Winter Mobile Chicken Coop

This is the 4th poultry structure I have built in Fairbanks, Alaska. I move the chickens daily onto new ground or fresh snow. The coop is built on two sets of cross-country skis. The structure is hinged in the middle to conform to uneven ground.

Materials:

Graph Paper

Compas

Pencil

4 Cross Country Skis

Decking Screws

2x4 Framing Lumber

4 in Perforated Drain Pipe

1x2 Wood Strips

1x4 Cedar Planks

Staples

1/4 in Hardware Cloth

Wire Mesh

1/2x1 in Cedar Strips

Glue

Corrugated Plastic Campaign Signs

Metal Roofing

Plastic Roofing

Window

Light Fixture

Light Bulb

Timer

Expanding Foam

Foam Board Insulation

Hinges and Handles from a Garage Door

Water Cooler

Chicken Watering Cup

Tools:

Hatchet

Chisel

Driver

Drill

Pull Saw

Chop Saw

Table Saw

Nail Gun

Staple Gun

Carpet Knife

Tin Snips

The full coop is approximately 4x11x5 ft. I made several designs with graph paper and a compass. It was helpful to cut the paper into two pieces so I could see how it would articulate. This photo is of the design I used to build the coop.

I used a hatchet to rough the curves of the ski into a 2x4. I screwed and glued a 2x4 to each ski.

This side of the coop is the run. The portions that touch the ground are plastic (the skis and the drainpipe). The frame is mostly constructed out of 1x2s. 1x4s run across the run for chickens to roost on. The 1x4s are offset, making a chicken ladder that leads to the water cooler. The exterior sides are fenced with a layer of hardware cloth and welded wire mesh. The wire is trimmed with 1/2 in cedar strips that are glued and screwed down.

I attached hinges to the run and framed the coop from the connection point backwards. In addition to the roosting ladder, this side has the light, window, a bump-in for the water cooler, two slatted roll-away nesting boxes, and a feeder with storage for a full bag of feed. The inner walls and roof are lined with campaign signs.

I used rigid foam scrap and expanding foam to insulate the coop. The coop has plastic sheeting as a vapor barrier and recycled metal roofing on the sides and top. A door on the lower end of the roof provides access to the nesting boxes and feed.

I drilled out the spout on a sports cooler so that a chicken watering cup would fit in its place. I insulated a corner above the watering cup. There is a cutout in the coop that provides access to the lightbulb. The cutout also vents air out of the top of the coop and across the watering cup. Chickens access the water from the run.