Movable Run

[BigWilly]

This is a great site for anything Chicken, and I wanted to share what I was able to come up with for anyone interesed.
My friend had a Chicken Tractor that spared my interest and soon the ideas shifted to a movable Run and Coop.

I had a friend help lift and move the run by hand , but soon realized there would be some issues with just draggin such a large run. After an hour or so of hunting around this site I found a great idea for wheels.
Below is the link. Im not sure who the member is, but thank you very much !

http://avianaquamiser.com/posts/Wheel_lift_for_a_chicken_tractor/

Below are a few pics of the design in action on our new run. Works great so far.

The first pic you can see what we are working with. Coop latches to the Run. So I move each seperatly.

The next pic you can see the wheels in the up position so the run lays flat. You can also see the latch that holds the Coop and Run together.

The final pic you can see the lever flipped and wheels in the down position. Wheels are placed about a third of the way back to even out the weight when moving.


I have five birds and this design gives them plenty of room. I've been moving the run every second or third day and it seems to work well. Super easy to move.
I also let them out when Im home on the weekend or after work to run the entire yard.

 

[ChicKat]

Nice looking arrangement. Thanks for posting.

 

[ChickiesInUtah]

Nice looking arrangement. Thanks for posting.

Agreed, great set up! Ours is portable in that we can pick it up & haul it. LOL. Not quite as cool as yours!

 

[ach2k6]

What is the roof of the run made out of?

 

[BigWilly]

Thanks for the nice words. The roof is made of corrugated plastic panels. I used four, 8' sheets, from Lowes and split them in half so each side is 4'. I plan to add a cap of some sort to the ridge when I have a few minutes.
Below is a pick of the girls (?) resting in the run. I added a 2”x3” running the width of the run. I’m new to chickens so I’m hoping these are all hens. Every day I read a little more and run home and stare at the birds for hours to try and figure it out....I think I have issues. One day one looks like a hen, the next it looks like a Roo...This is more exhausting then I anticipated.

 

[suzyQlou]

This is more exhausting then I anticipated.

Exhausting? That's because you're doing such an incredible job! I absolutely love your setup. It's what I used to lie around dreaming about last year when I was in building mode. Eventually I rigged something with similar ideas. I only wish it looked as sturdy and professional as yours. Beautiful!

 

[TXchickmum]

-really nice coop!!! -love the concept of changing locations around the lawn!

 

[BigWilly]

Thanks.
The idea to move it came from a friend who had a small "A" frame tractor. I thought the idea of moving it was pretty cool. He placed it in his garden in the fall and the birds cleaned and fertilized the beds. From that it grew to this set up.

 

[BigWilly]

So just when you think all is good...Im outside around 6pm last night throwing the ball around with my dog, birds are free ranging around the bushes...and all of the sudden a fox goes running across the back of our yard maybe about 200ft. from where we were.
Now what? I really dont want to shoot it. Im pretty sure My meighbors would freak if I did that. I have a post and rail fence with 2"x 4" fencing around that all the way around the entire yard, and the birds are in the coop at night or the run during the day. I will hang the pelt for the rest of the fox to see if that things messes with my birds...any suggestions? My dog seems to be keeping it at bay, but shes not always out there.

 

[littlecritters]

So just when you think all is good...Im outside around 6pm last night throwing the ball around with my dog, birds are free ranging around the bushes...and all of the sudden a fox goes running across the back of our yard maybe about 200ft. from where we were. 
Now what? I really dont want to shoot it. Im pretty sure My meighbors would freak if I did that. I have a post and rail fence with 2"x 4" fencing around that all the way around the entire yard, and the birds are in the coop at night or the run during the day. I will hang the pelt for the rest of the fox to see if that things messes with my birds...any suggestions? My dog seems to be keeping it at bay, but shes not always out there.

Very impressive and professional job! Regarding the fox, we have someone on the Southern NY thread who had a fox problem. Lots of interesting posts on that thread. She ended up trapping the fox and had it taken away by the Dept of Conservation. I believe she was told to keep the trap out due to the likelihood of more foxes. Tina