Thoughts on animal housing shuffling

[lupinfarm]

I need a bigger barn for the goats since I'm seriously considering adding more goats next year but we cannot build anything over 10x10 without a permit here and we won't qualify for a permit. I already have a 13x17ft building that the chickens are currently living in that has a cement (sort of LOL) foundation and is insulated minimally. It fronts onto the driveway and would have great access to their pasture plus I could move their buck fence pen to the back of the building so they'd have a drylot pen plus their fields. That would mean I would need to move both the chickens and ducks (in a smaller different house about 5 ft from the chicken yard). The ducks I think I have solved the problem, build a small low walled house just on the inside of my picket fence in the front yard, they free range all day with the EE hens who I can't seem to contain in any sort of pen LOL, they'd have a small pen as well likely but would have free range of the yard most days. Again back to the issue of building for the chickens, we have 19 hens and are hoping to add 5 more in the spring. I was thinking of building my new chicken coop atop a hay wagon or trailer and parking it at the bottom of my yard with an attached yard. This would make it so the building is not permanent and thus the building permits would not apply to this situation and would provide the chickens (hopefully!) with a larger house. Does this sound plausible to you guys?


For the record, my 6x6 goat house will be moved closer to the stables blocks and would be used as feed storage. My duck house would be stripped and transformed into a dog house for my mums Mini Labradoodle stud who desperatly needs a dog house.

 

[freemotion]

Yes, it sounds like it would work. Joel Salatin has laying hens in a trailer affectionately called the Eggmobile, and it is moved from pasture to pasture to follow the cattle and clean up after them. Very cool.

You can also make a sturdy shed on skids that can be dragged with a tractor. Or go even smaller. I have a small 4x8 coop made with sheets of plywood, and the bottom is open to the ground. The framing that contacts the ground is pressure treated 2x4's. When my flock outgrew that first little coop, they were moved to a bigger coop and now my buck is living in it quite happily. In the spring, it will be the buckling house until they are all sold. Or will it be the turkey house? Maybe I'll move it out back for the pigs.....

My dh and I can move it over to clean it thoroughly. Oh, and I also have a rubber mat in it now to keep the bedding dry if there is a lot of run-off when the snow melts.

I have to crouch to get into it, since it is only 4' high, but it was very cheap and it works!

 

[ksalvagno]

I think building on a wagon is a great idea. Then you could move it around. I have seen several chicken coops that were done that way. I think you could find a bunch of pictures on BYC.