CHICKEN TRAILER

Raising Chickens

A chicken ‘coupe’ that works

Egg Laying

Housing

We have taken an old travel trailer and modified it by removing the bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom and installing laying boxes, roosting perches and a watering system.  This combination gives us a totally contained, portable, chicken house that is insulated. It allows us to easily move the trailer to new fields of fresh grass and bugs for the chickens to feed on.

Additionally we provide a mixed feed by a local farmer.

Protection

The trailer is surrounded by a semi-permanent electric fence that is easily relocated. This keeps out predators such as foxes, raccoons, weasels, coyotes and the neighbor’s dogs. The electric fence can be powered by either electricity when close to an outlet or by a solar powered fence charger. Additionally a plastic Owl is placed on a pole to drive way predator birds like hawks and other owls.

Economical

The trailers can generally be purchased for a few hundred dollars or even given for free. A quick coat of Hunter Green paint blends the trailer into the fields. As the trailer is insulated” and “with windows” it remains cool during the summer and somewhat heated during the winter. A 20 ft Travel trailer holds between 100 to 150 chickens comfortably.

Nesting

The inside of the trailer is gutted down to the interior walls. Nesting boxes are installed. Roosts are constructed using traditional 2” x 4” studs. A watering system is designed and installed. Wood shavings are used as bedding. A main door (human door) and a chicken door (12”X 12” door)(rear left) are installed to make sure 2 forms are available for entry and exit so the birds can not be trapped inside the trailer. The windows are covered with ¼ inch metal wire mess screening to prevent entry from predators while allowing ventilation.

Utilities

The watering system is a combination of elements. A 30 gallon Igloo or Coleman cooler is used as an insulated water storage container. A supply hose runs from the cooler to a PVC pipe system that has individual “Chicken Water Nipples” (red) installed every 6 inches. The PVC system is designed as a ‘Feed – Return’ system. This allows water to flow from the water storage cooler through the PVC and back to the water cooler.

A small fountain pump is used to circulate the water through the hose and PVC system during winter months. A small wattage water heater with an automatic thermostat is located in the cooler during the winter months which keeps the system from freezing. This system requires a 50 watt electricity supply. Plastic netting surrounds the water cooler to keep out the chickens. This is a closed system so that is remains much cleaner than traditional chicken watering systems.

An additional external PVC watering pipe with “Chicken Watering Nipples” is installed during “non winter” months providing chickens with two sources of water being feed by the 30 gal cooler. This is gravity fed. Additionally a hose can be run from the main farm water supply to the Chicken Trailer that allows for instant filling of the cooler by simply opening a valve. A Corrugated Garbage Can allows the storage of grain.