Horse trailer chicken coop?

[Serenity Lane]

I have an older horse trailer that I've allowed my goats to use as a run in for the past year or so. It's in decent shape for that.. Good floor, doesn't leak, but I wouldn't trust it going down the road with any of my horses in it.
Then I got chicks.. Then I made an incubator and got some eggs.. Now I need a chicken coop, or 2 since the chicks are leghorns and RHRs and the eggs are silkies.
First thought I was thinking.. Maybe I could use the front half of the trailer for the chickens.. Make it 2 stories, silkies to live on the first floor. There's a full size escape door so I'd have easy access. I don't mind cutting holes in the trailer and making some ramps/doors and a protective run for the silkies. The other chickens can sorta free range with the goats, who have a 75' x 75' pen fenced with board fence lined with 2" x 4" welded wire fence.
Or I could use the trailer for the leghorns and RHRs and build a separate, more traditional coop for the silkies.
I can picture both in my head, I just don't know if it's practical.
Thoughts?

 

[aart]

Sounds pretty feasible....could be portable if need be.

Just remember do some research on ventilation and predator protection.

 

[res]

Here is a REALLY classy job someone did converting a trailer to a coop: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/horse-trailer-to-chicken-coop-conversion

I have used my 3H slant as a brooder/coop. It worked great - amazing in fact - until I went to clean out the shavings the chickens had used as bedding. OMGosh - the poo was like concrete - it took my husband and I HOURS with a pressure washer and scrub brushes to get all the poo out.

 

[Serenity Lane]

Yikes! I wouldn't use that nice of a trailer for chickens! (Sorry, a little chicken descrimination there.)
I saw that green trailer/chicken coop when I searched last night. I think the horse trailer is very secure so that's a plus, and I like the fact that I can move it if I want/need to.
I think I'm going to build it into one coop with a shelf/loft type thing and try to put the chickens together. I just don't want the little guys getting picked on. If they do, I guess I'll go to a plan B (building a second coop for the silkies).
Thanks for your feedback!

 

[popsicle]

You know, I search craigslist daily for a trailer. I sure would think you could sell almost any trailer and buy a suitable coop.

 

[Serenity Lane]

I don't know if I could sell it.. Probably, but I wouldn't simply because I don't think it's safe to be used to transport horses. The frame is very rusty. The floor was replaced (the wood part) but he metal supporting that wood is no good.
When I was a kid a friend bought a trailer in similar shape, only he didn't know it. He was on the highway doing 65-70 MPH when cars started flashing him like crazy to pull over. The floor gave out in the trailer. The one horse he was hauling managed to get his front feet into the manger but his hinds dragged on the highway. After months of vet work and tons of extra care, the young horse was euthanized because there was no more that could be done. That story sticks with me.. I could never live with myself if I sold this trailer and something like that happened.
Plus I still want to let my 2 goats use the back of the trailer.. They wouldn't fit so good in a chicken coop ;-)

 

[popsicle]

I don't know if I could sell it.. Probably, but I wouldn't simply because I don't think it's safe to be used to transport horses. The frame is very rusty. The floor was replaced (the wood part) but he metal supporting that wood is no good.
When I was a kid a friend bought a trailer in similar shape, only he didn't know it. He was on the highway doing 65-70 MPH when cars started flashing him like crazy to pull over. The floor gave out in the trailer. The one horse he was hauling managed to get his front feet into the manger but his hinds dragged on the highway. After months of vet work and tons of extra care, the young horse was euthanized because there was no more that could be done. That story sticks with me.. I could never live with myself if I sold this trailer and something like that happened.
Plus I still want to let my 2 goats use the back of the trailer.. They wouldn't fit so good in a chicken coop ;-)

OK--a trailer in that bad of shape would make a good coop...

 

[Serenity Lane]

It's probably not THAT bad.. I've always been a little extra paranoid because of what happened to my friend and his horse.
Better safe than sorry..

 

[Serenity Lane]

Lol, when we built the incubator, I called it the "great chicken project". Now I don't know that the great chicken project will ever end.

I plan to build the front half of the trailer into a coop.. I'll take lots of pictures so I can document our progress. We probably won't start it for a few weeks so I could still use any suggestions or tips anyone has.

Thanks!

 

[Serenity Lane]

Score! I found a lady on Craigslist today who is giving away all of the wood from a deck she and her husband removed. I'm going later tonight to pick it up.
Free material is nice to find. Plus it's great to recycle. Win/Win