48 Foot Reefer Trailer.

[rebelcowboysnb]

Really thinking about buying a 48 foot reefer to turn in to a coop.

384 square feet of insulated building for $1500.

$1500 is a lot of money for me but that's almost 100 chickens of floor space.... Thinking hard....

Thinking about dividing it in to 8 foot sections making 6 sections. Then a 50 foot run off both sides split in to 3 giving each inside section a 16 foot by 50 foot run....

 

[spartman]

Only concerns I would have is what about heating and cooling?

I would imagine those things would get plenty hot in the summer.

Just some thoughts

 

[Luvducks]

I want one!

 

[mississippifarmboy]

I used three 53' reefers at the old farm. they work great! and BTW, after you get them to your place you can sell the tires, rims, axles, the reefer unit, stuff like that. I paid $1,500 each for mine, but only had $700 each in them after I stripped off and sold what I didn't want or need.
One I used for my brooder, divided it into five sections.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Quote:
I installed a fan in the hole the reefer unit was in (Blowing outwards) for summer ventalation and never had to heat it in the winter. Just a few heat bulbs in the one I used for a brooder.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

I think it being a insulated reefer would help a lot on that. Plus when I pull the reefer unit off the front I will have a big vent to cover with wire. I can also put wire doors behind the main doors so they can stay open too. It would also be off the ground so I could make it where the chickens can go under it too.


Cold should not be a issue this far south with insulation.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Quote:
I removed the back doors on mine and framed it up with a house door in the center and a small house window on either side. The original doors I sold for scrap metal. This was in Missouri, and I never needed heat. They are very well insulated. And the ceilings and walls were smooth fiberglass, so super easy to clean and sterilize too.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Did you leave them up off the ground or drop them on the ground?

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Quote:
I had them both ways. My brooder was on a hillside, so one end was on the ground and the other was about 4' off the ground. I just underpinned it with masonite siding.

The one I used for our rodents and reptiles (We had an exotic animal ranch) was off the ground about 5' and was enclosed on the back and both sides, we left the front open under it and built our sheep pen off the front, so it made a sort of shelter for them to get under.

The third I just used for storage for feed, hay, straw and the like and it was setting flush on the ground so I could get the bobcat and our golf cart in it for loading and unloading.

I'm seriously thinking about getting some more for our place here. They really did work great! I know when our house burned, we lost most of our pictures and stuff, but I'll look tomorrow and see if I've got any other pictures left.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

I emailed this guy back. Going to have to go look at it. He said $1500 where it sits so I would have to find a way to move it...