Ok here’s my newest coop. This is a 6X8 coop design based on the John Suscovich Farm Marketing Solutions Chicken tractor design.
My modification include:
1: Smaller Size: 6X8 instead of 8X10
2: Only ground frame is made of treated, all else is steel.
3: steel cage is two 16’ cattle panels welded together to form a 108” X 16’ panel. Then the cattle panel was covered by 2X4 welded fencing.
4: Deleted upper metal gable frame
5: added a perch / bumper bar to the back of the coop for the birds to perch on and so that it will bump them forward before the get ran over by the coop during movement.
6: pvc Board skid plates for front of coop to insulate wooden frame from the ground electrically and to make sliding easier.
7: attached Solar charge controller connected to entire metal frame to control predators.
8: Solar landscape lighting to deter predators and help birds find perch at night.
The bumper bar works well, but I might add a 1/2” mesh hardware cloth to create a perch “shelf” in the back half so the birds can jump up there and ride along without touching the ground, as some have figured out how to stay on the perch while moving so they don’t have to run along.
Also, I did manage to run one birds leg over anyway, but because I made the wheels so they hold the rear of the frame an inch off the ground, backing the coop up released the bird with no serious injury. Good safety feature in my opinion. Don’t want any broken legs.
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