If you thought my last photos were blurry, well, these are even more blurry! Sorry 'bout that. Nonetheless, I think you can make out how we move the coop based on this series of photos. We currently have a power cord running to the coop for the 75 watt red lamp to help keep it warm at night while our evening temps are still kinda cool and two of the chickens are not fully feathered.
Before moving the coop, we brought the wheel barrow up to one side and dropped a lower flap onto the wheel barrow. Ultimately, after a variety of different styles of brooms and shovels, we decided to just use a hand broom and dust bin to clean out the shavings and pooh. The pooh really isn't too bad with the shavings in the coop and since we also use food-grade DE (diatomaceous earth) in their shavings and food. We sprinkle a tablespoon of DE in 2 cups of food, and liberally sprinkle DE over their coop shavings. There are several benefits that we noted right away when we started doing this. It was suggested by a vet, and after trying it, I believe in it! It helps minimize mites/lice in their feathers when they have an opportunity to lay in it (or even dust bathe in it) and in their food, it helps with their digestive system, cuts down on intestinal worms and firms up their pooh, making it easier to clean up.
- Placed the round pole under the front end of the coop base.
- From the back, lift the coop by the nesting box and start pushing forward.
- Have a second person in the waiting to move things out of the way.
- Have that second person balance the front once the pole is near the half-way point.
- The pole pops out the back after moving the coop the full length (8 feet).
- The coop in its new location and the chickens can now rest for the night.
The advantages at this point of using this method to move the coop is that it involves very little lifting, the wheels can't get stuck in the mud (which we tend to have a bunch of that during the rainy seasons) and it doesn't involve a whole lot of muscle to move it the full distance. When we are done moving the coop, we can lay the pole along the side that has the most "dips and valleys" and fill in other low spots with cement pavers and heavy bricks.
