We will be trying a new system when we move to our property in a couple of weeks. I don't like keeping chickens in tractors--seeing them run freely as much as possible is such a joy to me. I see the purpose, but I'm a big softy. I do need to keep at least most of the chickens contained so their poop lands somewhere I can benefit from directly (OK, I guess it's always "indirectly" to some degree.
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Since we need to protect our garden from deer, we fenced off a large area and will place the coop (divided coop) on one end with doors to underneath the roosts on the garden side. The reason the coop is on one end instead of in the middle is due to sunexposure--we only have so much and the garden needs it all.)
We will eventually start sectioning off the garden in about 3 (4?) sections. The idea will be to start the freshest beds (the ones that the chickens have been running on) on tomatoes and squash and broccoli-- the hungry ones. Next rotate it into kale and leeks and lettuce crops (long after the chicken poo has mellowed). Then hopefully some cover crop/peas and beans (no grasses for this gardener!) to run the chickens back into. We can also run them to finish off the crops if we want. The system is still in my head and I'll need to work out a few kinks, I'm sure.
Hopefully with this system, the only work will be the coops--and the roosts are strategically placed so all I need to do is scoop out the litter and poo and turn around and plop it back down in a pile to compost. Having a pile of compost on hand to use wherever I want is nice.
We could also incorporate dh's worm bin system (a plastic 35 gallon bucket with the bottom cut off--as pro. gardeners we have a lot of old ones) but the veg garden is not as close to the kitchen door as would be convenient. We had to choose sun exposure over house proximity. Using this would have been nice to provide that mid-season fertilizer boost from spreading the finished compost (shoveshoveshove!)
I don't think our fence will keep in the most ambitious flyers, but a few free-ranging chickens wouldn't be bad. (Especially for the coyotes!)