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I'm thinking of doing some hen house shuffling..

Discussion in 'Coop & Run - Design, Construction, & Maintenance' started by Chick_a_dee, Nov 17, 2009.

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  1. Nov 17, 2009 #1
    Chick_a_dee

    Chick_a_dee Songster

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    I need a bigger barn for the goats since I'm seriously considering adding more goats next year but we cannot build anything over 10x10 without a permit here and we won't qualify for a permit. I already have a 13x17ft building that the chickens are currently living in that has a cement (sort of LOL) foundation and is insulated minimally. It fronts onto the driveway and would have great access to their pasture plus I could move their buck fence pen to the back of the building so they'd have a drylot pen plus their fields. That would mean I would need to move both the chickens and ducks (in a smaller different house about 5 ft from the chicken yard). The ducks I think I have solved the problem, build a small low walled house just on the inside of my picket fence in the front yard, they free range all day with the EE hens who I can't seem to contain in any sort of pen LOL, they'd have a small pen as well likely but would have free range of the yard most days. Again back to the issue of building for the chickens, we have 19 hens and are hoping to add 5 more in the spring. I was thinking of building my new chicken coop atop a hay wagon or trailer and parking it at the bottom of my yard with an attached yard. This would make it so the building is not permanent and thus the building permits would not apply to this situation and would provide the chickens (hopefully!) with a larger house. Does this sound plausible to you guys?
     
  3. Nov 17, 2009 #2
    Chick_a_dee

    Chick_a_dee Songster

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    b-Ump
     
  5. Nov 17, 2009 #3
    Tala

    Tala Flock Mistress

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  7. Nov 17, 2009 #4
    patandchickens

    patandchickens Flock Mistress

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    It would be better to do a fixed coop with an attached winterizeable run IMHO, because a haywagon coop is going to have some real technical issues that will aggravate you forever (you cannot build it very high to walk around in easily *and* have it not tend to tip over in high winds).

    At 10x10 you would have 4 square feet per hen indoors for 25 chickens, which is not that bad as long as they have a winterized run with a good windbreak and so forth.

    Or what about a shipping container, with vents cut in? I am sort of under the impression that shipping containers are viewed as not-fixed-structures from a zoning standpoint, it would be worth checking out. Before you say 'that would not fit in with the look of our property' I will point out that you do not need to leave it exposed, just side it over and make it look more normal [​IMG]

    If you really want to build a large haywagon-mounted coop, there is at least one (possibly more, I don't recall exactly) in the Judith Pangman book "Chicken Coops" that you should look at.

    Good luck, have fun,

    Pat
     
  9. Nov 17, 2009 #5
    Chick_a_dee

    Chick_a_dee Songster

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    Quote:Thanks Pat for the ideas, i'd prefer it on a trailer but it doesn't have to be hay cart height off the ground and certainly need not be human height inside. I'll be mounting the nestboxes with access from the outside [​IMG] It'll more or less just sit in my yard but has to be easy to just shovel the poop out into the manure pile. I'm not concerned about a winterized run, those darn easter eggers will get out somehow and the hens seem to love snow lol.
     

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