Two Story Coop Design for 60 chickens!!

[katiemdenne]

Hi there,
I am designing a chicken coop, and I am thinking about trying a two story type design. I need to have enough space for 60 chickens; 30 hens and 30 meat birds. My husband thought if we make a two story chicken barn, we will have a smaller footprint and save on foundation/roofing costs etc. I am curious if anyone has done such a thing? I assume the bottom floor would need to be at least 6.5 feet tall to accomodate a person easily for cleaning purposes. Therefore, the second floor would be potentially 7-8 feet off the ground. Would chickens even use it? Would they hike up a ramp and stair system that high to get into their coop at night? Should the hens or the meat birds go on the top? I would have two separate runs as well, coming from the different floors. The hens are mostly Australorps and a few Dorkings, and the meat birds are all Dorkings. Any info, help, advice, pictures are very welcome! Thanks!!

 

[RWD]

Think outside the box, this is a copy of a reply I gave to an earlier post but it applies to yours too.-
To give you an alternate idea, we build a 6'x14' portable coop that will hold 15-20 layers. The coop is on wheels and can be moved forward 14' each day, that way you do not graze and area all the way barren. Sometimes mine move every 3 days during the summer because re growth is faster. The house is elevated so it does not increase the footprint needed to house 20 hens. The house has 6 nest boxes and roost poles. The house is built to deter any type of predator. Look on my facebook page and go to photos, the one that shows a 6x14 being built should give you some good ideas. Also you would only need 2 to get to your forty hens.
https://www.facebook.com/Heritage.Ways.Farm

 

[katiemdenne]

Thanks so much for your response! Much appreciated! We have decided to stick with a staitionary coop though. My hope is that we can let the birds free range when we're puttering around outside to supervise them

So my creative husband has come up with an interesting design. It's a bit hard to explain but I'll try (for others who are interested).

He plans on creating this shed...

http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Outdoor-Projects/Backyard-Structures/Sheds/schoolhouse-storage-shed/Step-By-Step

The modifications we plan on making, aside from the obvious chicken doors/more windows etc, is as follows.
Along the length of each side wall will be a 'second level-shelf' created out of mdf board, supported by 2x4's underneith, and then chained to the ceiling for additional support. The 'second level-shelf' will only be about 2.5 feet deep and run the length of the coop. This allows for easy access for cleaning and gives plenty of standing room between the two shelves. Also, the second level shelfs will be on hinges so they fold up easily to clean underneith. They will sit about 3-4 ft off the ground. This design creates additional square footage without increasing the cost of a larger coop footprint. Also, there will be a chicken ramp to access the shelves and hinged roosts too. Nest boxes will probably go on the main floor, beneith the shelf.
Plus, the whole unit will be divided in half, with a wall, to accommodate the two flocks
.
I'll keep you posted with progress pictures. Construction begins in March 2012

 

[mcfar09]

Did you end up doing this? Did it work out? We are looking at doing something very similar to this.