Even More Chickens

[WRTN]

Bee Pipes (Pat) gave me some EXCELLENT help and advice on building a portable chicken coop for raising chicks until they are old enough to turn out and free range. Took a little work but it was worth it. Stapling the wire and painting was the most work. Figuring out how to mount and shim up the hinges took a little time as well.

The chicks love it and so does my daughter whose the owner of the chicks. ;D

http://i343.photobucket.com/albums/o453/Live-Oak/Chicken%20Coop/IMG_0679.jpg

http://i343.photobucket.com/albums/o453/Live-Oak/Chicken%20Coop/IMG_0680.jpg

http://i343.photobucket.com/albums/o453/Live-Oak/Chicken%20Coop/IMG_0684.jpg

http://i343.photobucket.com/albums/o453/Live-Oak/Chicken%20Coop/IMG_0685.jpg

http://i343.photobucket.com/albums/o453/Live-Oak/Chicken%20Coop/IMG_0688-1.jpg

[pathwayholding]

Awesome! I'm saving this idea for my next batch of babies. Do you just drag it around?

Any ideas for a moveable pen for older chickens? I currently have 7 rhode island reds.

path

[bee_pipes]

This is where I got my ideas from:
http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/tractors.html

Regards,
Pat

[pathwayholding]

Oh my gosh! Awesome link Pat. Saved it to my favorites and will forward it to hubby later.

Many thanks

path

[WRTN]

Awesome! *I'm saving this idea for my next batch of babies. *Do you just drag it around?

Any ideas for a moveable pen for older chickens? *I currently have 7 rhode island reds. *

path

Pretty much. When the chicks have pooped enough so that it is not very sanitary for them to eat the grass, we just pick up the coop with the chicks in it and move it over about 3 ft.

I would imagine you could make a larger coop like this. One thing I would look at would be maybe using 2x4x16's for the length and using a length of 2x4 that would most efficiently cut up into 36 inch support struts. That way the chicken wire would not have to be trimmed and much less waste.

The problem with a longer coop is reaching the chicks inside to remove them. It is alread difficult enough to catch them if they don't want to be caught. Maybe another door and a divider. A divider is a handy item for when you have mixed age batches of chicks. The older chicks tend to pick on the younger ones.

I would think there would be some way to install a set of removable wheels to push the coop around. You would have to make them removable or fold out of the way so the coop can sit on the ground and allow the chicks to graze.

Again, MANY MANY thankd and Kudo's to Pat on this. He provided me with a LOT of good ideas and suggestions that made this MUCH easier to build. A mitre saw is a MUST. Portable/folding work benches are nice too.