In between house building, blacksmith work, and all-around handyman activities, my husband Brian has been hard at work building our chickens a home. Back in Oregon, he envisioned a moveable chicken coop on wheels and created this:
Nest boxes on both sides that were easy to access from the outside for egg collection, a large fold-down door at the rear for bedding changes, bike wheels for easy transport, and a front door that led into their run. Functional, very practical, but not really sexy.
Building this new coop provided Brian with a chance to create what he always envisioned – a gypsy caravan-esque structure that is as adorable as it is functional.
A trailer tongue sticks out from the base of the coop for easy transport. Ella stands in front of the door to the nest boxes…
…which folds down for easy access to eggs!
The chickens enter and exit from this ramp, which folds up at night to keep predators out. Feed is hung to minimize scratching and wasting. The hanger came from a barn tear-down, and while we do not know what it is, it’s mighty cool looking!
The front door opens wide to allow us entry for cleaning, repair, etc. The first few nights, we noticed that all the chickens wanted to be on the upper roost, so Brian has since added a second high perch.
What I love about this coop is that it is really functional, super cute (with a blue roof that matches our house-in-the-making!), and was made almost entirely out of reclaimed barn wood. The hardware and the roof were the only components that were purchased new.
Now we wait patiently for the not-soon-enough day when we’ll once again be collecting our own eggs, from this sexy little coop.
Hi! I just found your blog and am loving it. I can’t wait to plunge into all of your tips and tricks this winter! I love that you call yourselves ‘radical’ homesteaders. I coined the term ‘extreme’ homesteading for my family’s gig, but I think I like the sound of radical better lol. I am still learning EVERYTHING about gardening, animal care, etc. and look forward to the day when we are as well set up as you! Love the coop! ours is just barely functional at the moment let alone sexy haha.
Glad you found me, Daisy! We would probably be considered “extreme” in most circles as well! Hope you enjoy the blog, and be sure to sign up for the newsletter as well, for weekly updates and seasonally appropriate posts!
How many hens does this hold?
Currently, we have 12 hens, 1 rooster, and 3 ducks. It’s plenty big for this number, but I would probably not go higher than 20 total.
Raising chickens can be a hand full. It’s quite rewarding when you bite into your first homestead chicken though. I still remember the first time I had a free range chicken fresh from the farm and nothing compares. Even the eggs are 10x better. I’m the type of person that enjoys watching them as well. They are quite smart and entertaining. Predators are really the only problem with free range. You’ve got to have a close eye or a couple of dogs.
Love it! We have one in progress for my first coop ever 🙂 Any down sides to not having windows for light?
No, not really, because the chickens are only in the coop for the evening, and spend their days free-ranging the property. We do, however, have mesh grate over a few windows so there is plenty of healthy ventilation for the chickens.
Yes, the coop is functional & adorable. I have a sincere question that I’ve asked others about,& yet to have received an answer. How is it possible to reuse old barn wood, VERY OLD wood, when to look @, it’s all bleached/dried out & as hard as concrete! How in the world can anyone drive a nail through the stuff, or saw it in two? Thank you for sharing you & family’s adventures! We live in the “Bootheel” of Missouri.
I asked my husband what he suggests, and he said that when he is building with old oak wood, he will sometimes pre-drill the nail holes. And also, he says that having a really nice, sharp saw is helpful. Good luck!
I LOVE the coop! And the little hen tender 🙂
Brian is to credit for the coop. And we love it!
Love that coop!
Nice looking coop
Thanks!
You and your sexy chicken coop!! You can also hitch it to your gypsy wagon when you and your troupe go gallivanting across the plains. 🙂 Love it! Also love Ella’s bonnet – is she channeling Little House on the Prairie a lot recently?
I wonder if it will hold up for all of our plains galavanting!
Yes indeed, Ella is really into the Little House books. We read all the way through them, and now we’re onto the Rose series, which is actually really fun because Rose Wilder grew up in Missouri!
Brian is channeling his grandfather Rosmer. I love it. And you can just roll it over to the strawberry patch for primo fertilizer.
Yes indeed! I can’t wait to harvest the first load of poopy straw!
I love this!!!! I just shared on my FB DaybyDay page! I have a pretty good feeling we will be designing one similar to this in the near future! 🙂
Thanks for sharing, Nora!
Show me a photo when you make yours!
That’s an awesome coop! My stuff is always ‘just functional’, but that is functional and cool looking. I don’t know about the ‘sexy’ part, but…
Maybe sexy is a bit of a stretch….
Adorable?
LOL! Sure, adorable definitely seems appropriate. Hahaha..