We're moving to 4 acres in the country over the next couple of weeks! I have about 30 backyard chickens--mostly full sized birds with a few bantams and Silkies mixed in. I have to build new coops because our old ones can't leave my backyard, they won't fit out the gate and they will probably fall apart anyway.
I was thinking of building two hoop coops that can be moved around the field. Will a hoop coop with a couple layers of chicken wire and a tarp over the top be enough for them to live in full time? I've seen several blogs where people seemed to have success with it year round.
I'm curious about electric poultry netting. I want to put this around the coop for (walking) predator protection. Does it make a huge difference? I'm afraid something might just dig under the hoop coop otherwise. If I let them out of the coop and into the netted area around it to range during the day will they just fly over the poultry netting? They can easily fly over the chain link fence we have in our current backyard, but obviously that's not electrified.
Third question: Will two hoop coops that are 5.5 feet wide and 8 feet long be enough for about 30 birds to scratch and peck happily inside? I'm having trouble picturing it, but it seems like enough space...
I was thinking of building two hoop coops that can be moved around the field. Will a hoop coop with a couple layers of chicken wire and a tarp over the top be enough for them to live in full time? I've seen several blogs where people seemed to have success with it year round.
I'm curious about electric poultry netting. I want to put this around the coop for (walking) predator protection. Does it make a huge difference? I'm afraid something might just dig under the hoop coop otherwise. If I let them out of the coop and into the netted area around it to range during the day will they just fly over the poultry netting? They can easily fly over the chain link fence we have in our current backyard, but obviously that's not electrified.
Third question: Will two hoop coops that are 5.5 feet wide and 8 feet long be enough for about 30 birds to scratch and peck happily inside? I'm having trouble picturing it, but it seems like enough space...
