Why are many coops raised off the ground?

[SouthernMNNewbie]

Are many coops raised off the ground to prevent the floor from rotting or to keep rodents from nesting under it? Mine will have a plywood floor that is held off the ground by horizontal 4 x 4s that are built on (but no space showing under the coop). I want to avoid both problems. Should I put the whole coop up onto additional 4 x 4s so there is space under the coop?

Thanks!

 

[Jen71]

I've been reading a lot on coops and coop design lately.
There are a few reasons that seem to crop up:
1) snakes are less likely to get into the coop if it is raised off the ground
2) a raised coop allows air to circulate freely, significantly cooling the coop during hot seasons
3) by raising the coop, you're freeing up the space under the coop for your chickens to roam, scratch, dust bathe, or rest in the shade.

I'm sure there are more reasons, but this is what I've read so far.
Hope this helps.

 

[medtec113]

Any lumber that touches the ground should be pressure treated lumber. For this reason, most will build on blocks or piers. If there is a problem with rot later and you have it off the ground, it makes repairs much easier. IMO

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Most raised coops I see are not "walk-in "coops, and tend to be much smaller

 

[SouthernMNNewbie]

Based on what everyone has posted, I'm going to raise my coop. How do I prevent rodents from nesting under and/or chewing their way in through the floor?

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

How do I prevent rodents from nesting under and/or chewing their way in through the floor?

You don't unless you pour a concrete floor, and even then you may still have them​

 

[CityChook]

If your coop is on the ground, you will have to shovel the snow away to get into it every day. Yuck.

 

[DIMBY]

Yes, these reasons are good ones:

1) snakes are less likely to get into the coop if it is raised off the ground
2) a raised coop allows air to circulate freely, significantly cooling the coop during hot seasons
3) by raising the coop, you're freeing up the space under the coop for your chickens to roam, scratch, dust bathe, or rest in the shade

and I can add, that the coop is much easier to clean when it's above ground and, very important for some areas, they won't flood or get wet from heavy rains, runoff, etc. The bottom frame for my coop, by the way, is metal - round pipe (driven into the ground) welded to a square frame and the wood floor is 2 x 6s bolted to the frame.

 

[Wish4Mee]

I guess i'm just lazy as I use the area under my raised chicken coops as housing for my ducks (as my ducks are not very bright & could never figureout how to use the low ramp in to thier own house). I also like doing it this way as it saves space ~ 1 building with a run off of 2 different sides. It works for me.

 

[dumb_cluck]

Quote:

Well one way to make it difficult for the rodents is to sandwich a layer of hardware cloth between the real floor and put a cleaning floor on top. If you cut the cleaning flooring into two pieces, it is easier to remove, clean and/or replace.