I haven't yet decided exactly how to set them up but the location I have for them is a good ways from the garden. The garden is on one property line, then the backyard is about 100 feet wide, then there is another fenced area of about 1/3 acre where my sheep are now (they're about to go out in the bigger fields but I was waiting for it to warm up so the song dogs weren't so hungry - they'll get locked in the barn at night). That area is on the other side of my workshop and has an outdoor electical outlet so it will be a perfect location. I'll do it sooner or later I just need to get started on the planning and building. Too many hobbies/interests not enough time/money.

If I do a traditional coop I will likely rotate the bedding regularly and clean it out when it starts to smell and move it to my compost pile.

I read an interesting technique a while back where someone had put a thin layer of soil on the roof of the coop and plant collard greens in it, the bedding was shoveled onto the roof to feed the collards and the collards were fed to the chickens. Water was involved somehow but I don't remember how. It was a pretty cool thing.