Stationary vs tractor?

[gggeek]

I was trying to find some good discussion threads on stationary vs tractor style coops for the backyard. I am in my preparation phase of getting backyard chickens and one of the benefits I am looking at is the improvement that can be made to my lawn if I were to tractor the chickens around the yard. However it seems like the designs for tractors are more limiting due to the need for mobility which dictates they are smaller and lighter.

Some of the benefits of stationary coops seem to be that they are easier to secure and are more flexible in design as there is not a need to keep them light and mobile. Also I like the concept behind deep litter as I'm an avid composter and it makes sense. Though I wasn't clear on deep litter and whether it is just for the coop/floor below the roost or if it was meant for the entire run.

One idea I did have was to have the tractor and coop as two separate components. The coop would be stationary and the tractor would be a detachable cage of sorts. During the day I could move the tractor to a spot in the yard for the chickens to forage. In the afternoon I would return the tractor which would attach to the coop. This seems like a possible solution which would take a bit more upfront engineering before building.

Thanks for any insight or input into tractor vs stationary coops.

 

[bigmrg74]

the detectable run idea was something I was kicking around, as I have a shed that I was fixing up, but with the need to let the girls out every morning and bring them back in every evening, it might be less work all around for you to put your coop in with the tractor. I haven't finished my coop and nesting boxes yet, I've just got a plastic barrel in the run with them to give them a place to hide out in rain and whatever. And I've got roost right up near the tin roof where they would stay dry as well. Main thing is keeping them dry, well fed, watered, and happy.

 

[donrae]

I like the detachable idea, although you'd still have to consider weight. but it would only be for the run, not the entire housing affair, so that could be a big help. Maybe you could have a stationary run off one side of the coop, and have the tractor off the other side? So even on days you didn't get the birds moved where you wanted, they still had access to a nicer-sized outdoor area. A lot of this depends on how many birds you're looking at. 3 hens would probably be fine in a tractor-size area full time, 8 would need a large enough tractor you'd have mobility issues.

On the deep litter, again it depends on your set up. I don't use it in my run, as my run is quite large and I just go with dirt. I guess I do a modified deep litter in that I add straw and grass clippings, etc, but that's for mud management more than anything. I do deep litter in the coop and love it! I have so many better things to do than clean out a coop all the time....mine gets a take-down once a year or so. I add pine shavings and grass clippings as needed and feed scratch or other grains to encourage the hens to turn the bedding. If I had a smaller backyard set-up, I'd do deep litter in the run also. Between the chickens and the horses, my garden is the envy of my friends and family