

[cottagechick]

I notice a lot of coops are a foot or more off of the ground with room for the chickens to get under the coop. Is this a good idea? I was planning on putting it a few inches above the ground and blocking them out of it...but if there is a reason to I can raise it higher and let them under it.

thanks,
Julie

 

[Mahonri]

Some folks raise their coops so that the chooks have a cool place to stay out of the sun in the summer.

I feel it's just a place for them to lay eggs that you can't get to.

Mine is only raised a couple of inches, simply to let air flow through during our hot summers.... but it's blocked off.

 

[Judy]

Raising it a little can encourage rats and such unless you take precautions against them. Raising it a foot or more also increases the amount of run space they have, and gives them a place they can feel hidden. If you do this, you will probably be glad later if you make it fairly easy for you to access.

 

[Ole rooster]

I raised mine 24" so I can see under it. Anytime you raise a floor a few inches you give a hiding spot of snakes and rats or even an opposum. And has been said, it is a cool spot, which my dog loves for now. I did surround it with hardware cloth with a 22"X24" door for cleaning, or collecting the wayward eggs.

When I'm done completely I'll put sand under there.

 

[Unclebean]

My coop is raised about 12" on the front and 16" on the back because the land is sloped. The chickens love that space in the summer!

 

[teach1rusl]

My main coop is built on the ground. My bantam coop is raised - around 20 inches so that they can go underneath. But it's raised enough so (unwanted) critters won't want to hang out there and I have easy access. I wouldn't want a coop raised just a foot or so...

 

[angry gary]

i agree with the others. mine is 20 inches off the ground to prevent varmints from taking up residence and to allow for more "floor space" fo my hens. a few weeks ago when it was over 100 degrees here my hens stayed primarily under the coop. i have place a 50\\50 mix of top soill and sand under there so they can wallow in it and dig themselves little furrows to sit in. the only regret is i did not build an access door to get under there easily. so far the only reason i have had was to clean out the corn cobs thet seem to drag under there.

AG

 

[riverchicks]

We are in the process of building our coop right now. It will be on the ground, on a cement slab left by previous owner who raised dogs or some such thing. We gave a lot of thought to which style we wanted and finally decided a walk in coop would be better for us in the long run. We are adding a large covered run (we have a huge predator problem), so the birds will have plenty of other space to roam. My aching back had a spasm just thinking about trying to get under a coop for raking/cleaning! Best of luck to you, there's a coop style for everyone!

 

[babyrnlc]

Ours is up 3 ft or so our run is larger. We have limited space and it is moveable, so we needed as much as we can. Plus it is easier to clean for me.

 

[Chemguy]

I raised mine off the ground. My yard is very sloped, and setting posts was easier than excavating (For some reason, I like digging post holes). I figure that the bonus is added place for the chicks to go, no groundhogs digging underneath the coop, and the ability to get underneath to clean when needed.

P.S. No, I don't contract out for posthole digging.