The Coop DeVille

[Don_P]

It's springtime and a girl's mind wanders to... chickens 

I had an old 4x8 trailer that'll never hit the highway again. She wanted a coop that could be moved around the pasture. Not sure why but a gypsy caravan popped into my head. There's still a good bit to go but this was her having fun getting paint in her hair this morning.

[MountainDon]

  idea.

[bayview]

   I'm interested in what you are going to use to seal the roof?

[diyfrank]

Good idea, Putting it in a trailer.  I would like to see more pictures. 

[rick91351]

I think that is a great idea!  I wish I would have had that last year.  We had set out about 75 new fruit trees up at the ranch.  Suddenly the grasshoppers got so bad they stripped a lot of the Honey Sweet Apples of their leaves and even went after the bark.  If we would have had The Coop DeVille I know that we would not be replacing some young trees this year.  Also there is a lot to be said about free range chickens.

   

[John Raabe]

Neat idea!!

You can probably seal a solid roof inexpensively with asphalt-based roof sealer. You could also put down roll roofing for perhaps $20 or so. Our little flat roofed cabin is now going on 9 years with roll roofing.

[Don_P]

Thanks for the kind words. I had thought of having the HVAC shop brake some sheets but walking through Lowes today the roll roofing was $29 and we kinda blew da budget on paint so the coop is gonna be rockin with a roll top for some time. I got white thinking summer heat is going to be my biggest problem. The middle 2 rows of 4 boxes are going to be the nests. I'll vent thru the uppers and make some storage in the lowers. Of course once the chicks got ordered the phone started ringing again, not complaining about a high class problem like that after this winter though. I'll post some more when we get further along and pulled out where I can back up a bit with the camera. We had a painter one time that said "There's alot of miracles in a can of paint". This was sawmill odds and ends I had sitting around.

I hear ya on the various plagues Rick. The long legged mice enjoy the "exotic" diet we plant for them.

[RoxyRocks]

That is really a neat idea:)

[Don_P]

Well the chicks are fast becoming chickens and have about wiped out the back yard so it was time to hitch up the coop and hit the hiway. We moved it down alongside the garden so we could share one side of the fenceline. I finally can get back far enough for some pics. My wife has sketched some flower designs on the various flat panels and was going to paint them as time presents itself. They got real quiet back there when I took em down the mountain 




There's 3 roosters, they don't know it, but there's a job interview in process 

[Erin]

Let me guess:  Those not selected are heading for another purpose? 

I like this idea.  We're doing something similar with an old lawn mower trailer, but it won't be near as fancy.

[John Raabe]

For many years I've been a subscriber to a product development and on-line business development website - www.bmyers.com. Bill Myers, site owner, wrote an article several years ago titled "Chicken Hilton" about a fancy backyard chicken coop he built and how much local PR it got. If I remember right that chicken coop was instrumental in helping sell their homestead for a top dollar price when they were ready to move on.

I posted a link and photo to this project on Bill's website and we started brainstorming this as a business project. Consider:

• The market would be middle and upper-middle income folks who are now newly interested in more self-sufficient hobbies and projects (this market segment grows every time there is an economic recession).
• These folks would not build their own project but want a "turnkey" chicken coop project that looks good in their yard. They are willing to pay for this.
• This could be a good business project for a builder who might not be as busy as they would like to be building homes.
• The entry fee for tools and materials is low.
• The PR and local television human interest potential for free advertising is very good and the project is right on target for the greening and organic food movement.

So, let's brainstorm here a bit more...

• We could start with the simple utility trailer kits that are available at Home Depot and others. That is the platform and you get one set of movable plates to deliver the "Instant Chicken Ranch" or whatever you name your product.
• You would want an easy to setup and move coop enclosure system so that both the coop and the outdoor scratch yard are movable - this makes this not only a chicken coop but a moving weed control and fertilization system! This fencing system fits inside the coop for delivery and setup by the seller.
• You would give to the new owner a booklet of helpful information such as were to get chicks locally, what is the best feed, how to move the ranch, etc. You might even be available for help moving or consulting for an additional fee.
• The actual plan for the coop needs to satisfy the needs of the resident chickens as well as look cute (as this one does), and be easy to put together with low cost materials and a nail gun.
• Note that your market area would be limited by the delivery driving distance.

What would you add? Is anyone interested in the idea?

I'm not planning to carry this to a product myself, nor do I propose that you should. To do this you need to know a bit about CHICKENS - that eliminated me immediately!

But, there may be someone reading this who might want to set up such a thing for their own chickens, learn about it and then turn what they learned into income. This forum has helped others build houses, cabins and cottages. No reason we wouldn't have some ideas for homestead based businesses! eh???

[firefox]

I'm not in a position to move on this now, but after I relocate to Eureka,NV in a year or so, I might take something like this on on a limited scale, if only to set myself up with a chicken farm. what ever I do will have to take into consideration that winters are pretty severe with lots of snow.

And of course I am completely ignorant about any kind of farming.
On the other hand I will be motivated to learn.

Bruce

[Pritch]

firefox, just remember not to plant your eggs too deep!   

-- Pritch

[archangel]

So, that gypsy caravan.
Puts a new twist on "gypsy's must have stole my chickens" saying.

To view that "Bill Myers" site with that "Chicken Hilton" will coast almost $10!
I don't suppose you could copy and paste some pictures?

[Don_P]

Yup that's a little different, but hey I never thought people would pay for bottled water 
She painted some morning glories on the end panels of the bumpouts, it'll get hyacinths under the windows, they're sketched in but not painted yet.


Archangel... not near the white sea are you?

[John Raabe]

Archangel:

There really is not much information on the Bill Myers site about chickens, and no photos of the coop. The site is mostly information on small home based business development and using internet and on-line tools. Probably not worth a membership for the chicken story alone.