Hiya, I'm wanting to build a shelter for just our couple of chooks for both roosting and to keep them out of the elements. Has to be movable. I'll be using reclaimed wood but would buy sheeting to waterproof. I'd really appreciate piccies for inspiration please ! Two birds only now but may get some more.
chicken shelter
- Thread starter Safronsue
- Start date
How movable? Do you mean movable enough to put on a trailer with a forklift when you move to a different property someday, movable enough to pull with a tractor, movable enough for a couple of fit teenagers to move by hand a few yards, movable enough for one elderly lady to move by hand a couple of hundred feet....
- Thread starter
- #3
A shed on skids works very well.
A shed may seem too big for two but they will like it that way and it will let you add some more chickens later. It is also easier for people to use. And can be used as a shed if you ever take a break from having chickens or get a lot more chicken so build a bigger coop.
Climate matters. If you are in a hot climate, a screen house with roof and a few sheets of something solid on parts of two or three sides (around the roost area) to block wind-driven rain will be better than anything enclosed
If you are in a temperate to nearly semiartic climate then three solid sides and one open side work very well as long as it isn't too shallow or too deep (something in the neighborhood of 3 parts wide to 4 parts deep is good).
Use hardware cloth or metal lathe to cover any openings including open sides unless you have a run that is predator proof. Chicken wire keeps chickens in; it does not keep predators out.
Wide eaves are good.
If you build rather than buy, picking dimensions that use 4' and 8' a lot will save a lot of cutting and/or wasted materials.
If you use pop doors, set them up a foot or so to allow a lip to keep the bedding in.
A entryway so you can enter and close the door behind you before opening the door to the chickens is very nice. If that space is big enough, you can store feed and such there.
Poop boards under the roosts work well for many people. Chickens poop all night and don't move around much at night.
A shed may seem too big for two but they will like it that way and it will let you add some more chickens later. It is also easier for people to use. And can be used as a shed if you ever take a break from having chickens or get a lot more chicken so build a bigger coop.
Climate matters. If you are in a hot climate, a screen house with roof and a few sheets of something solid on parts of two or three sides (around the roost area) to block wind-driven rain will be better than anything enclosed
If you are in a temperate to nearly semiartic climate then three solid sides and one open side work very well as long as it isn't too shallow or too deep (something in the neighborhood of 3 parts wide to 4 parts deep is good).
Use hardware cloth or metal lathe to cover any openings including open sides unless you have a run that is predator proof. Chicken wire keeps chickens in; it does not keep predators out.
Wide eaves are good.
If you build rather than buy, picking dimensions that use 4' and 8' a lot will save a lot of cutting and/or wasted materials.
If you use pop doors, set them up a foot or so to allow a lip to keep the bedding in.
A entryway so you can enter and close the door behind you before opening the door to the chickens is very nice. If that space is big enough, you can store feed and such there.
Poop boards under the roosts work well for many people. Chickens poop all night and don't move around much at night.
Last edited:
Sounds like you want a tractor. Follow this link for many pages of examples.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/categories/tractor-coops.17/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/categories/tractor-coops.17/
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