chicken tractor and coop, how do chooks get there?

[Steffen595]

Hello,

started building a house for 2 chooks. Now, the idea is to build some sort of wire mesh structure with roof that I could move around and the house would be somewhere else. How do the chickens get there? I know that sounds stupid, but I tought at dark I move them into the house and lock it up and daylight hrs they would be in the mesh thing. There is a big cat around, foxes is chances.

thanks,

Steffen

 

[suezqz_64]

Any chance you could move the coop with the wire pen to keep them close? With just two, it should be fairly small, no? My wire pen is attached to the coop I have (4X4 coop, 6X12 pen) and I move them both seasonally (and for in-climate weather). If you don't you're going to have a twice daily job of relocating the chooks to and fro their sleeping quarters.

 

[Steffen595]

trouble is for council regulations the house have to be 6m away from any inhabited building. But the pen I would want to put next to the fence. That area is full of weeds and the chickens would fix it up nicely I hope. Then every so often I move the pen elsewhere.
But I suppose next trouble is they lay their eggs where they feel like it, then I guess. And if they cannot access their house all day it will be somewhere else.

 

[debid]

For two hens, I'd build a portable coop (aka chicken tractor) and move it all over the place. I haven't read your regulations but portable structures are sometimes not subject to the same restrictions as permanent structures.

If that's not possible, a day pen and night coop can certainly be separate and chickens can be trained to move from one to the other with food and repetition (open door, toss scratch, close door when they follow the food). I'd give them a portable nest box (a cat litter box with top would work nicely) in the playpen to encourage them to lay there if away from their coop when the need arises.

 

[Smoochie]

Moving them into the house at night does not work because the chickens will not always want to be outside when the weather is bad. During the fall and winter my chickens spend most of there time in the coop and rarely want to go outside (even with a large covered run). Chickens also need access to a coop to lay the eggs during the day.

Also, they won't take care of your weeds (goats are better for that) and the run will be a muddy patch in no time. Fresh eggs are great though.

 

[barnaclebob]

I second the movable chicken tractor comment, for a small flock they aren't difficult to move.

 

[Steffen595]

guess it will be a moveable house and a moveable cage so they can walk in and out. Just have to lock the door at night.