How to move The Garden Coop chicken coop

Building The Garden Coop chicken coop so that it’s easier to move later

So you want to build a secure walk-in coop, but you think you might be moving within the next few years. In that case, there are some helpful things you can do differently while building The Garden Coop:

• Estimate the weight. Calculating from what I know of the weights of the individual pieces, I came up with an approximate maximum weight of 600 lbs. (270 kg). That’s a generous estimate, actually. Your coop most likely weighs less than that, but be on the safe side when figuring your volunteer headcount and what your trailer can handle.
• Lighten the load. To reduce weight (and height and width), you could remove the entire roof by taking out the screws that attach the rafters from below, though it might be easier to transport that piece attached rather than separate. You could dismantle the henhouse (floor, roosts, nest boxes, and any inner walls for sure; siding would depend). You could also remove the people door, roosts, ladder. Of course, remove the chickens as well.
• Detach the coop at the base. Assuming you wrapped the hardware cloth and trenched it, you could cut the hardware cloth off at the bottom of the frame, then when you reassemble it use the “no-dig” method in the plan where you create an apron of hardware cloth and stake it down around the base of the coop. Or attach another piece going straight down into a trench. Both ways are effective.
• Slip some two-by-fours underneath the frame and temporarily attach them so that you have something to lift by. (OR see update below about creating rollers!) Focus on the areas below the studs to best support the weight without stress to the frame. Add a couple more boards to the side of the frame as well at a comfortable lifting height, and secure these very well with a few long screws at each connection point. 
• Use a suitable flatbed trailer that can handle the size and weight, that has working taillights, current registration, etc. Have some two-by-fours in place on the trailer to set the coop down onto (see photos below). Strap everything down really well, put caution flags on all extended parts, and obey the rules of the road.
• Plot a safe course. Map and measure out the driving route, parking spaces, and the paths in and out of both yards to make sure that all is clear for the size the coop will be when you move it — a tip I gleaned watching friends move their actual house! Don’t forget to look up as well.
• Have escorts drive in front of and behind you to report anything out of the ordinary (that is, other than that there’s a large chicken coop driving down the highway). Take roads that are lightly trafficked so you can move at a safe speed and that have ample shoulders so you can pull over if you need to.
• If you can, have the foundation prepared in the new location. It’s then just a matter of setting the coop in place when you get there. Otherwise, make sure there’s a spot in the destination yard to set the coop while you work on setting the pier blocks for the foundation.
• Make sure you have lots of strong hands on hand, plus gloves, healthy backs, patience, a first aid kit, and some celebratory beverages at the end!

Moving across town is one thing, but if you’re moving to another city or state I think you’d want to move the coop inside an enclosed vehicle. Looking at the dimensions of the 24′ and 26′ U-Haul trucks, if you built The Garden Coop to spec, I think you could remove the roof and fit it into either of these. Double check that though.

• If you’re selling your home, consider selling your coop with it. Maybe it’s the circles I travel in, but I’ve known several people who not only left their coop in the yard when showing their home, but featured it prominently in the listing. Without fail, the chicken coop was one of the things that got buyers excited about their property. In every case I know of, the buyers and sellers are still keeping chickens.
• If your buyer (or landlord) wants it gone, offer it on Craigslist and let whoever buys it do the work of moving it. (Share this post with them!) Then you can build a new Garden Coop when you get to where you’re going — even better than before!
• If you’re simply done with keeping chickens or need a break, convert The Garden Coop to another use. Keep rabbits or another animal. Or add siding and make it into a shed to store tools or firewood. Don’t be hasty and tear it down, though! There is a market for used chicken coops. And who knows? You might want to get back into the hobby sooner than you think.