Tractor or Stationary Hen House/coop?

[jjhere]

We just got our chicks and now have to decide what kind of coop to build (building it ourselves) and could really use some advice.

3 hens: Ameraucana, Barred Rock, Ancona
Urban backyard: approx. 3000 sq ft
Problematic critters around: hawks, eagles, raccoons

Thanks.

 

[PhilErvin]

I think a lot depends on a lot to make this decision. At first I thought the tractor idea was a good one. I even purchased a plan to build a tractor. But then I got to thinking that maybe I would be able to simply let my girls freerange during the day and would have no need to move a tractor around. RIGHT DECISION!! I have a fenced in back field which serves the girls well . We go out in the a.m and open their door and in the evening we simply close and lock them in. If we forget to let them out they have an adaquet run to spend the day in.
Check out my set-up.

 

[ColoradoMike]

The beauty of a fixed coop is that you can build them larger quarters than you would with the (typical) tractor designs. And everyone know that larger quarters means more chickens!

Also, I'm all about low maintenance - moving a tractor around my yard every few days would be a huge pain in the booty, imo.

 

[jjhere]

I love the idea of free-ranging them, but am worried about the eagles, hawks and neighborhood cats. The place where I think we'd build a stationary coop is on a little bit of a slope in the corner of our yard; could be okay, but it backs up to a fence that separates us from the "woods" behind us (where the raccoons and ?? lurk). I wonder if the little buggers would dig in there and get my chickens.

 

[outlawfarmer]

I went with chicken ark. Its heavy even with the wheels but I can move it every couple of days. The birds eat the tics, grubs and ants and fertilize the lawn. If I am going to be in the yard working I let them free range. If I am gone for the weekend I leave the ramp down and its fenced in even on bottom and they stay safe. For me it works.

 

[NurseDr]

I build this about a month ago, my seven 8-week olds have been in for 3 weeks now. Here are the reasons I chose a tractor. The only place I could build a stationary coup is up a steep set of steps, two flights to a level area on the hillside above my house. It does not have power or water. And I do not want to hall feed up there. To difficult to access, especially in the winter. I want this to be easy. I do not have a fences yard and live in an urban neighborhood. So the all in one coop and tractor are necessary.
I had to build it my self, as my spouse want nothing to do with it. So it needed to be simple and inexpensive. It was not too much until I added on the automation; vent fan, door, waterer, that added about $350, but worth it.
I am limited on the number of hens, and 7 maybe to many when they get bigger.

So convenience was the overriding factor and the tractor made sense. it will also limit the numbers of flock.

 

[keeko]

I'd say part of it depends on if you see yourself getting more hens later on. If you'll always keep a small flock, that's one vote for a tractor. I have both a stationary coop and a tractor...and I can tell you that they will demolish the grass under the tractor if you don't move it consistently.

We also have the same problem...though we have a nice sloping backyard, and lots of tasty bugs, I can't let my girls free-range because there are hawks that literally live in the trees above our yard. I'd have to be standing there the entire time, and even then, hawks are bold (we have 12 hens, so it's a lot to keep track of!).

The votes for a tractor is that it's portable, you could always take if you move. On the other hand, to make it entirely secure, you would have to put hardware cloth along the bottom to completely seal it off from predators. Then your hens are always walking on wire. In my opinion, that's a rough surface for them to be on their whole lives, but hens have survived worse! My tractor is open in the bottom because they are not in it 24/7/365, so I'm not worried about critters getting to them.

What's nice about a stationary coop and run is that you don't have to worry about this if you build the run well - they'll have outdoor access all the time, with probably a sand bottom, and some sort of roof (maybe?) to keep out some of the rain. We did the whole bury-the-hardware-cloth-12-inches-deep thing, and that wouldn't be too hard for a smaller coop. As someone mentioned, it would be great to build a larger stationary coop in the event you even want to add one or two more hens as the years go on. Though I love my tractor, that's what I'd recommend! I think you might find you want to add a few more

 

[jjhere]

So what I'm hearing is that I should plan my coop for the five I want to have instead of the three that I do have. LOL

 

[keeko]

exactly!!