Coop building/dimension questions

[Jimmy]

Hello
I have a back garden veg plot with about 5 raised beds, each is about 3' 6" by 8' 6"
I want to keep chickens and rotate the coop/run around the beds.
I also will build my own minimum coop 2 - 4 birds.
I have surfed for info and have my own plan, but a some questions.

1) The run floor will be soil, it that OK.
2) The perches should be about a foot of the floor, whats the head room perch to roof ( for normal hens )
3) Do I need windows for light or just a vent to open in summer.
4) I want to raise it on legs so the underneath can be part of the run, whats the best (minimum) high so they can get under it.

Might have some more questions ...
Thanks
Jim

[Hilary B]

1) Soil run is fine if they are going to get moved fairly often. You will probably need to worm them at least every time you move them, but if they are staying on the same patch for a year at a time, MUCH more frequently!
2) I've never measured it, but I would allow at least 14 inches, maybe 18. The important detail is that the perch should be higher than the entrance to the nestbox.
3) I would have a ventilator. SOME daylight will normally get in (unless you plan to shut them up every night without access to the run). You would need some ventilation even in the coldest part of the year, but the door might be enough then.
4) I think the one we had with a 'run under the house' was 2ft off the ground, but it was a long time ago.

[armadillo]

That sounds right enough- didn't know about putting perches above door level; mine have a triangular house with the door by one corner, with the perches at the other side a few inches off the floor- they seem happy enough with it, but I guess above door level would keep them above cold draughts in winter.
Ventilation is very important as hens get respiratory diseases easily in a stuffy environment, but they don't need any light inside the house.

[Hilary B]

The idea is to have the perch higher than the NEST BOX door, because otherwise they are more likely to roost in the nest box. The experts I consulted (books and people) before I got my first chickens reckoned that they like to roost in the highest place available. The one time I overlooked this possibility, I got a lot of mess in the nest box.

[Jimmy]

OK for two birds I was thinking of a 12" square box 6" deep filled with bedding. Is that sufficient or do you need some form of enclosed nest box.

[Hilary B]

Nestboxes which you access from inside the coop are fiddly for the human operative, but I doubt it would bother the chooks. It helps if the nestbox is relatively dark. If a chook can get in the nestbox, and settle to egg laying, that is good enough (you don't need enough space for all of them at once<g>). Indoor space needs to be at least 1 sq ft per bird (and preferably rather more), plus 1ft perch per bird. I assume your coop/run will fit one of your raised beds? That should be OK for 2 or 3, 4 would be pushing it unless they are smaller than average, although ex-battery hens would love the extra space!

[Jimmy]

OK Thanks for all the advise I think I have enough to start building. It may be a while as I need to "Aquire" a few more pallets to dismantle for wood !
Will post my eventual results
Regards
Jim

[frias]

Hilary B, I see you say have the perch higher than the nest box door. My ex bats don't want to perch and like to sleep in the nest box. My husband is building a new coop and doing more nest boxes in the hope that we can keep one clean.

[Hilary B]

When I got hens bred for battery use, but 'rescued' before they got to the cages, they didn't like the perches at first. I had to go in by torchlight and lift them to the perch for the first 3 nights. After that they seemed to get the message.... Are your nestboxes where they get quite a bit of daylight into them? I don't know whether that makes a difference, but the old books (I read a lot of 'how to' books, and remember them) did advise placing nestboxes so that it was always dark inside.