«Previous    Next»
Portable Building Business
About four years ago, Greg Samuel and his father Gary of Rogersville, Mo., started building portable chicken and cattle sheds for use on their farm.
  Demand for the buildings grew so fast they set up a small factory to produce them. It's now a thriving business. They still farm part-time, raising 8,500 laying hens and a few cattle. But they've hired a couple of employees and have expanded their line of buildings to include both shelters and feeders for almost any type of livestock, including sheep, goats, hogs, dairy cattle, miniature donkeys and horses, rabbits, etc. Their newest offering? Portable greenhouses. They displayed many of the buildings at the recent Ozark Fall Fest near Springfield, Mo.
  All the buildings mount on 4 by 6 wood skids which have a pair of hooks at each end to move them around. Wood floors are raised about 3 in. off the ground. Some of the buildings have screened-in areas over bare ground. When the building is dragged away, the manure stays in place which helps to reduce disease problems.
  "These buildings can be easily moved wherever you want, and they're reasonably priced," says Gary. "Our customers include everyone from small hobby farmers to big dairy and hog farms."
  Here's a description of some of the buildings they offer:
  Greenhouse - It comes fully assembled with poly walls and roof, a wood floor, and wood shelves on both sides. It's available in 6 and 8-ft. widths and lengths from 8 to 18 ft. The building comes wired for electrical outlets and ready for water hookup, and it's equipped with lights, a ceiling-mounted fan, and a thermostat. "By hooking a garden hose up to the faucet you can have water inside the building without having to run a hose inside the door," says Greg.
  An 8 by 12-ft. model sells for $1,899.
  "Conventional greenhouses of comparable size sell for $3,000 to $4,000, and they aren't designed to be moved around," says Greg. "Customers like the portability. For example, after the greenhouse sets for a few months they might realize it doesn't get as much sun as they thought it would, or that maybe it would look better somewhere else."
  Poultry laying house - This portable building is designed for use in pastures and has a metal roof and sides. It comes with operable windows, 3-ft. wide access door, poultry door, and rubber bottom sweeps (to keep predators from crawling under the building). It's available in 9-ft. widths and lengths from 12 to 18 ft. Options include nest boxes, electrical outlets, lights, a timer, and an outside egg collection door.
  A 9 by 15-ft. laying house sells for $1,699.
  Poultry yard - With a screened-in area adjoining a large enclosed room, this building is part laying house and part free-range shelter. It comes in 6 and 9-ft. widths and lengths from 12 to 18 ft. It's 5 ft. tall at the back and 6 ft. tall on front. The unit comes with operable windows, 3-ft. wide door, chicken door, screened-in porch, and rubber bottom sweeps. Options include egg boxes, outside egg collection door, lights and timer. "It's totally confined and predator proof," says Greg.
  A 6 by 15-ft. model sells for $875.
  Poultry yard deluxe - This large building has an 8 by 8-ft. inside room with a screened area on either side. It has a single door with a window on each side. Two models are available, one 18 ft. wide and the other 24 ft. Options include egg boxes, outside egg collection door, lights, and timer.
  An 8 by 24-ft. poultry yard deluxe sells for $2,150.
  Multi-purpose animal pen - This A-shaped building has a 1 by 2-in. wire floor and sides on front, with metal sides on back. It also has a sliding center door, and front and side doors. Available in 4-ft. widths and lengths from 8 to 12 ft.
  A 4 by 10-ft. pen sells for $379.
  Covered goat-sheep-calf feeder - It has a covered wooden manger and a hinged metal roof that can be swung back out of the way, allowing you to drop feed between the feeder's wire panel sides. Available in 4, 6, and 8-ft. widths and custom lengths.
  A 6-ft. feeder sells for $249.
   Hog shed - This shed has galvanized metal sides with


  Click here to download page story appeared in.



  Click here to read entire issue




To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.
Order the Issue Containing This Story
2003 - Volume #27, Issue #6