Speaking of walk-in vs off the ground

[MACCanadianCoop]

Is it possible to do a combo? My plan is a walk-in coop but have the floor raised just a bit with blocks or bricks underneath so the floor doesn't rot out over time.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Is it possible to do a combo? My plan is a walk-in coop but have the floor raised just a bit with blocks or bricks underneath so the floor doesn't rot out over time.

Of course!

However, I have that now, and not only can my smaller chickens get under there, so can rodents. I've had a heck of a time keeping it rodent-free.

If you skirt the gap with hardware cloth, you'll be fine, though!

 

[Aunt Angus]

I'll add that I'm using a shed that was already on my property. I wouldn't have done it if I'd installed it myself. My new coop will be skirted, for sure.

 

[Acre4Me]

We built our fully walk-in coop as an elevated coop. It is 2.5 feet above ground. We added an extended deck with 3 steps at the far end and a railing on only one side. This is so we can put a wheelbarrow right up to the deck (or under, depending on the wheelbarrow) for ease of clean out. It is a spectacular combo!

If you elevate the coop so it is not sitting in the ground, then elevate it enough to see under it. Too low and you will want to fence it off to prevent critters from liking it or chickens. If, like ours, it is a decent height off the ground, then it is a great shady spot. But, make sure you can walk around it. We only have about 18” between coop wall and barn wall, but we can still walk around it to move chickens to other side of run, etc. more space would have been better.


Our coop started with 4x4 posts -tall ones-deep in ground with cement at bottom of the hole. My spouse likes to dig holes, I think. But, there are other ways to elevate a coop.

Good luck

 

[Sally PB]

Our coop is built on a trailer. The original idea was so that it could be up by the house in the winter, and down by the garden in the summer. It's much easier on me to have it by the house, so here it stays.

It's about 2 feet off the ground, but I have walled off the run so that the chickens can't get under the coop. I didn't want to have to crawl under there to get eggs or a chicken.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Mine's walk-in but elevated about 6" off the ground on PT skids which sit on concrete blocks as we have a lot of ground water. The entire base is skirted in hardware cloth to keep rodents (and wayward baby chicks) out.

 

[Shezadandy]

"pier blocks" are made for this sort of thing to get your coop off the ground, which is the only way I build. Too wet here to have siding/floor in contact with dirt. Just built a couple stairs up to the front and a ramp out the back. 100% agree with blocking off access under the coop. This picture is mid-construction before the run was built etc, but shows the pier-blocks and my favorite, the security screen door which allows for air circulation and ... security!

 

[aart]

"Walk in" is about making coop tall enough to walk into it,
not how far the floor is above the ground.