Portable run with a stationary coop?

[Juli1980]

Preparing a home for seven adults chickens. I have a small yard in a neighborhood. We have coyotes, bobcats, and the standard neighborhood critters. I have a decent coop coming, but if I attach their run to it the space will be very limited. What I want to do is have a portable run that I can move around the yard so they have fresh places to ... graze (?) every day.

Is that crazy?

I'm thinking a PVC pipe with wire fencing play yard of sorts that I can move around easily. It would have a shelter at one end to give it some weight and provide shelter, of course. Would I still need to fence in the coop, or would a strong secure coop be protection enough at night?

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters, especially when it comes to housing.

Those are some serious predators so I think that your priority should be a strong, secure coop with a strong, secure attached run and then consider a mobile day pen after the core facility is established. Dogs have been known to flip lightweight, PVC structures.

Here are some numbers to help you figure out what you need.

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

6 hens

• 24 square feet in the coop. 4'x6' is the only really practical build for this given the common dimensions of lumber. If you can't walk into it, put the access door in the middle of the long side to make sure you can reach all areas of the coop because a stubborn chicken WILL press itself into/lay an egg in the back corner where you can't reach.
• 6 feet of roost
• 60 square feet in the run. 6'x10' or 8'x8'.
• 6 square feet of ventilation.
• 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice

8 hens

• 32 square feet in the coop. 4'x8' is approaching the limits for a non-walk-in coop even with the access door in the middle. 6'x6' should be walk-in because even the tallest chicken-keeper won't be able to reach the far wall.
• 8 feet of roost
• 80 square feet in the run. 8'x10' is a nice looking number but, remembering the common dimensions of lumber, a roomier 8'x12' is actually easier to build. 6'x14' looks good on paper but would require a lot of weird cuts.
• 8 square feet of ventilation.
• 2-3 nest boxes.

And an article on why these numbers are guidelines rather than rules carved in stone: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-much-room-do-chickens-need.66180/

My run is 100 feet of Premier 1 electric poultry netting -- roomy and easily mobile. I highly recommend it, though with the caveat that it's only good against ground-based predators.

 

[saysfaa]

Preparing a home for seven adults chickens. I

.Is that crazy?

...Would I still need to fence in the coop, or would a strong secure coop be protection enough at night?

It is not completely crazy; it might be a little crazy. If your chickens get along reasonably well, a minimum of seventy square feet plus space for food and water plus space for nest boxes is needed for daytime space. So, basically an 8x10 foot space. I would do it with cattle panels loosely connected at the corners so you can "walk" the structure along. Pvc might work too; I think it would be very much harder to build and move, less sturdy/resilient, and possibly more expensive if you buy fittings too.

You could raise the nest boxes so you can count the space under the nest boxes. A taller structure has advantages and disadvantages.

Such a thing will spread out the damage to your lawn but if your lawn isn't big enough for a section to recover before you need to use that section again, you end up without a lawn.

How are you planning to get the birds from the coop to the movable pen for the day?

Please give updates as you work out your plan.

Edit to add: I forgot the other question. Most places need fencing around the coop to keep predators from digging under the coop... the easiest way is laying the hardware cloth or metal lath flat on the ground out a couple of feet (predator apron). You don't need a fence (as in a run) by your coop if your coop is big enough or if you let the chickens out freely or in a portable run. Can be done and easy to use (either/both routinely or during storms, integrating new birds, etc) are different things, though.

 

[citymeetscountry]

We only have 4 hens and we have a “chicken tractor” with their “coop” on top. It works well for us but definitely does not get moved around as often as it should. I think your portable run is very similar to that of a tractor and you can make it works as previous posters said you’re looking at about 10ft per bird. You’ll want to have a way to move it easily but it’s doable. As long as your coop is secure you won’t need extra fencing around it, but you’ll def want to make sure it’s secure everywhere.

 

[Juli1980]

...

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters, especially when it comes to housing.

Those are some serious predators so I think that your priority should be a strong, secure coop with a strong, secure attached run and then consider a mobile day pen after the core facility is established. Dogs have been known to flip lightweight, PVC structures.

Here are some numbers to help you figure out what you need.

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

6 hens

• 24 square feet in the coop. 4'x6' is the only really practical build for this given the common dimensions of lumber. If you can't walk into it, put the access door in the middle of the long side to make sure you can reach all areas of the coop because a stubborn chicken WILL press itself into/lay an egg in the back corner where you can't reach.
• 6 feet of roost
• 60 square feet in the run. 6'x10' or 8'x8'.
• 6 square feet of ventilation.
• 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice

8 hens

• 32 square feet in the coop. 4'x8' is approaching the limits for a non-walk-in coop even with the access door in the middle. 6'x6' should be walk-in because even the tallest chicken-keeper won't be able to reach the far wall.
• 8 feet of roost
• 80 square feet in the run. 8'x10' is a nice looking number but, remembering the common dimensions of lumber, a roomier 8'x12' is actually easier to build. 6'x14' looks good on paper but would require a lot of weird cuts.
• 8 square feet of ventilation.
• 2-3 nest boxes.

And an article on why these numbers are guidelines rather than rules carved in stone: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-much-room-do-chickens-need.66180/

My run is 100 feet of Premier 1 electric poultry netting -- roomy and easily mobile. I highly recommend it, though with the caveat that it's only good against ground-based predators.

I'm in VA. It's humid, very very humid. The winters are sporadic, so temps jump from 60 down to teens and back in the space of a week. Yesterday started out in the 60s and ended up below freezing. Summers tend to stay above 75. It is wet all year round. Wet cold, wet heat. Thankfully, these chickens were brought up here, so this is the climate they're used to.

Thank you for all the info. I'm adding it to my notebook. Some of your numbers are different from what I've read before, so I really appreciate the added info.

The predator issue here is nuts, we also have eagles and hawks, so big birds and little birds. We lost our rabbit to a bald eagle years ago...

I hadn't thought about how easily they could get into a lightweight PVC run...

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm in VA. It's humid, very very humid. The winters are sporadic, so temps jump from 60 down to teens and back in the space of a week. Yesterday started out in the 60s and ended up below freezing. Summers tend to stay above 75. It is wet all year round. Wet cold, wet heat.

I'm in central NC, with a similar kind of variation.

Have you considered an Open Air coop? That's essentially a big wire box with a 3-sided shelter at the windward end -- maximum ventilation for hot summers (heat being much, much more dangerous to chickens than cold).

This is my new coop: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/large-open-air-coop-in-central-nc.1443812/

 

[Juli1980]

It is not completely crazy; it might be a little crazy. If your chickens get along reasonably well, a minimum of seventy square feet plus space for food and water plus space for nest boxes is needed for daytime space. So, basically an 8x10 foot space. I would do it with cattle panels loosely connected at the corners so you can "walk" the structure along. Pvc might work too; I think it would be very much harder to build and move, less sturdy/resilient, and possibly more expensive if you buy fittings too.

You could raise the nest boxes so you can count the space under the nest boxes. A taller structure has advantages and disadvantages.

Such a thing will spread out the damage to your lawn but if your lawn isn't big enough for a section to recover before you need to use that section again, you end up without a lawn.

How are you planning to get the birds from the coop to the movable pen for the day?

Please give updates as you work out your plan.

Edit to add: I forgot the other question. Most places need fencing around the coop to keep predators from digging under the coop... the easiest way is laying the hardware cloth or metal lath flat on the ground out a couple of feet (predator apron). You don't need a fence (as in a run) by your coop if your coop is big enough or if you let the chickens out freely or in a portable run. Can be done and easy to use (either/both routinely or during storms, integrating new birds, etc) are different things, though.

I'm not even sure where to get cattle panels (or what they look like), so I'll have to look into that.

These chickens have been sharing a tiny little coop, it looks maybe 12 sq ft, but they were free-range, so I don't know if that makes it easier for them.

I was going to take the chickens out of the coop and pop them into the run and then move it to where I wanted it, which sounds a little crazy now that I write it out.

Thank you for the advice. Clearly, I have a lot to think about!

 

[Juli1980]

We only have 4 hens and we have a “chicken tractor” with their “coop” on top. It works well for us but definitely does not get moved around as often as it should. I think your portable run is very similar to that of a tractor and you can make it works as previous posters said you’re looking at about 10ft per bird. You’ll want to have a way to move it easily but it’s doable. As long as your coop is secure you won’t need extra fencing around it, but you’ll def want to make sure it’s secure everywhere.

I have a friend that uses a tractor and now I'm wondering if there's some way to use the coops I have and make a tractor with them, or if I'd have to start from scratch.

 

[Juli1980]

I'm in central NC, with a similar kind of variation.

Have you considered an Open Air coop? That's essentially a big wire box with a 3-sided shelter at the windward end -- maximum ventilation for hot summers (heat being much, much more dangerous to chickens than cold).

This is my new coop: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/large-open-air-coop-in-central-nc.1443812/

The tractor I was drawing out sounds similar but portable. I may go in that direction. A local friend who raises meat chickens keeps them in something that is almost completely open, like yours.

 

[saysfaa]

M

I'm not even sure where to get cattle panels (or what they look like), so I'll have to look into that. ...

Like this. They come in some different sizes and weights. It would be the framework; not the part that keeps the chickens in. https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/...tm_term=4584207590674353&utm_content=Ad group

There is a different, much more expensive, thing called cattle panels that are pipes welded together to make gates or small holding pens. Not thise for this.