Why are all the coops on stilts?

[teddiliza]

Shade, rain shelter, hiding place from hawks, good drainage, and I could store stuff under it if I needed to.

 

[Tala]

Because the only type of building that I know how to build is a "pole barn" so every design I think of starts with 4 corner posts

 

[haTHOR]

yeah, that!

 

[dacjohns]

Mine is an old shed. Dirt floor and opens to a covered run. Covered run opens to the whole wide world. I don't have a problem with space or storage.



Look at the medium and large coops. Very few are on stilts. Stilts or raised coops appear to be a matter of preference and of space limitations.

 

[AnnesChicks]

My DH designed our coop so one entire wall swings open, I park the wheelbarrow next to it and rake the litter directly into it. Easy as can be.

Also the area underneath is dry on wet days and shady on sunny days. Like other posters said their favorite dust bathing spot.

Also in our climate being raised up helps keep the coop nice and dry.

 

[mypicklebird]

Any small structures here that are not up 2" off the ground get filled in by gopher activity. Also a good place for rats to hide if close to the ground. In reading other posts, I second/third/fourth that they make cool dust baths underneath & also run to hide underneath if they see a hawk.

 

[greyartist]

Thanks for the comments. I do like the idea of easy cleaning. I may rethink my plan and do the 2 chicken sections raised and the turkey house just as a 3 sided shelter next to it.

 

[DaveD]

You folks left out one other factor - Winter warmth. Less overhead means less space to heat and warmer birds

-David

 

[SED]

I did it for easy cleaning and less materials. It does also help on sloped ground. I only use two 4X4's and all of my pens are 4' tall (excluding the space underneath) 4' wide by 8', 10', or 12' long depending on what is housed in them. This keeps material costs in check by using the material wisely. For turkey I might build it 5' wide x 6' tall x 12' or 16' long. It would be big enough for a breeding trio.

 

[AtholCoop]

Quote:
+1

I thought long and hard about doing a larger shed type coop with my last build, but in the end it doesn't make sense to have all that head room for me when I don't live there. With that said even if it was big enough for me to stand up in, it would still be 3-4' off the ground.