Coop Question

[InkedChicken]

I am wanting to get a few laying chickens and have some questions. I have raised chickens before and I have learned that I don't want a stationary coop/run. So, I will either do a tractor or just a Coop. If I do a tractor, do I need a Coop? I feel like the birds wont be protected in a tractor at night. If I don't do a tractor, do I really need a run? Why can't I just build a coop with laying boxes and let them roam in the pasture/woods in the day?

Thanks!

 

[50-45-1]

It sounds like a movable coop might be what you need.
There are different designs of course, but most tractors have no bottom so the birds can scratch and dig on the soil. This set up is not good perminent overnight protection.
Build a coop with a floor, roosts and nest boxes on skids that can be moved ocassionalky but also can be locked tight for nighttime safety.
My neighbors built a small walk in about 7 X 9 on skids. Works great for around 6 to 8 hens. Although im not sure how it will work this winter when they are all confined to this space on the winter days.
Where are you located?
How many chickens are you planning?
What breed are they?

 

[InkedChicken]

I'm in MS, doesn't get real cold down here. I probably will have about six or so, Dominiques

 

[Ridgerunner]

You can try it any way you wish. We all have different goals and circumstances. Some people may be horrified that you'd even think of managing them a certain way but someone else will say, yeah, that's exactly what I do.

If I do a tractor, do I need a Coop? I feel like the birds wont be protected in a tractor at night.
This depends on your tractor. You can build them so you can securely lock them up at night. You can build them with nests and a roost area protected from weather. Some people surround the tractor with electric netting. There are just all kinds of different things you can do.

If I don't do a tractor, do I really need a run? Why can't I just build a coop with laying boxes and let them roam in the pasture/woods in the day?

You absolutely can. That's how Dad managed his chickens, a coop for night and no run during the day. Some even slept in trees. The obvious risk to this is that you get predators attacking during the day. It might be nice to have a run so you could safely lock them up while you dealt with the predator, some are not easy and take time.

I only remember Dad dealing with two predator attacks. A dog showed up and killed several chickens before it was shot. A fox started picking off one chicken every morning just after sunrise. It took Dad a couple of days to determine its pattern and then he shot it. All in all that wasn't too bad. But some people that try that will get wiped out almost immediately. Say a pack or coyotes or dogs show up. You just never know when that night happen. But say a bobcat, fox, or something like that starts picking off one a day having a run to protect them might be handy.

 

[InkedChicken]

Yea - Im thinking a tractor is the way to go - something real lightweight.. Not sure what you would do in strong winds though

 

[50-45-1]

sounds great!
My neighbors coop is similar to the one below. He moves it with either his tractor or 4X gator.
He also has an electric netting fence that he moves along with it.
At night the fence is on and the chickens are locked in the coop.
things have tried to get in with no luck.
He did loose one to a hawk during the day.

 

[InkedChicken]

Like this? What if winds got up to 20mph?

 

[Ridgerunner]

There are trade-offs to how strong you build it, how heavy it is to move, costs, and risks from wind. It's not always an easy answer.

If you know winds are coming maybe you can park it on the lee side of a building or guy wire it down. Removing tarps can reduce wind load. But that's the chance you take. You don't always have advance warning.

 

[3KillerBs]

Yea - Im thinking a tractor is the way to go - something real lightweight.. Not sure what you would do in strong winds though

How common are strong winds in your area? Have you often had issues with unsecured lawn furniture, trash cans, etc. blowing around?

As an example, when Hurricane Floyd struck I was living in the mountains, near Boone, NC. In many areas it was an absolutely devastating storm and even though it had been reduced in power the winds that struck Watauga County *could* have been devastating.

Except that the northern part of the NC mountains are subject to strong winds routinely all winter -- they howl and scream from October to April. So people just put up their lawn furniture and made sure the trash cans were in their secure bunkers (seriously, concrete block bunkers for the trash cans are common up there), and suffered very little damage. We were used to strong winds and prepared for them.

If you routinely have strong winds you won't want a lightweight, easily-flipped structure at all. But if you have them only occassionaly you can plan to move the tractor to the lee of a building and/or secure it with heavy tie-downs when a severe storm threatens.