Coop design that can be moved in pieces

[charlotte-and-the-bees]

Hi! I’m going to be moving soon and everyone has given good ideas for a cheap cool build. I had the thought that I could do some of the prep work prior, building pieces of the frame, each wall, door, etc. before constructing fully. Anyone know of any good coop plans that would support this type of piece by piece build versus starting with a full frame? Thank you

 

[3KillerBs]

I think just about any coop could be adapted to that sort of modular construction if you don't mind using a little extra lumber in the corners.

It would be very much like the way carpenters putting up a stick-built house build the walls on the ground and then raise them after they're finished.

 

[charlotte-and-the-bees]

I think just about any coop could be adapted to that sort of modular construction if you don't mind using a little extra lumber in the corners.

It would be very much like the way carpenters putting up a stick-built house build the walls on the ground and then raise them after they're finished.

Ah yeah, modular construction is what I'd imagined! Thank you. I'll do some googling and see if I can come up with a good design.

 

[3KillerBs]

Ah yeah, modular construction is what I'd imagined! Thank you. I'll do some googling and see if I can come up with a good design.

Just remember these handy rules of thumb:

• If it looks like a dollhouse it's only suitable for toy chickens.
• If it's measured in inches instead of feet it's too small.
• If your walk-in closet is larger than the coop-run combo you're thinking of buying think carefully about whether you have an utterly awesome closet or are looking at a seriously undersized chicken coop.
• If it has more nestboxes than the number of chickens it can legitimately hold the designer knew nothing about chickens' actual needs and it probably has other design flaws too.

 

[aart]

It would be very much like the way carpenters putting up a stick-built house build the walls on the ground and then raise them after they're finished.

Exactly.
Could build the walls and floor separately, then assemble at the new place.
Depending on size and style, maybe even the roof.

 

[charlotte-and-the-bees]

Just remember these handy rules of thumb:

• If it looks like a dollhouse it's only suitable for toy chickens.
• If it's measured in inches instead of feet it's too small.
• If your walk-in closet is larger than the coop-run combo you're thinking of buying think carefully about whether you have an utterly awesome closet or are looking at a seriously undersized chicken coop.
• If it has more nestboxes than the number of chickens it can legitimately hold the designer knew nothing about chickens' actual needs and it probably has other design flaws too.

Oh yeah, to be clear, I'm talking about a full-on home built modular construction versus anything prefab. We ordered a prefab as one does with their first flock and it was laughable. Ended up scrambling to build a sturdy one and of course moving two years later!

 

[charlotte-and-the-bees]

Exactly.
Could build the walls and floor separately, then assemble at the new place.
Depending on size and style, maybe even the roof.

Awesome, thank you! I think I'm going to give it a go. Found a design I like last night.

 

[Ted Brown]

The original Wood KD (knock down) coop is a proven design that is modular, intended to be built in 13 pieces (6 wall sections, 4 roof, 3 floor) and assembled/dis-assembled on-site.

It does not use conventional stick framing (although a number of folks on this site have constructed the design in that manner). The original design is very simple to build and very cost effective. It can be scaled from 6' by 10' to 10' by 16' thereby accommodating 15 to 40 birds.

Moreover it is a "fresh air" coop that is proven to be a healthy environment even in very cold locations. I am going into my 4th winter and can attest to it's effectiveness.

Prince Woods authored a book that explains the fresh air philosophy and contains the necessary details and instructions required to complete the build. Links to a free copy of the book are on this site (or I can send it). I have an exhaustive build thread herein (see My Coop for a quick pictorial).

Good luck, happy to answer any questions.

Ted

 

[rosemarythyme]

I don't have plans (since I didn't build my coop) but you definitely can put together a coop that way, so that's good thinking. My coop builder showed up with all the walls and floor fully built and painted, and it took them 1-2 hours to assemble the whole thing minus the roof (roof took additional time as it had to be constructed on site, and the metal had been cut wrong so they had to come back to finish).