30 March 2023
We often refer to chicken coops/chicken runs as a Chicken Coop. Although, it's important to note that they are different and chickens need more than just a coop. My flock of six hens have both a chicken coop and chicken run. The run is attached to the coop and fully enclosed. They also have a fenced free range area that was specifically built to give the chickens their own space away from our dog and garden beds. I'll go into more detail about why we no longer let our chickens roam our garden when we discuss free range areas. I'm going to break down the Chicken Coop Tour into 3 sections. (1) The Chicken Coop (2) The Chicken Run (3) The Free Range Area
The chicken coop is where your chickens will go to lay their eggs and roost at night. Here is a look at the outside and inside of my coop. You want the chicken coop to be somewhere between 2-4 sq. ft. per chicken in size. My flock of 6 hens are perfectly happy in their 25 sq. ft. coop, but I feel I could have made it smaller. Their nesting boxes don't take up any of that 25 sq. ft. and the only thing they do in their coop is sleep. If I had made it smaller I could have saved myself a lot of money on building materials and bedding. I would be saving myself extra clean-up time as well. When it comes to coop size I feel that bigger is not always better.
The coop is made up of weatherproof painted plywood. Plywood is a great material for internal use, but pretty awful for external. Majority of plywood is not made to withstand sustained moisture. I learned this the hard way when the external plywood began to fall apart and I had to add siding to the wall with the nesting boxes. If you want to use plywood to build the structure of your coop just be sure you cover any external walls with weatherproof siding. Use a rot resistant wood, such as cedar, or T1-11 siding that's meant for outdoor use.
Having easy access to the coop was a big deal for me. These doors make it so I can get large tools inside the coop to fully clean it out every summer/fall. I have two locks fastened to the doors to keep critters out. Raccoons are extremely savvy and can learn to open a lock. One way to keep them out is by using carabiners in combination with the lock.
This is a necessary feature for any chicken coop. Your chickens will create a lot of heat, moisture, and ammonia within the coop. Therefore, you need to have good ventilation to protect your chickens from disease. They also have a delicate respiratory system and dust and debris can become overwhelming without proper ventilation. Create ventilation above the roost on one or more sides of the coop. Adding a window for spring/summer months is a great option for added airflow when temps are higher. I close up my windows during late fall/winter to decrease the draft, however I know the coop offers plenty of top ventilation.
A roost is another necessary component of any chicken coop! This is where your chickens will go to sleep at night, it is crucial they sleep here and NOT in the nesting boxes. This is because chickens poop the most while sleeping and you do not want nesting boxes full of droppings. The roosts need to be higher up than the boxes because chickens naturally want to sleep on high ground to escape predators. A roost should be between 2-4 inches wide. Chickens prefer to have flat feet while roosting rather than wrapping their feet around. Keep a full 15 inches of space between roosts, so chickens on a lower roost are not getting pooped on. Finally, provide 8-12 inches of space per chicken on the roost. My coop features one roost, 5ft long, providing each chicken with 10 inches of roost space.
Nesting boxes make eggs easily accessible to you and keep your chickens comfortable when laying. A nesting box is classically 12x12x12. This is the perfect amount of space for your hen to nestle in and lay her egg. Be sure to provide a nesting pad or bedding for extra comfort. A good rule of thumb is 1-2 boxes per 6 chickens. I love that my nesting boxes don't require me to go inside the coop to collect eggs. If I could change one thing about my nesting boxes it would be the lid. I wish I had made a door on the side instead of making the roof a lid. I added a weather strip to the lid so water is not constantly getting in, but when I open it a small amount of water will drip in if it recently rained. One great thing about the lid is that it gives me plenty of room to take a hen off the nest if I need to.
I designed my coop with the deep bedding system in mind. It has a deep bottom that I can fill with as little as 2 inches of bedding for the warmer summer months, and up to 16 inches for the colder winter months. I have perches in front of the nesting boxes and door for easy access when the bedding is lower. The piece of wood that keeps the bedding from spilling out when I open the doors can be removed. I usually only remove it twice a year when I do my full coop clean outs. The best thing about deep bedding is that it's low maintenance! Learn more about Deep Bedding Here.
The door the chickens use to access their coop is always open. Since I have an attached run that is completely secure, I am able to give them free access in and out of the coop. There's a two tier ramp attached to the door so the chickens do not hurt themselves going in and out. It's about a 3ft drop from the door so it's necessary to have a ramp. If your coop is somewhere between 6-12 inches off the ground you may be able to forgo a ramp and provide a simple platform for them. If you have to build a ramp at a steeper angle, be sure to add more rungs. The rungs are what help the chicken grip when moving up and down the ramp. For a steeper angle ramp like mine, space rungs 3-4 inches apart. If the angle is less than 30 degrees you can space them up to 6 inches apart. Rungs should be somewhere between 3/4-1 inch thick.
Chickens need to have outdoor space, hence the chicken run. Another key feature of a chicken run is having a safe space for your chickens to eat and drink. Food and water should not be kept inside a chicken coop, unless it's your only option. They will spill and it becomes very easy for mold and mildew to take over inside your coop. It's absolutely necessary to provide your chickens access to fresh air and life outside the coop. Ideally, you'll have a minimum of 10 sq. ft. of outdoor space per chicken. My attached run is 64 sq. ft. which provides just over 10 sq. ft. of space per chicken and they wanted more. When it comes to outdoor spaces, bigger is always better!
Let's start with my favorite feature of my chicken run! As I mentioned earlier, you will always find ways to improve your coop and this was my biggest improvement of the year! I no longer have to get up at the crack of dawn to let them out or go out late at night to close them up. I used to worry so much if I stayed out past dark that a raccoon or something would get into the coop and hurt my chickens. If you're planning to let your chickens free range daily I definitely don't recommend waiting a whole year to get an auto door, start with one and save yourself the time and stress!
The Chicken Run is made up of 2x4's and four 2x6's for the roof. I made the mistake of purchasing both Pine and Doug Fir. Do not make the same mistake as me. Doug Fir is one of the best choices because it is naturally rot resistant, not overly pricey like hardwoods, and a good building material for exterior use. All of my boards are sealed with weather proof sealer and after two years the Doug Fir is holding up nicely! Between the boards is hardware cloth. It has been stapled in and sandwiched between the 2x4s. Stay away from chicken wire as it is flimsy and can be torn by larger pests. Something to consider when building your run is if you want to be able to access it. I made sure mine was large enough for me to have full access to refresh feed/water and clean when needed.
If you live in the PNW like me, you may want to consider covering your run. That way your chickens always have a place to go to get out of the rain. When winter hits your chickens do a great job of keeping themselves warm, but if they are soaking wet that becomes much harder. I made a simple roof with corrugated plastic roofing. There are four 2x4's underneath that support it. There's a one foot decline, the front of the coop stands at 7ft and the back of the coop stands at 6ft. If I were to change something about the roof I would make it larger so it overhangs more on the sides and back. Something to think about when planning your roof is where water will run off, if you can have it run off away from their free range area, that is ideal!
I have used many different types of bedding in my chicken run. Bark, sand, wood pellets, open ground, and leaves. I will never use sand or wood pellets again. With sand, it's like a litter box. You have to keep up with consistent cleaning because the droppings cannot decompose in sand. It's also very hard to find construction grade sand in bulk. You cannot use fine sand as bedding because it can damage their respiratory system. The wood pellets do an amazing job of absorbing moisture but they get awfully dusty. Another big issue for a chicken's respiratory system.
Bark is great and one of my favorites, but I think it's important to use a soft wood that is not splintery on their feet. My current setup is open ground with a thick layer of oak leaves. When we first moved the coop here we had grass, but it only took about 2 weeks for them to demolish that. Over the summer we left it open with no additional bedding and once fall hit I raked up a ton of dry leaves into their run. They love scratching around in them for bugs and entertainment. It's great for me because the leaves are free and I can put them to good use! When it comes to bedding you have to use what works best for you and your chickens.
My chickens have access to all their dietary needs in their chicken run. There are two feeding tubes for grain, a large waterer, and bowls for eggshells and grit. I love having an enclosed run because the chickens always have access to feed and water, but it keeps pests like mice and raccoons out.
While free-ranging your chickens isn't necessary, it is a big bonus for your flock and egg quality! If you have the space to free-range I highly recommend it. The first year I had chickens I only let them free-range if I was at home, which ended up only being a couple hours a day in the winter. They also had full access to the backyard and on multiple occasions ruined crops in the garden. When we decided to move the coop I finally set up a fenced free-range are just for the chickens. Now our dog and chickens can all run around in the yard together and we don't have to worry about our garden getting wrecked!
My fenced free range area is around 250 sq. ft. and the chickens seem very happy with it. I used 4ft tall chicken wire and connected it to our 6ft tall wooden fence. It has plenty of trees for shade on hot summer days. They also enjoy perching in the lower branches of the Japanese Maples. Chickens absolutely have the ability to jump over up to 8ft tall fences, but I've never had much of an issue. Occasionally, one will get some courage and jump over the chicken wire, but once they realize they are separated from the rest of their flock they want back in. I look forward to the day we get our farm and my chickens can free-range for acres.
Subscribe to my youtube channel to be the first to see my coop tour video coming out this April!
Youtube Video