Moon Over Chicken Coop
July 22nd, 2013 · 4 Comments · Posted in Blog, farming
I’ve started moving our mobile chicken coop away from the house, where the pullets have been roaming the last few weeks. Destination: the orchard.
The first night I moved the coop the chickens were a bit disoriented. I went out after dark to close the coop and found a dozen pullets all piled on top of each other, ready for bed, on a stack of lumber outside the basement door. I had to transport them by hand to the coop and remind them where they’re supposed to be sleeping.
Otherwise, the chickens do a remarkable job of maintaining their bedtime schedule. Even after wandering the property all day, they somehow know how to make it back to the coop before lights out. There I find them huddled on their roosts, quiet as church mice. As night falls, they hardly stir at all.
Yesterday I conducted a count: No casualties so far. We still have all 30 chicks we started with.
Good night, chicks! Sleep tight! Don’t let the bed bugs bite!
This is good, you’re learning that chicken’s aren’t stupid. They also teach you the natural rhythm of the year.
Can’t wait to see how the hens do in the snow, Celia.
Ed, I really like your portable chicken coop. Where can I find the plans and dimensions? Some rig like that would work well for us here in Mexico. Any foxes or weasels in your neck of the woods?
Tom, I don’t have any specific plans or drawings for this coop. It was inspired by other versions of mobile coops I found online. My carpentry skills are limited to right angles and simple measurements. Hence, this coop is designed around 4×8′ pieces of exterior grade, 5/8″ plywood. (You could also use preasure treated). So the coop is four feet wide, four feet tall and eight feet long. It started with a frame at the base of 2×6″ lumber cut to those dimensions then nailed together. Then the plywood was screwed to the base, and the plywood sides were fastened together by screwing them to lengths of of 2×4″. The rest is just a matter of screwing more 2×4’s in place for support where needed, cutting holes for doors and vents, attaching the roofing (to 2×4’s fastened inside the plywood at the top).
The nest boxes were assembled separately, again with plywood using 3/4″ quarter-round moulding for support and glueing and nailing all the pieces together. Holes were cut in the side of the coop for the nest boxes–again, secured by screwing into 2×4’s that had been fastened to the inside of the plywood walls. I think you can take this concept and construction method and build any kind of coop you like.