Design process mobile chicken coop

The project started on February 6th and I work sporadically on the project.

For this design I choose the permaculture tool SADIMET.

The client:
The client in this design project is the chickens. Icelandic chickens are an old Norwegian breed that can withstand the cold, are active and curious. They like to walk freely during the day and participate in daily chores together with humans.
Now they want a new chicken coop adapted to their needs, with modern facilities. Where they will be protected from external dangers, and will feel safe. The house must be clean, and in winter it must be dry and warm. In summer they want green grass under their feet and be able to eat seeds and insects during the day, and get a refill of concentrate feed and fresh water every evening.

The old chicken trailer,  which was created as an emergency solution, made from random materials

The location:
The challenge with this location is that there are open areas, and few natural hiding places. There are predators here such as foxes and hawks here, and chickens have been taken here before. The chickens like trees and bushes where they can hide. There are many bushes and trees planted here, but they are still too small to provide the animals with shelter. To protect the chickens from predators, the mobile chicken coop must be combined with the chicken coop.

Costs:
The client, who in this case is the chickens, has no financial means to contribute, so the costs must be kept down. The construction of the chicken coop will require the usual production factors such as materials, labor and tools. The project is based on materials found on site, recycled materials and new materials.

Environmental cost:
Human existence in a cold climate will always be a burden on the earth. The footprint is balanced against a time and cost aspect, and what can be obtained from recycled materials. In the design, compromises are made about what is ideal, what is optimally ecological and what is feasible with available resources.

Previous edition The chicken coop was built as a temporary solution. An old chicken coop was put on the trailer, and an outdoor run was built with recycled materials and scaffolding from the company's own forest. It didn't work so well, and this time other materials were brought in. The client's wishes for what is environmentally ideal make it necessary to compromise, and that plastic is brought in as a building material.

Systemic design:
Chicken farming is part of the systemic design of humans, because they contribute eggs and meat to cooking.

The chickens can also make use of human food scraps. In the kitchen, food scraps are sorted into chicken food and for composting. Ideally, the sale of eggs and meat can provide financial capital income.

The chickens contribute greatly to soil improvement. When the chickens peck and kick in the soil, they contribute to the reduction of weed seeds and insects. Not least, chicken manure is valuable fertilizer. The eggshells contain lime, which helps to increase the soil's PH value. Chickens have proven to be very effective in the context of composting. When the chicken coop is in front of the hugel culture, manure and dung will flow into the small pond and into the irrigation canals and fertilize the cultivation beds. .

Icelandic chickens like to participate in daily chores with humans. They join in when humans dig in the soil, and pick up small insects that live in the soil.

The chicken coop is designed with recycling in mind at the end of its life. Easy to dismantle and sort at source. Screws can be reused. Logs in the load-bearing structure can be sawn up and used for firewood. Planks and materials can be turned into cultivation boxes.

Zones:
The location of the mobile chicken coop will follow the movement patterns of humans in relation to the season. In winter, we move in a smaller area than in summer. Then the chicken coop is between the house and the hugel culture, where it is more protected from the weather and wind. In the summer we move out into the fields and vegetable gardens and the chickens are moved around the meadow and fields to be cultivated.

The goshawk visits the chickens. The photo was taken from the kitchen window.

Design:
The chicken coop should be built on the trailer where the existing chicken coop is located. The construction should be light, and must be able to stand on a moving trailer.

It must be easy to remove and utilize chicken manure. The house must be easy to clean, and preferably be able to be flushed with a water hose.

It must be possible for people to enter the chicken coop for maintenance through a door or a removable wall.

Chickens have the knowledge to defend themselves against predators, and the entrance must be designed to keep predators out.

Icelandic chickens thrive at heights and want roosting perches, and preferably a resting place high up in the room.

They must have a nesting box that is warm and where they can feel safe. It must be accessible for egg collection and cleaning from the outside.

The chicken coop must be insulated, and retain the heat the animals produce. Being able to absorb and store solar heat is desirable.

The chicken coop should have access to electricity to run a small heater, and a heat lamp for use on the coldest days. Water must be available either in a bucket or in a water dispenser, and a feeder with chicken feed.

Construction:

Floor area 5.3 square meters.
Trailer dimensions: 1.74 * 3.06 meters.

The frame that will be on top of the trailer. Construction started this summer, the project ended up on ice.