Portable coop to move with poultry netting

[UPSweeten]

Does anyone do this? Something that the chickens can be locked up at night? I would like to eventually do 50 broilers. I've looked at the ones on an old trailer frame, but wonder about clean up? I currently have a Joel Salatin model, it's ok but doesn't work super well with the netting. And it's so heavy it's difficult to move.

 

[Kiki]

Check out some of these:
tractor-coops.17

Hoop Coops seem to be fairly light weight/easier to move too.

 

[Flock In Texas]

I'm wanting to build an 8X12 portable pen to mate to my 4X8 tractor. I would attach it with "screen door hooks" for daytime use. At night, I will lock them in the tractor and raise the trap door. To move them, I'll separate them, roll them to their new location and reconnect them.

For a portable pen, I'd suggest something modular that can be pieced together and separated for moving. Hoop coop sections can be mated to a central yard.

 

[UPSweeten]

That is pretty close to what I want, I'll just move my netting and the coop separate.

 

[paintedChix]

If you're using a Joel salatin "tractor", go to youTube and check out Justin Rhodes' chicksaw & a few others - Justin Rhodes. He is one of the folks that's formed his permaculture chicken program off of Joel Salatin's, but with differences and much smaller. It's a lockable coop up off the ground with wheels (big ones). It has nest boxes that the free ranging hens will go into the chicksaw to lay. At night, the roosts are incorporated into the HC flooring - the poop falls thru (mostly, some brushing may be required). Works well.

For us, I tried our 8x8 hooped cattle panel coops as tractors (no wheels). 1 is built with 2x6 as base, other 2 are built with 2x4's as base. They have chicken wire, not HW cloth. Currently have tarps for roofs/shade - partially across the back on all 3. All three are HEAVY and really difficult to move w/o an actual tractor, lawn mower or truck. I also killed a lot of chickens that didn't want to move as the coop was moved - pulled back of tractor over them and crush! Never figured out how some of the other tractors work that way (some can have chickens enclosed off the ground, some have a "scoop" or bar - neither worked for us well - probably because I was moving them at the wrong times of day)... I don't know if putting wheels on them would work better for us or not. When the wear and tear of hitting sand & grass clumps started making them want to come apart, I "planted" them in semi-permanent spots.

There is also John Suscovich's chicken tractor. His is similar to both Joel Salatins and a hooped coop - but some differences. He moves his daily... this one shows a meat bird set up - don't know how well this would work with layers. Here's one that shows the All American Farm Tour with Justin Rhodes & family visiting John & Peggy Suscovich and doing spring maintenance on the tractors before putting them back into production.

Larry and I are looking at some other ideas ourselves - we will also be using poultry netting in our front yard that will be turned into a food forest eventually... To use some things I have on hand - may do like a mini "chicksaw" using the wheels from a pony cart that we updated.

Thanks for the post on chicken tractors. I'd been having problems finding that one since the updated website came online. My computer no longer has a search bar when in the forums!! Not sure yet how to fix that... PITA to go thru page by page.

 

[UPSweeten]

Thanks for all the links! I don't come that often so was having trouble finding what I want. John Suscovich's design.