by Julie Miles
My chicken coop is on wheels! I have a friend who is a woodworker and a jack-of-all-trades, so I commissioned him to build my chicken RV (a large chicken tractor!).
Most of the RV was built from scraps that we had lying around. I had a lot of leftover wood, a roll of chicken wire from up in our attic, some scrap metal roofing and a small window that I wanted to use. He had some very old wood, some old windows, and a pair of vented doors that he wanted to get rid of. I bought four tires and told him what I was looking for in a coop. He had raised chickens when he was younger, and had great ideas.
It is the perfect size for four to six chickens.
In the morning before I let them out, I roll the RV about 3 feet to provide fresh grass for them to forage around on. I open the doors and they jump down onto the grass and peck around for worms and vegetation.
To give them the most grass space I can, I have hung the waterer from the ceiling with a bungee cord. This way the chickens can walk underneath and sip water at beak level and it prevents dirt and seed from fouling the water too quickly. The bottom sides flip up so that I can let them out to free range, weather permitting.
The crank-out window in the back is right by the nest, so I can open it and conveniently reach in for the eggs. This also makes it easy to add pine shavings to their nesting boxes.
I close the chickens in the coop at night by latching the vented doors at the bottom. This provides safety for the chickens and prevents predators from attacking at night. The vented doors provide fresh air in the coop.
We had 114-degree temperatures this summer in Oklahoma, and when I closed them in, I hung a fan over the doors so it would move the air inside. In the winter I hang up a small heat lamp and it provides enough warmth for the chickens in freezing temperatures.
The one thing I would like to add to the RV is a few more roosts around the cage for the chickens.
The urban chicken experience is very rewarding. I originally started this venture for the eggs, but I have found that I love just watching the chickens and think of them as pets. The only drawback that I have found in this whole experience, is finding someone to watch the chickens when I travel!
4 Comments
Um… I’m from the Show Me state (Missouri) it would have been nice to see a picture or 2 of this alleged coop. Does it really exist? I don’t understand why take the time to write and post the story and not put in a picture or 2.
Unshown and disappointed š
Great Chicken RV! We have had good luck finding people to watch the chickens by offering up the eggs to them while we are gone. We also let them pick in the garden for veggies too if its growing season. Free and fresh food seems to be a great incentive to get people to chicken sit while we are away.
http://Www.greenpreferred.com
that’s the problem that’s prevented me from proceeding with getting chickens. no way to travel. If I were alone I’d consider an indoor cage in an RV to keep my chickens in so I could travel AND have chickens, but I have a hubby who’s not on board. LOL
I know exactly how it goes with finding someone you trust to take care of my precious flock,to let them out every morning, and lock them up every night for safety, and make sure they always have enough food and water just so we can go on vacation….whether it be a weekend trip, or for a week long. That too is our biggest stress about ever being able to go anywhere. The last 2 people I trusted to do this for the weekend lied to me about even going over to my house to lock the birds up at night, or to let them out of the coop at all. Which didn’t make for very happy birds considering they are free range and spend all day out and about and only stay in the coop at night to sleep. Like you, my birds are my pets and I love them, and taking care of them, they are my back yard buddies and always keep me company when I am in the backyard gardening ect. My husband has been considering an electric coop door so that we wouldn’t have the problem of having to find someone that we trust to let the birds out every AM, and make sure they are locked up and safe every PM, but that still bring the problem of having someone come over to check up on them and their food and water levels, but to be honest, my greatest fear is that coop door closing and locking at night and God forbid the one little chicken that doesn’t make it in on time scares me
I LOVE your Chicken RV, what a amazing job your friend did for you. I bet the birds love it. I really like all the windows so that so much sunlight can come in, that is an issue in my coop on those really cold days they dont want to come out of the coop, I am always trying to get a window of sort built that still keeps in the heat, but also lets the important sunshine in.