Chicken tractor in the rain.

[serenethirteen]

We have a small chicken tractor with one hen left. She's at least 6 years old. We live in Oregon and are wondering if we need to keep her little "yard" covered when it rains. We sometimes have straw in there, and there is always straw in her covered area for warmth. I say keep it covered, he says no. Thank you in advance

 

[JCaseyHammond]

We have a small chicken tractor with one hen left. She's at least 6 years old. We live in Oregon and are wondering if we need to keep her little "yard" covered when it rains. We sometimes have straw in there, and there is always straw in her covered area for warmth. I say keep it covered, he says no. Thank you in advance

Hi,
Can you post a pic of your coop? It should give her a place sheltered from wind, rain and snow, yet let her get some sunshine when the clouds roll away. Also do you plan to let her have a couple other hens for friends?

 

[serenethirteen]

Hey
Ok, its very much like this one, except the house is on the ground, not elevated like this one. It has a floor inside and always has straw. We keep a tarp over one of the little yard modules, but I think both need to be covered when it rains because there is often straw there as well as in her house and it just stays wet.
Osprey is the last of our laying hens, and we are letting her live her life. We have chosen not to keep on with chickens because we might be moving in future years.
Previous to this chicken tractor we had our hens in a very large coop, and used the deep litter method, so this is new to us, hence why we are unsure of best practices.
Osprey is often loose in our yard because we have a permaculture farm, where my husband is outside very often, and she loves him.

 

[Alaskan]

Hey
Ok, its very much like this one, except the house is on the ground, not elevated like this one. It has a floor inside and always has straw. We keep a tarp over one of the little yard modules, but I think both need to be covered when it rains because there is often straw there as well as in her house and it just stays wet.
Osprey is the last of our laying hens, and we are letting her live her life. We have chosen not to keep on with chickens because we might be moving in future years.
Previous to this chicken tractor we had our hens in a very large coop, and used the deep litter method, so this is new to us, hence why we are unsure of best practices.
Osprey is often loose in our yard because we have a permaculture farm, where my husband is outside very often, and she loves him.

If keeping only one top section covered results in the bedding becoming wet, then yes, both sections need to be covered.