Suspended chicken coop- why not?

[Tiana Rose]

Is there a roost? I did not see one. Also, with the nesting boxes open like that they will be full of droppings in no time....

 

[enrgizerbunny]

Is there a roost? I did not see one. Also, with the nesting boxes open like that they will be full of droppings in no time.... 

There is currently no roost, so they're roosting on the edge of the nesting boxes- pooping in them. No worries though, I've got everything to fix it tomorrow and there's even room for it! They've yet to venture out of the coop that I can tell, but I suppose that will come with time.

The coop and under the coop is their only space? That's 10 square feet of ground and and maybe 7 square feet in the coop after accounting for the hole in the floor for them to get in and the nest boxes. That will be very tight living quarters for 3 adult large birds.

If you do have predators, chicken wire isn't going to stop them, that is easily ripped by many animals that eat chickens.

I may be going against conventional wisdom here, but 7sqft/bird is waaaaay above the commercial chicken industry's 2sqft/bird. The only predators here are feral cats. I'm much more concerned for my goldfish with them. I have hardware cloth, but not enough to wrap the entire bottom.

 

[aart]

Quote: A huge and positive point for many folks who want to raise their food in more humane conditions.
.....and crowding can cause fighting and injuries, stress and ill health....not to mention lack of productivity.

AND you only have 7sqft total, not per bird.

 

[JanetMarie]

I may be going against conventional wisdom here, but 7sqft/bird is waaaaay above the commercial chicken industry's 2sqft/bird. The only predators here are feral cats. I'm much more concerned for my goldfish with them. I have hardware cloth, but not enough to wrap the entire bottom.

The industry standard is not about being humane, it's about doing the least for the benefit of the chickens but just enough to keep them laying.

The run size needs to be increased dramatically, and needs to be made with stronger fencing.

 

[enrgizerbunny]

A huge and positive point for many folks who want to raise their food in more humane conditions.
.....and crowding can cause fighting and injuries, stress and ill health....not to mention lack of productivity.

AND you only have 7sqft total, not per bird.

Did the math again subtracting the nesting boxes and hole.
Overall I have about 6 per bird when you combine the run with the coop. The same argument goes round and round in aquarium circles about fish per gallon and the amount of "necessary" water changes. I'll keep an eye on them and let you know how it works out.

 

[enrgizerbunny]

Oh, what kind of space should I allow on the cover to the nesting box? Enough that they have to duck their heads and prevent them from sitting on the edge? And I imagine it's best to have it sloped, right?

Would a piece of 1x4 (or 3/4x3/4) work as a perch or would it be better to go find a stick in the woods and mount that up?

 

[ChickenMammX4]

I may be in a hostile mood (out late last night + time change) so I'm apologizing ahead of time. I feel sorry for those chickens.

Where is their water & food? There is no roost. The coop is too small and the run is too small. It is not predator proof and when it rains, it will be a muddy, stinky mess. How do they get from the run underneath up into the coop? Is that a 2x4 leaning in the run for that? Probably why they haven't left the coop. They need a ramp with cleats. How about some type of pine shavings or bedding on the coop floor?

Have you looked through the COOPS section of this forum? Many great ideas. May I suggest you look through there and rethink your set-up.

 

[duluthralphie]

Just read the thread, my two cents not only do I feel sorry for those chickens in such a small space I do not expect them to live long. The wire you have around your run is Poultry netting, it works great for keeping chickens in. It will only slow a fox, coon or possum or any other chicken eating critter down for about a nano-second and a half.

You will find yourself with headless or bodyless chickens some morning.


If your going to use poultry netting you better make sure your coop is high enough your chickens can stay on a roost way out of reach of the critters. The only place I use poultry netting is on coops where the chickens can be on roosts suspended 7 feet above the ground and the only way to them is to fly.

 

[enrgizerbunny]

The ramp is a stake with cleats perpendicular to it looks like a ladder except with a center support instead of 2 on the side. It's not very visible in the pictures and what you see is bracing for the legs. I looked through the coops section when I was looking at my original idea and found a design pretty much the same as mine with the run directly beneath.

 

[Tiana Rose]

You will want a 2x4 for them to perch on. They need something big enough that they will not wrap their feet completely around it and claw themselves. They like the 4" flat side the best.

For the nesting boxes a 12x12 opening seems to be one that many use. Some go a little bigger depending on size of the bird. Yes you want it to be sloped so they do not roost on the top of it.

The problem with the hole in the floor like that is that there is nothing to keep the shavings, or straw, or whatever you plan to use inside the coop. You want something on the floor of the coop.

Also it looks like there is quite a gap around the door behind the hole in the floor. Not sure where you live but if it is anywhere cold, drafts are not a good thing.