Moveable Chicken Coop

We have ducks.  This summer we "grazed" them on our back lawn and it worked very well.  The lawn is lush and weed free now (ducks like broadleaf weeds better than grasses).  Not to mention a complete lack of bugs all summer!  They are free range now.

We just used a pen because once they are feathered out, ducks don't need shelter from the elements in warm weather.

Put "chicken tractor" in google and you will find what you need.  There's a ton of plans out there.  Look for one that you can move with the resources you have, either on wheels so you can lift it wheelbarrow style and roll it to its new location, or on a sled that can be moved with a lawn tractor.  Or if you are lucky enough to have a real tractor with a bucket, the sky's the limit.

I think we'll be seeing a big movement towards self-sufficiency in the near future as people wisely look for ways to escape the clutches of Mega Corporate Commericalism.  Viva backyard farming! 

Thanks, I didn't know what to call it or look for.  I think the problem will be making it secure from predators, though.  Right now we get our eggs from a neighbor down the road, but my mom would like to have her own chickens.  She already has a big garden and eventually would like to build a greenhouse, too. :)

Oh my gosh, you had to mention that didn't you. I checked, chickens are legal in the city limits here.............

What you do is have a day coop and a night coop.  Every morning you move the chickies to their tractor, and every night they go back to their coop.  That way the tractor doesn't have to be any more complicated than something that offers moderate security, shelter, and a way to move it.

There's many arrangements you can make for a night coop.  The simplest is to set a dog kennel on a "floor" of rodent-proof wire, which is secured all the way around to the kennel.  Then you build the nesting boxes inside the night coop.  The chickens will naturally want to go to the night coop in the evening, once they get the routine, and in the morning if you feed them in the tractor, they will start running directly there as well.

And if they don't, you get a Border Collie to help you move them back and forth.  LOL!

I'm starting to want my own chickens, too.  I love my ducks and they do lay eggs, but you have to hunt them up. 

brookcove

I'm starting to want my own chickens, too.  I love my ducks and they do lay eggs, but you have to hunt them up. 

DH wants some, too.  He keeps trying to convince me by saying it will give the Maremma something to do LOL.  But our garden is just not big enough.

 I use chicken tractors for my chickens. They're great - just make sure you have a well thought out  plan on how it will be moved - you want it as easy as possible. My last tractor I made is too heavy & I have to put wheels on it - until then it's literally a pain in the neck to move! LOL

Thanks for all the suggestions - I'm taking notes!  ;)  Now, I wonder if I could teach my Chihuahua to move the chickens, LOL.  Only kidding...they'd probably chase him instead.

Benedict

brookcove

I'm starting to want my own chickens, too.  I love my ducks and they do lay eggs, but you have to hunt them up. 

 

DH wants some, too.  He keeps trying to convince me by saying it will give the Maremma something to do LOL.  But our garden is just not big enough.

Depending on how big/small your garden really is, it might still be do-able...

http://www.amazon.com/Chickens-Your-Backyard-Beginners-Guide/dp/0878571256