Operation Mobile Chicken Coop

One of our biggest goals here at the farm is having our animals work and produce for us. We utilize the permaculture farming practice by allowing our animals to graze in different locations of our property for an allotted time to cultivate and fertilize the land. If any animal is left too long in one area, they have the tendency to over-till and over-graze which causes damage to our ecosystem. Having a mobile chicken coop was essential for us to have on our farm in order to practice permaculture.

We turned to a regenerative agriculture farmer, who just like us, had no farming background. His literature inspired us to create a mobile chicken coop similar to his plan and this is what we accomplished. (Click his book to learn more.)

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The base of our chicken coop came from an old camper that was left on our property from the previous homeowners .

Evan demolished the trailer down to its bare bones and replaced the wheels with new tires.

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Using the basic principles of regenerative farming, we made some modifications to our structure based on the climate that we live in. We wanted a coop that would accommodate our chickens during the winter months. The suggested tin corrugated roofing and walls would not work for our climate, so we opted to use T1-11 plywood to help with insulation.

Another modification we made to the plan was switching the structure front to back instead of side to side. This was due to our properties inclination and sloping hills. This switch allowed more of the weight to be distributed to the front of the trailer for more stability.

Choosing the color of our chicken coop was a difficult task. Picking the perfect color was extremely important because it will be used for every farm building on the property. We narrowed it down to two colors Blue Note or Wescott Navy. We turned to Instagram for help and asked our followers to vote which color they liked best. Our first round of voting was based on the internet swatches Benjamin Moore displayed on their website and Wescott Navy was voted the winner. During the second round of voting, we painted swatches of the stain on plywood and everyone who originally voted for Wescott Navy ended up choosing Blue Note this time around. It is so important to purchase samples and test them beforehand because the swatches on the internet do not compare to what they look like in person. Blue Note ended up being the chosen farm color and we are in LOVE with it. It looks so rich and vibrant. We also love that it’s not a traditional farm barn color too!

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For the roof, we used Suntuf 12 ft. Polycarbonate Corrugated Roof Panel. This allows natural sunlight to shine through to provide heat during the winter months. It also gives off a very sleek look to the coop design.

Our project wasn’t complete without adding some fancy detail! Trimming the coop and staining it with Benjamin Moore’s arbor coat wood stain in the color teak was exactly what we needed to finish the coop. The contrast of warm and cool tones made the finish product absolutely stunning! We are extremely happy with how this mobile chicken coop turned out and we have a feeling our chickens love it just as much as we do!

Higganum Hills

First-generation family farm adventuring their way to a more sustainable lifestyle.

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