tractor style run size, 6 hens, moves daily

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poultry pappa

poultry pappa

In the Brooder
Feb 22, 2015
13
2
24
Western Ky
I have 6 hens, I'm building a 4'x6' coop, and the run will be 4' wide, 2-3'tall, but how long should it be if it moves one full footprint daily? At 10 sqft/hen, it's 13'long, but is that over doing it? I guess it may just come down to how big of a tractor can I move daily. Thanks.
 
poultry pappa said:
I have 6 hens, I'm building a 4'x6' coop, and the run will be 4' wide, 2-3'tall, but how long should it be if it moves one full footprint daily? At 10 sqft/hen, it's 13'long, but is that over doing it? I guess it may just come down to how big of a tractor can I move daily. Thanks.
Click to expand...
well... the bigger it is, the less damage they chickens will do to the lawn...


the bigger it is, the harder it is to move.......


it is a horrid circle of
barnie.gif


If you have a design that is on something easily moveable (like a garden cart or trailer) then you have more flexibility with the size of the tractor.

Also, don't forget that you can make it in sections... that might make it more easily moveable, but then you also need to worry about predator issues where the sections join together.....
 
Interested to know if you made the chicken coop/run. I've got 6 chicks right now and need to build a run and coop for them. Portable, preferably and would be great to learn from your experience.
 
I tried a tractor one summer. That experiment did not last long. I had to move it too often. Alaskan nailed it. It’s a horrid circle, bigger means heavier. Yet many people have tractors and love them. It’s just not for me.

The bigger the better. How often you have to move it will depend on size, number of chickens (6), the quality of your turf, how much damage you are willing to put up with (it will come back even if destroyed but can look quite ugly for a while), the time of year for how fast the grass grows, how wet or dry it is at the time, and who knows what else. If it is wet it doesn’t take long for the poop to build up enough to stink, plus they can really damage wet ground with their scratching.

I suggest you build it as big as you can still move it. Sections is a good idea a lot of the time. I did that and used bolts and butterfly nuts to put the sections back together.

Good luck!
 
The coop is out! I had no plans, but I enjoy architecture and structures so I winged it. It's way overbuilt, it would hold 5 kids, let alone 5 hens!! In hindsight, this is what I would've done:
1. Buy an overpriced coop from the local tractor supply. What I might have THOUGHT I could save in money I sacrificed too much family time. Or...
2 build out of 2x2 and pallet slats. It might be ugly, but white paint covers a multitude of sins :)

3. 5 hens was a little too much, should've bought 3 with a smaller coop.

4. Water. The waterer I got is flimsy, but it does the job. I got a handful of "horizontal nipples" from a buddy and will make the switch this weekend.

...more to follow, now for some family time; )
 
Looks great! I figure I can probably just paste something together with some wood lying around. Looking at models like yours and others in the 'Coop" section is a big help! Enjoy time with the family.
 

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