Yellawood Coop?

[D.ascheman]

Hello, we are about to build a chicken tractor to hold 4-6 chickens. Has anyone out there ever tried using the Yellawood plans? We’ve looked at so many pics of chicken tractors online, it’s so hard to figure out a good design. Thanks for your help and input! https://www.yellawood.com/diy-projects/diy-project-plans/chicken-coop/

 

[nminusyplusm]

There's no way to put 4-6 chickens in that without overcrowding. Each bird needs 4 sq ft of coop and 10 sq ft of run minimum. I think you'd be way better off using cattle panels for a hoop coop tractor.

Also whoever designed that coop looks like they never built it and then had to use it themselves. They made a lot of choices that don't make sense to me, like why so much nesting box space vs coop square footage? What is gained by having part of the base cantilevered? Does the designer live in a place with no wind at all (or predators) because that roof was made to be ripped off and no rain because using that flashing upside down looks like a recipe for rot? I could go on...

 

[PlymouthRockBBredSebright]

There's no way to put 4-6 chickens in that without overcrowding. Each bird needs 4 sq ft of coop and 10 sq ft of run minimum. I think you'd be way better off using cattle panels for a hoop coop tractor.

Also whoever designed that coop looks like they never built it and then had to use it themselves. They made a lot of choices that don't make sense to me, like why so much nesting box space vs coop square footage? What is gained by part of the base cantilevered? Does the designer live in a place with no wind at all (or predators) because that roof was made to be ripped off and no rain because using that flashing upside down looks like a recipe for rot? I could go on...

Very true! Putting chickens in that will very much stress them out!!

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC @D.ascheman !
That a plan is too small and lousy design....look further, lots of info here on BYC.
A tractor for 4-6 birds might be too heavy to move easily,
do you have a vehicle to move it?

Climate can make a big difference in what coop to use.
Adding your location to your profile is easy,
then it's always there and you will get better answers.

 

[jthornton]

When you see chicken wire on a set of plans you know for sure they don't have a clue about keeping chickens. Another one for the dust bin... just build a hoop coop.

JT

 

[D.ascheman]

There's no way to put 4-6 chickens in that without overcrowding. Each bird needs 4 sq ft of coop and 10 sq ft of run minimum. I think you'd be way better off using cattle panels for a hoop coop tractor.

Also whoever designed that coop looks like they never built it and then had to use it themselves. They made a lot of choices that don't make sense to me, like why so much nesting box space vs coop square footage? What is gained by having part of the base cantilevered? Does the designer live in a place with no wind at all (or predators) because that roof was made to be ripped off and no rain because using that flashing upside down looks like a recipe for rot? I could go on...

Thanks for your reply. That’s why I was asking. I’ve looked though the coops on backyard chickens and many are built by novices like us and may be badly designed too. I wish Backyard chickens would publish a good tried and true starter Co-op. It seems like everyone reinvents the wheel and does their own thing. My husband was going to push the nesting boxes out the back to open up space for roosting. Good point about the roof.

 

[D.ascheman]

When you see chicken wire on a set of plans you know for sure they don't have a clue about keeping chickens. Another one for the dust bin... just build a hoop coop.

JT

I would absolutely love to build a hoop coop, but our dumb HOA won’t let that fly. We already had to do some serious talking to convince them that the chickens should be ok. And we have to have a tractor or movable coop to get around needing architectural planning approval. Keep trying to find land in the country. Oh, and the actual plans call for hardware cloth -I completely agree with the chicken wire comment. Thanks for your help!

 

[D.ascheman]

Welcome to BYC @D.ascheman !
That a plan is too small and lousy design....look further, lots of info here on BYC.
A tractor for 4-6 birds might be too heavy to move easily,
do you have a vehicle to move it?

Climate can make a big difference in what coop to use.
Adding your location to your profile is easy,
then it's always there and you will get better answers.
View attachment 1261135

Thanks so much! Does Backyard Chickens have any tried and true plans available for a lightweight attractive tractor? I’ve looked at all the pics, but before we go to the expense, I’d like to know they actually work! There are so many diy coops but most are built by first time chicken owners like myself and I don’t know how they actually worked out. We live in a neighborhood that is not chicken friendly with strict covenants so I need to make it look cute to get into trouble. We live in SC. Thanks for your help!

 

[D.ascheman]

Very true! Putting chickens in that will very much stress them out!!

Thank you!

 

[PirateGirl]

Have you seen the articles section... This may be more helpful than just the forums section...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/tractor-coops.17/

Maybe browse this, and if you find your top 2-3 designs with instructions we can help you narrow down the choices further. I agree, building a coop can be overwhelming. I did not see this section of the website before I built mine, and I wish I had.