A Chicken Coop Story

The chicken coop has gone through many a remodel. Primarily as a result of something I've seen through the net that would make keeping them easier or more manageable.  The existing coop is showing some wear and tear and will need another makeover...

Started off as a tractor type arrangement that sits on top of the existing veggie garden bed - no cleaning!!  Cons : it was very bulky to move from bed to bed when the time came.

Constructed a coop on castors and modified the above tractor into a run so it was easier to shift

Here it is in action

Decided that I needed the 3 veggie beds - if I left the arrangement as a tractor - I would really only have 2 working veggie beds.  More cleaning for me to move mulch to veggie beds but it would mean I could use all 3 beds at the same time.  Built stand for coop and sat it on a pallet.

Here it is with run - it was nice to have it close to the house because it meant gathering eggs was easy in the wet!

Moved the coop eventually down the bottom of the garden nearer the veggie beds to make moving mulch easier.

Existing arrangement with cute white picket fence - an ebay find!

Thinking of :
1. Removing mulch in the run and replacing it with sharp sand to make it drier for the girls. Currently using sugar cane mulch in the run - great for compost but it can get smelly when it rains too much - like this summer!!
2. Re-modelling the coop to make it slightly bigger - it needs to be patched up - starting to show signs of wear and tear and it's not leak proof.