For any people with smaller backyards or those that are only wanting to keep a couple of chickens a portable chicken coop is an ideal option.
The chooks love it because they get a uncontaminated environment and a constant stream of green grass, and feed mixture. You will obtain an stress-free hen house to maintain, you’ll pay out less on feed, manure for your garden and building materials, while still getting those fantastic fresh eggs. If you are very lucky your chooks will also help out to maintain your turf.
This may seem silly and totally obvious but don’t overlook the advantage that having a enclosure that you can shift nearer to the house, under the shade, or into a temporary shelter in an instant brings. Picture a unexpected snow storm or flash flood, or a day where the mercury zaps through the lid of your thermometer, (don’t laugh, they happen more and more often these days). If you had a immobile chicken coop odds are that you may well lose the entire flock, but with a portable chicken coop you can transfer your girls into security quickly and effortlessly.
As well you also get the further benefit of not having to deal with a great pen that you have to work around or contemplate each time that you have to to rearrange the garden or mow the lawn.
Putting together a portable chicken coop is easy but you will need to move it every couple of days so there are a few things that you ought to work out to make certain that your house is trouble-free to build and effortless to deal with.
Size and Weight:
Have a glance at the sketch that you are working from and check the materials that you will be using. You should be able to make an educated guess about how easy the coop will be to move. It is feasible to swap some materials for lighter alternatives – in some cases even PVC piping makes great framing that is also lightweight and durable.
As a guide, a portable chicken coop that is around 3ft x 8ft will probably be alright for most folks to shift easily. Any larger than this and possibly you could look at either fixing wheels on it or searching for a plan where the enclosure separates from the run so you can move both parts individually.
Wheels:
Attaching wheels to your portable chicken coop is a great suggestion and can prevent a whole lot of aggravation! Make sure that the wheels that you use are durable and easily replaced. (Psst – skateboard wheels are great – just don’t let on to your kids where their favorite sporting accessory has disappeared to – I bet that they never think to look under the coop!)
Push or Pull?
As a rule most blueprints for a portable chicken coop call for you to shove the pen around but in certain cases this may not be the most realistic option. For example, folks with a slight hill in their back garden will welcome the ability to drag the hutch uphill or push it back down again!
Collecting the eggs and poop from the coop.
Something that you may not realize is that chickens poo a lot. This is one of the reasons that it is very vital to shift them often. Be conscious of this and imagine how you will collect the eggs, scoop up the poo for your garden and relocate the hutch without having to walk through the poop!
Luckily there are a great range of plans available for when you want to build a portable chicken coop that contains all the essentials with easy peasy step by step instructions. Go to www.HenHousePLansOnline.com for the best advice on how to build a portable chicken coop that really works.
