Raised coop with run area underneath, or walk-in coop- Which is best?

[barector]

I like the raised coop because it gives them more total square footage and shade if they want it. They also like to get under there when its raining.

As for cleaning, I put in a clean out door. It is on hinges and I keep it up in the summer for ventilation. I have 1/2 hardware cloth, mounted in a wood frame over the opening. It is easy to remove and sweep the shavings/waste out the side into a wheelbarrow. The bottom of the opening is flush with the floor. The floor is covered in linoleum and it takes about 5 minutes to clean it out

 

[sunflour]

I use sand in the coop/nests and runs - it has not been an issue for us with a raised coop.... We only have to remove BIG poops or feathers in the runs and I sift the nests and coop weekly. But we get temps of 100 and over in the summer and winters rarely go below the teens here. So we are able to put water and feed in the runs.

My flock cannot range due to too many predators. We did add a small area out of the run with semi- protection to let them out there when we are home.

I had 6 hens housed in a 4x5 foot raised not walk in coop with 5x10 foot thought it would be large enough, but once they were grownups could easily see we need more space, so added another 7x10 on run. With the addition, they were quite happy and not too cramped.

To visualize the space you have - consider marking it off somewhere, place a 5 gallon bucket to represent each chicken and 2 more for feed/water stations. And see what remains. If it looks adequate, then go for it.

But since you plan to start with 3 and add more later, IMO you should make sure you plan for how to integrate the newbies down the line. It is not always easy. Plan for space in the coop/run to divide the territory.

 

[aart]

To visualize the space you have - consider marking it off somewhere, place a 5 gallon bucket to represent each chicken and 2 more for feed/water stations. And see what remains. If it looks adequate, then go for it.

Excellent Idea!!!