Building a Mobile Chicken Coop (Eggmobile) from a Hay Wagon
At 1:17:34 in
The Farm That Changed: Why I'm Not Running My Farm Like Grandpa Did
What happens here
Construct a mobile chicken coop, referred to as an 'Eggmobile', using an old hay wagon as the base. The coop is built with wood framing and siding, designed to be easily moved across pastures. Key features include solar motion lights for predator prevention and a 'Run-Chicken' automatic chicken coop door (T50 model) that opens and closes automatically based on a set schedule (e.g., 9 AM opening, 20 minutes after dark closing) programmable via a smartphone app. The interior is fitted with specialized nesting boxes that allow eggs to roll out into a collection tray, preventing hens from sitting on or damaging them. This mobile design allows the chickens, dubbed 'pasture sanitizers', to follow the cattle and scratch through manure, eating fly larvae and fertilizing the ground with nitrogen-rich droppings.
Goal: Create a mobile, predator-protected, and efficient chicken coop for pasture rotation.
Tools and materials
- Cordless Drill — Assembling wooden components
- Feeder for Chickens — Supplying supplemental feed to the chickens
- Old Hay Wagon — The base structure for the mobile chicken coop
- Roofing Material — Covering the coop's roof
- Run-Chicken Automatic Chicken Coop Door — Automated opening and closing of the coop door
- Solar Motion Lights — Predator prevention around the coop
- Specialized Nesting Boxes — Allowing eggs to roll into a collection tray
- Waterer for Chickens — Supplying water to the chickens
- Wood Framing — Constructing the coop's walls and roof frame
- Wood Saw — Cutting lumber for the coop structure