- Reference image only for demonstration. The above is not the type of bunker I would build for Chickens.
Disclaimer: This type of coop design is intended for those who own a smaller amount of fowl in a single area and not for commercial-grade operations.
I've seen many good ideas revolving around Monolithic Domes and Earth-bag Domes used for permanent residence. Now I'm interested in proposing a smaller-scale Earth-bag structure designed with
Chickens in mind. And what's better, you could say the design and materials are possibly even remotely
permaculture.
It would have nearly every traditional purpose and yield almost as much sunlight/air circulation, but it would be much better insulated than standard
wood used to build coops, without needing that styrofoam-looking insulation. Earth-bags, from what I've seen, not only provide remarkable insulation but also very effective flood and overall weather protection.
Perhaps I
should draw up what I think my experimental
Chicken Bunker would look like, because it's hard for me to describe adequately. Once I can sit down and really draw it out, I'll get back to this post.
Chickenwire or window screen could be used with a standard little set of windows for the pleasant days and mild seasons, and at the top of the dome could be a trap-door style glass window. The primary entrance could be a hatch-style door which is slightly cushioned, maybe even has a little screened air vent. Wood or steelworking could accomplish that. These little openings let air circulate throughout the bunker without giving
enough room for pesky predators like Raccoons and Foxes to assail the compound. And a cement/earth base for the Earth Bags, and a subsequent coating of Monolithic Dome material over the Earth Bags makes it nigh impenetrable, save for high-caliber anti-tank explosives or something. But I don't expect Raccoons to be that crafty. Or determined...
Of course, I would want to make the interior as accommodating for the Chickens and pleasing to the eyes as possible. Again, providing a modest, healthy, non-toxic, green coop in every sense of the phrase, but turning the coop into an impenetrable fortress. And because the structure is made of such materials, routine maintenance would probably cost you as little as $50 a year. And that's probably just aesthetic.
Plants and grass could grow around the base. In fact, building in a thinner part of the woods or right outside a forest could improve the conditions greatly. I would also entertain growing plants around the base of the bunker as a supplemental food source. There was a point brought up in the
keynote speech that I witnessed, too, that perhaps certain poisonous plants could be grown nearby for the chickens being capable of self-medication. I'm not an expert on chickens, though. I have to investigate this advice further.
Let me know what you think; I'll get a demo drawing up here in a little while.
