Large, mobile coop design question

[Sonoma Egg]

I am a big proponent of "Fresh Air" coops. I live in a radically different climate than you do with winters averaging -15C (5F) yet I still use a open coop year round. I recommend reading:



There are a couple of designs in that book that could be directly adapted to fit on your trailer.

For efficiency I would build your nest boxes (you do not need many, max 10) near the floor level, place the roosts above and use the nest box top for dropping boards (your dropping boards will probably need to be wider/deeper than the nest boxes). I have also seen a coop where the wall behind the roosts contained a long board mounted horizontally that could be opened to allow the droppings to be pulled or pushed directly outside and onto the ground; very efficient and perfect given that you will be moving the coop on a regular basis.

I am early stages in building my second coop on a trailer. It will be a Woods KD style smaller than my current coop (8' by 12' vs 10' by 16') your post caught my eye because of that.

Good luck, I recommend skimming/reading the book as it will give you lots of food for thought. Best of luck please keep posting as you progress. I will be following.

Ted

Great stuff, Ted!

 

[Sonoma Egg]

Wondering if the windows are glass.....

Yes, glass on hinges that can be propped/swung open.
Thoughts?

 

[Sonoma Egg]

You could put nest boxes or a large one (which I prefer) around the rear of the trailer. Then put roosts above that with Sweet PDZ under the roosts for easy clean up. If you make large overhangs on the roof you could collect the eggs from the outside which would be much easier on your back.

JT

I intend to make boxes accessible from the outside. Excuse my naïveté, but what is the correlation between big roof overhang and outdoor egg access?

 

[Sonoma Egg]

You're going to want big roof overhangs(for shade) and open walls to deal with the heat.
May need panels that can be installed for blocking winter winds from roost area.

Good idea on the removable panels for heat/cold mgmt.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Yes, glass on hinges that can be propped/swung open.
Thoughts?

Concerned about possible breakage when moving the coop around or when propped open and hail happens.

 

[Sonoma Egg]

Concerned about possible breakage when moving the coop around or when propped open and hail happens.

that’s a thought. not too concerned with hail here. very infrequent, and small when it does. But the moving of the coop is something to consider. Thanks!

 

[jthornton]

I intend to make boxes accessible from the outside. Excuse my naïveté, but what is the correlation between big roof overhang and outdoor egg access?

Keeping rain out of the nest box or rain/snow in my case. I guess it just depends on how you build the nest box.

Mine stick out a bit as the eggs roll out the back so I can collect them. Sorta built into the wall to save floor space in the run.



JT