Easy to move coops

I couldn’t find a thread about easily movable chicken coops. Anyone have photos, dimensions, tips or hints on medium sized hen tractors that can be moved by hand by one person? I’m trying to design one for 8-10 hens, ideally with space for them to have a rooster.

Bethany will any of these help:

https://permies.com/t/15054/Chicken-rickshaw

https://permies.com/t/50021/Finally-mobile-chicken-coop-person

And there is even a PEP Badge Bit (BB) for that:

https://permies.com/wiki/147461/pep-animal-care/Lightweight-Paddock-Shift-Chicken-Coop

In my experience, I had some over-breeding issues when I had ten hens to one rooster. My rooster was a rather large australorp so take that into consideration.

What kind of birds are you thinking of having? I only have egg layers personally but would love to figure out a flock of meat birds in the future.

Timothy Norton wrote:In my experience, I had some over-breeding issues when I had ten hens to one rooster. My rooster was a rather large australorp so take that into consideration.

What kind of birds are you thinking of having? I only have egg layers personally but would love to figure out a flock of meat birds in the future.

. I just want to be able to have some eggs, sell a few, and hatch our own replacement chicks. But maybe I don’t need the rooster and can just get hatching eggs from neighbors. We currently have 2 silkies, 6 buff Orpington, 2 Wyandottes, 2 barred rocks, three mixed breed home hatched girls and one mixed home hatched boy. We will be giving a few away. I’m not up for doing meat birds right Norelius. I really wanted to breed my own landrace dual purpose chickens, but health issues are not going to allow me to do that much work.

Anne Miller wrote:Bethany will any of these help:

https://permies.com/t/15054/Chicken-rickshaw

https://permies.com/t/50021/Finally-mobile-chicken-coop-person

And there is even a PEP Badge Bit (BB) for that:

https://permies.com/wiki/147461/pep-animal-care/Lightweight-Paddock-Shift-Chicken-Coop

Can’t play the video right now, we’ll look later. Thanks so much for searching for me and sending links!!

I built a movable chicken coop, and it works great for my 5 hens + 1 rooster.
For a design that can be moved by hand, aim for a coop that's lightweight but sturdy, around 4x8 feet.
This surely gives enough space for 8-10 chickens.
If you need more ideas, search Google for the keyword Chicken Tractor Plans!

Did you see this one?



source

Hi Bethany,
One thing I would stress is the weight of the coop. Make it as lite as possible. I like the chickshaw style from both Eliot Coleman and Justin Rhodes. Both are easy to move, but there was something I did not account for... the weight of the chickens themselves. I built the Eliot Coleman style out of metal. It was great and easy to move. My 6 year old daughter could move it around with a little work. Then I added 30 full grown chickens on a bumpy field. I could still move it ok, but it was significantly harder with an extra 150 pounds. And it took both my 8 and 10 year old sons working together, and working hard to move it. My wife struggles with it too.

With only a handful of chickens this will be less of an issue... but I know a lot of people who started with 3 or 4... and ended up with 20 chickens :)