Layer, broiler, duck…goat?

When we left Oregon, it didn't make much sense to haul the mobile coops with us. So Kreg gets to build them all over again. If you know him, you know he's not complaining — and if you don't know him yet, the short version is: the man can build anything.

The upside of starting over is that you get to do it better. Every design flaw from the last round is a solved problem this time. The coops coming together here are built to be interchangeable — the broiler coop converts to a layer coop with a few quick changes, the layer coop flips to a duck coop with minor tweaks, and so on. It takes more thought on the front end, but the result is a system we can shift each season based on what we're raising and what you need.

You might notice these don't look like the classic Salatin setup. There's a reason for that. Our design does use more material, but the ease of use makes it worth it — especially when you factor in the longevity of the structure and the flexibility it gives us. We've learned that easy-to-use means it actually gets used well, and that matters for the animals more than any design philosophy.

And yes — the 4-H goats get housed in one at night. We have real predator pressure here, and everyone sleeps better (including the goats) knowing they're secure. (When the kids' goat project wraps up for the season, that pen converts right back into another broiler or layer coop. Nothing wasted.)

He also has helpers this time — the kids are old enough to actually be useful. Which, if you've raised kids on a ranch, you know is its own milestone.