CheerioLounge - Desert Dreamin'

[Wannabefree]

Cool idea for a coop! I think with a 17 foot trailer you can surely get more than 12 birds in there comfortably!

 

[Marianne]

Yes, great idea! And probably enough room for 25 birds and some storage, too! Wowser!

Chicken math....I'm seriousy considering more chicks this next spring, too. And maybe a little lean-to on the side of the coop. Or a west wing like someone on BYC has.

 

[BarredBuff]

Yes more like 25 chickens! I would expand the run though........

 

[CheerioLounge]

We'll see... I was thinking to just use the front half of the trailer as coop and the WC and closet area are still intact and would be ideal for storge of feed, etc. I'm going to go take some pics here in a bit. And BB, your're right... especially if I end up with 25 birds, I'll definitely have to expand the run. I sure wish I could free range!

 

[BarredBuff]

We'll see... I was thinking to just use the front half of the trailer as coop as the WC and closet area are still intact and would be ideal for storge of feed, etc. I'm going to go take some pics here in a bit. And BB, your're right... especially if I end up with 25 birds, I'll definitely have to expand the run. I sure wish I could free range!

Why cant you free range? We used to think we couldnt but we can and we hear coyotes all the time, opposums out, and raccoons. Not to mention hawks. Havent lost any in 2 years, and since we invested in a guard dog

What I would do is, divid it up equally, make 1/3 storage, 1/3 coop, and 1/3 meatie coop area, if you plan to do meat birds.

 

[CheerioLounge]

Well... I'll tell you why I think I can't free-range and you let me know what you think.

None of my acreage is fenced and the terrain is pretty much sand and creosote bushes, which I believe are probably poisonous to chickens. They sure stink after a rain! Here are some pics of the back of the property. The whole 5 acres look like this:

There are no thick bushes to use for cover and very few trees full enough to escape into from predators. There is also no grass for miles! In Spring I suppose they would probably love the wildflowers, but they only last a few weeks and then they're gone.

What do you think?

 

[BarredBuff]

Hmmm thats not exactly range! I see now! Im used to lush grass and clover and a thick layer of mulch for bugs to live in, which is in the flower garden.

 

[CheerioLounge]

Here is the trailer I want to convert... Right behind that chair is an access panel that would be the chicken's door.

This would be the end for the coop... It's super windy today and I have nowhere yet to put all this cr@p so I didn't move anything before I snapped the pic. :/ Try to picture it empty if you can.

And this end would be storage:

The more I think about it, the more excited I am to get started! I'll probably add a third page to my personal pages to document the conversion.

 

[Marianne]

That little trailer is in better shape than what I thought it would be! Talk about a chicken condo! It'd be like a chicken palace!

Can the girls get some passive solar heat from that angled window in the winter?

 

[CheerioLounge]

It looks in better shape than it really is. I will have to do some real patching on the floor! Found a bunch of rat droppings in there this morning when I went out to take the pics.

And yes they sure can! I go in there to warm up when I have to work out there on cold days!