Why have coop raised off ground

[TMarie]

I've owned chickens for a few years now and I still don't know the answer to this.

Why do ppl have their chicken coops raised off the ground? What are the benefits?

Mine actually is a raised coop currently, but I'm thinking of doing a hoop house type where the ground will actually be the floor. Is that okay?

 

[nuthatched]

It's more room for the chickens it also makes sure the floor doesn't rot out.. Mine isn't off the ground per say, it's built on two layers of aluminum pallets.

 

[Isadora]

I have my coop raised off the ground because, even though it would require a large tractor, I wanted to have the option to move it.
It also provides the girls a dry place when it's rainy so they can still dust bathe and protection from aerial predators.
But yes, it's perfectly fine if you want your coop on the ground. Plenty of people do.

 

[Brooks_]

But yes, it's perfectly fine if you want your coop on the ground

Will also provide for the option of deep litter.

 

[3KillerBs]

It can be a space-saving measure -- extending a small run under the coop as well as beside it.

For some people it's easier to clean a coop that's arranged to shove a wheelbarrow under the door and scrape the bedding into it.

The major drawback is that if you can't reach in and touch the back wall of a coop that you can't walk into then a chicken WILL do something -- lay an egg, get in trouble, etc. -- in that corner where you can't reach and you'll have issues.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I have a coop off the ground because I wanted a dry place for rainy days and a good place for them to duck into if a hawk stops by. They have a big run with netting over it attached to the under-coop run but I know when the hawk has buzzed the run because they're all clustered under the coop. I also like not having to bend over to clean it. Granted sometimes I need a ladder but my back doesn't mind that lol. The under-coop run in my case is also predator proof-nothing can dig under and its hardware cloth unlike the big run. So if I wanted I could leave food out and they could pop out of the coop in the morning for breakfast as they please and I can sleep in. Not that I ever manage that but I can dream

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Off the ground coops exist for partial predator protection (from times when elecrtric fences, hardware cloth and chain link protected runs, etc did not exist. They exist to keep the birds out of the mud in areas with seasonally heavy flooding. They continue to exist as a space saving measure for tiny flocks restricted to a run-bound life in many backyards were local ordinances permit nothing else, and from the inertia of history.

They are also good if you mix a flock of ducks (sleep on the ground) and chickens (don't)..

But a coop with the ground as its "floor" works best for me, though I have both styles (and own ducks). If I ever build a third coop, it will also sit on the ground, like my second - I've no desire for more ducks.

 

[TMarie]

Off the ground coops exist for partial predator protection (from times when elecrtric fences, hardware cloth and chain link protected runs, etc did not exist. They exist to keep the birds out of the mud in areas with seasonally heavy flooding. They continue to exist as a space saving measure for tiny flocks restricted to a run-bound life in many backyards were local ordinances permit nothing else, and from the inertia of history.

They are also good if you mix a flock of ducks (sleep on the ground) and chickens (don't)..

But a coop with the ground as its "floor" works best for me, though I have both styles (and own ducks). If I ever build a third coop, it will also sit on the ground, like my second - I've no desire for more ducks.

 

[TMarie]

Thank you guys for all the great responses. I love this site and these ppl. It makes perfect sense and I'm excited for my hoop coop!

 

[TMarie]

I just ordered our first set of ducks and now I'm hearing everyone talk about how much they hate them we ordered 6. Our hoop coop will be about 10x20 and mostly chickens. Will the 6 ducks make it too terrible?