We wanted to make the new chicken areas a little different and more ecology friendly, and with this new design it seems to blend in well without being too obtrusive.

Prior to the new coops and sheds being built, the poultry were way down the back of the farm. After heavily culling the unwanted birds, we made the new area much more manageable and compact.

All of these coop houses are made from recycled treated pine shiplap timber with marine ply floors and built in layer boxes with easy access egg hatch flaps.
I basically used a design of two combinations of coops that I saw on the Poultry Ring on the internet, one from Holland and one from Scotland.
I simply made them to suit Australian conditions for our own area.
To make them totally snakeproof, I used cut down aluminium doors as windows, doors and "summer" roofing.
The main roofing is made from dumped insulated foam with a metal cover on either side. They are probably old restuarant kitchen insulations fittings. They make perfect insulation for our use and are cool in summer, warm in winter.
Total cost of each unit averaged around $50 in materials

The wheels are all from discarded lawnmower bodies, again just simply unbolted from the frames of "dead" mowers in the tip. They have been sprayed and dipped in a natural pyrethum mix.
The average price of a new wheel is $10 each. cost here..ZERO

All we simply do is roll them from coop module to coop module on their own lawnmower wheels.

Above is a sneak peak at the interior with some fresh bright white Campine eggs in the layer boxes.

Hen & Chicken Nursery Suites:

This little house is made from the same treated pine shiplap, and is designed to move around the garden with ease. I have to add the little mower wheels to move them easier.
I now have 4 of these that are used raising chickens naturally. They are fully wired, and in the main floor as well. The roof section is insulated with foam, and opens up for easy access into the main house for cleaning.

Above and below is a huge stump from a eucalyptus tree. After treating it for whiteants, we let it sit for 4 weeks, then we added a garden border to it, and filled either side with shellgrit and oyster shells. The birds love it. and it adds a small feature to the overall coop.
Shellgrit is essential for the development of strong eggshells.