tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post5878430095631777172..comments2024-03-12T03:55:23.359-04:00Comments on Living the Frugal Life: Going Mobile With A Backyard FlockKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18017959421018964001noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-36313737330630101062010-10-21T08:47:43.928-04:002010-10-21T08:47:43.928-04:00Hi Brad, I hear you with the getting older thing. ...Hi Brad, I hear you with the getting older thing. I like the idea of raising the nesting box too. It makes a good deal of sense, and frees up a little more floor space. One other thing I've been working with but haven't yet posted about is to put a piece of linoleum down on the floor of the coop, without attaching it, preferably fitted so that the edges of the linoleum curve upwards to meet the side of the coop. This makes it simple to pull out the piece, clean off all the chicken shit, and replace it. Not much other mess stays in the coop, except what is on the nesting box roof. If you go with sled style feet, be sure your apparatus is as light as possible. Lawns produce significant drag. Good luck!Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18017959421018964001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-55483063894324227512010-10-19T21:57:46.839-04:002010-10-19T21:57:46.839-04:00Kate,
I like the thought of eight inches less hei...Kate,<br /><br />I like the thought of eight inches less height - but I think I may try your design, but raise the laying part of the floor eight inches. Maybe use a sled-type runner for the "feet".<br /><br />I am getting older, and less nimble as well. The added height for the laying cubby makes sense, I think. I will probably make the rest of the floor slant down to the chicken door. And maybe a single roof for the laying area, also slanting toward the coop floor.<br />My struggle is to combine chickens and garden weeds in such a fashion that I keep the chickens, and reduce the weeds. Your coop looks like something I can adapt to load from the chicken house, and use to manage the garden with a chicken tractor or coop. This year I have just 1 bantam hen, 3 bantam roosters, and 2 layers. I hate to risk any of them!Brad K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18378344866487206569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-68362574480971617572009-12-12T06:58:59.909-05:002009-12-12T06:58:59.909-05:00Ghost, thanks. I hope you'll soon have your o...Ghost, thanks. I hope you'll soon have your own flock in secure housing. Please consider posting about what works for you and what doesn't. It's good to share this stuff!Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18017959421018964001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-41651862438384491072009-12-11T12:48:48.428-05:002009-12-11T12:48:48.428-05:00Brilliant! This is exactly the sort of mobile coop...Brilliant! This is exactly the sort of mobile coop design I've been looking for-- most of the one-piece designs look either too heavy for me to move by myself, or I'd have to build them too flimsy to make them light enough. Bookmarking...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-47818502273821379062009-10-28T09:19:34.040-04:002009-10-28T09:19:34.040-04:00tim, I know I saw the "ark" style coops ...tim, I know I saw the "ark" style coops before we built our setup. I don't think there was any major objection to that style. I just wanted to give the girls as much space as was feasible, and to do that it seemed easiest to have a separate coop and pen, so that they could be moved independently. I think whatever works is fine. Good luck with your flock, and I hope you'll consider posting details of your system, whether it works perfectly for you or not. Others can profit from your experimentation and refinements.Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18017959421018964001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-57176240258692937622009-10-27T14:25:32.966-04:002009-10-27T14:25:32.966-04:00I discovered this blog through Rob's blog (One...I discovered this blog through Rob's blog (OneStraw). Great information. Did you consider an "ark" style coop/run at all? I found some pics online and built a frame for one - plan to finish over the winter and get a small flock going next Spring. Just wondering if there were any reasons you didn't go with such a design.timfromohionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-87125679714521170692009-05-26T18:35:11.029-04:002009-05-26T18:35:11.029-04:00Pricilla, good luck with a mobile routine for your...Pricilla, good luck with a mobile routine for your chicks. I hope they're doing well.<br /><br />Lizzylanefarm, thanks! I'm glad you like the design, and I hope something similar will work well for you. I definitely designed it with security in mind. We have lots of predators too.Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18017959421018964001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-19729329453334966042009-05-21T22:02:36.921-04:002009-05-21T22:02:36.921-04:00What a lovely coop. I mean it, I really like it. I...What a lovely coop. I mean it, I really like it. I showed it to my husband and he thinks he could make me something like this. I like that it rolls around where every you want it. I like how secure it looks. VERY important around her with all the coyotes we have.<br /><br />Thanks for putting such detail into the post with great pictures too.<br /><br />KarynAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-78388002315162459352009-04-30T13:35:00.000-04:002009-04-30T13:35:00.000-04:00My husband is going to build a chicken tractor for...My husband is going to build a chicken tractor for our chicks. They arrived on MOnday so I will show him your post. It looks great.<br />Thanks...brokenteepeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06907414560986208401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-48089474604643004122009-04-30T09:05:00.000-04:002009-04-30T09:05:00.000-04:00Cheap, and Green, I'm glad to give you some food f...Cheap, and Green, I'm glad to give you some food for thought. I hope you both will soon enjoy the pleasures of backyard poultry.<br /><br />Debra, though I don't have dogs, I think this set up would protect our girls from dogs. My first concern would certainly be for the garden rather than the chickens if a stray dog made its way into our yard.<br /><br />Cowgirl, I'm sorry to hear your zoning laws prohibit chickens. Two things: you may be able to work to change that if you become an agitator; all politics are local, after all. And I'll pass on what one local farmer told me. It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission when it comes to what you can do with your own property.<br /><br />azampeg, that sounds very cool and also very amusing. Thanks for sharing.<br /><br />-KateKatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18017959421018964001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-25265452963131073412009-04-29T11:54:00.000-04:002009-04-29T11:54:00.000-04:00I have seen guillotine chicken coop doors made fro...I have seen guillotine chicken coop doors made from recycled speed limit and road signs. The sheet metal is fairly easily bent to make the guide rails to hold the slat in place. I believe they cut four inch wide "rails", hammered to 90 degree, screwed into the outside wall, the hammered over a bit to keep the slat in place. The slat had a similar bend along the top edge to act as a handle. A simple bolt throw was used to hold the slat up by the handle bend. They left the Speed Limit 15 facing out so the chicks slowed down upon ingress.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-67632019495354471782009-04-29T11:27:00.000-04:002009-04-29T11:27:00.000-04:00Very cool! I wish chickens didn't violate our zoni...Very cool! I wish chickens didn't violate our zoning laws so I could try to raise chickens. Oh well. thanks for sharing the pictures!Cowgirl in the Cityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02414017839321850224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-30831774479480811472009-04-28T22:27:00.000-04:002009-04-28T22:27:00.000-04:00i like your design. it appears good and sturdy. ...i like your design. it appears good and sturdy. i need something dog proof. i let the girls out in the ayrd the other day while the dogs were away. first thing they did was fly up on to the roof and refuse to come down. so much for my bright ideas.debranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-65304466655151502672009-04-28T11:51:00.000-04:002009-04-28T11:51:00.000-04:00Like Cheap, we're thinking of getting chickens. T...Like Cheap, we're thinking of getting chickens. Thinking, thinking, thinking. One of the biggest bumps in our road is a coop. Yours looks pretty doable. I'll show my hubbie. Thank you for sharing.Green Beanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03133847111288382381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-52513200958597956832009-04-28T08:52:00.000-04:002009-04-28T08:52:00.000-04:00Great information. We are still in the thinking st...Great information. We are still in the thinking stages re: chickens, but your setup looks doable for the average home.Cheap Like Mehttp://www.cheaplikemeblog.comnoreply@blogger.com