The reason the slang for these houses is "Chicken Tractors" is that they can be used in the garden, even during growing season, if you do your rows right. We haven't done it alot, but between trellised tomatos or beans or cucumbers they'll keep the path weeded, grubbed, fertilized, and any tomato-worm or other beastie stupid enough to fall into the path/cage will be toast. We have gone from tons of Japanese beetles to ZERO.
Mostly now we use them as shown to raise a batch, then once parked in place (i.e. fruit orchard or wherever) we'll clip the wire on the end where we already clipped the bars of the hog panel, forming an access door to the outside about 8" wide and 14" tall that we can block with a concrete block or two when needed.
The main frame of the 'coop' part is grey (UV-resistant) PVC - 2" I think, with galvanized barn siding screwed into it. The main frame of the 'run' part is bent 'hog panels' which are about 32" x 16 ft and made of 1/4" or so stiff metal, cut with a bolt-cutter and bent with the hole in the end of a 1/2" Craftsman socket 'breaker-bar'. Poultry netting is wrapped around it and 'stitched' in place with galvanized fence wire.
The 2x4's inside serve as roosts, and support a two-nest sized box we use when they are laying. When they are chicks we'll hang light/heat feeder and water in there, but as adults we just hang an open waterer in the open area, and fill it with the hose. Table scraps go in the hatch at that point.
For 'bedding' wood shavings when they're chicks, waste hay when they're adults, or whatever scraps we want composted and tilled in where the cage is parked that week. For nest boxes cedar shavings I like best, or regular pine ones.
Anyhow, thought it might stir up some project ideas.
If you really want them raccoon-proof, you should actually use wire on the bottom as well, such as 2"x4" mesh reinforcing wire or fencing, etc. As you can see, ours is right next to the dog kennel, and is pretty much a no-raccoon zone, particularly since our 400-plus pounds of lively dogs are not usually even confined in the kennel but rather have the whole fenced-in yard to patrol.
