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chicken coop on trailer

 
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Hello every one

I got an old boat trailer on Sunday for about 100 USD, not including the gas or the hitch that I had to buy. I plan on building a chicken coop so I can do cell grazing with non permanent fencing. I want to build a chicken coop on the trailer. my question is how many chicken can I reasonably fit in a space that is about 48 inches wide by 100 inches long I know that this depends on how tall the chicken coop is.

Thanks
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gardener
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Are they confined to the trailer, or let out each day? If let out, you can hold a lot more.
 
Martin Bernal
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The plan it to let them out in the morning and put them back in the evening.
 
pollinator
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If they're only roosting in there at night I think you can fit at least 30.

 
pollinator
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you need a foot of roost bar per bird, roughly. A little less for small birds or cold weather, a little more for larger birds and warm weather.

 
Martin Bernal
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Progress.
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gardener
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I watch this with great interest.
I often see boat trailers offered for free,if you'll take the boat!
 
pioneer
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That coup should be able to hold a ton of birds!  You might be getting a little top heavy though.....might want to shrink it down a bit to keep it stable especially if your pasture is bumpy or off camber.  How many birds are you planning on getting?  You could probably get around 36-40 birds in something about 5 feet high if you puzzle in the perches just right.
 
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In windy conditions, your coop may blow over, given the small footprint.  It may be worth while to add a method of anchoring it to the ground once it's in place.  Tie downs or cables that can be hammered into the ground with tent pegs might work.  

 
Martin Bernal
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More progress. Hoping to get wire around it today.
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We are doing the same thing. Everything I have read says 1 sq foot per hen. Elliott Coleman ( if you don't know him, he's a big organic market farmer) does more than 1 hen per square foot. If there only going to be in the coop at night I think you could go a little over 1 per sq foot. As long as there is enough roosting space. I didn't read all the posts but you should look into the nesting boxes on the outside, it gives more room on the inside for more birds.
 
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Watching this with interest. I snapped up a boat trailer for future plans to build a chicken coop on it. So far, other projects in front of it. Watching you build yours might light a fire under me!
 
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I don't understand what the shelves are in the photo of the trailer-coop above. For sleeping, chickens like perch bars, just sticks, not shelves. Shelves will collect inches and inches of poop. Perching bars should be stepped so they don't poop on top of each other all night.

Or are they nest boxes? I don't usually see nest boxes more than two levels high, but I don't know.
 
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Rebecca Norman wrote:I don't understand what the shelves are in the photo of the trailer-coop above. For sleeping, chickens like perch bars, just sticks, not shelves. Shelves will collect inches and inches of poop.


A 2x4 on edge (1.5 inches) is perfect for most climates.  If you get exceptionally cold winters then the 2x4 set the other way (3.5 inch perch) will allow them to sit on their toes to keep them warm but the poop will pile up.
 
Martin Bernal
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The project is finished. I will be able to respond to your comment later. Currently working 60 hours a week between 2 company while try to build my own dream. in 18 days  it gets cut down to 40 hours a week. this  has been my first full day off in more than 1 month.

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Martin Bernal
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Dave Dahlsrud wrote:That coup should be able to hold a ton of birds!  You might be getting a little top heavy though.....might want to shrink it down a bit to keep it stable especially if your pasture is bumpy or off camber.  How many birds are you planning on getting?  You could probably get around 36-40 birds in something about 5 feet high if you puzzle in the perches just right.



the coop is 5 feet tall, 8 feet long and 4 feet wide. yes it is a little top heavy. wishing i made it 6 inches shorter. I got 30 day olds in the mail 10 days ago. 4 died. I have ten of them already sold to the farm that I WWOOFed at. 4 more that might be sold. I need to build a proper perching system for them. thinking bout getting the local welding shop to weld some aluminum square tube.
 
Martin Bernal
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Rebecca Norman wrote:I don't understand what the shelves are in the photo of the trailer-coop above. For sleeping, chickens like perch bars, just sticks, not shelves. Shelves will collect inches and inches of poop. Perching bars should be stepped so they don't poop on top of each other all night.

Or are they nest boxes? I don't usually see nest boxes more than two levels high, but I don't know.



the shelves are there as nest boxes. currently they 8 chickens  that are in there are laying n the chicken wire floor.
 
Dana Jones
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I like your coop! I am inspired to build a coop on my boat trailer now!
 
Martin Bernal
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So looking back it it i wish I would have cut it down to about 3 feet. the idea was that I could do turkeys in there in the future if I wanted to. I belive we have the equipment to take the whole house off the frame with out breaking it. might have to take the roof off first.

Do ducks not mind standing on chicken wire? currently the springs feeds about 3600 gallons a day so there is plenty of water for a run of meat ducks. the grass is a little greener than the photos above right now.
 
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