| Author |
Barnyard Buddies:  Tractor or coop? Gosh, I'm such a beginner!  |
|
|
farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 17 2010 : 05:28:09 AM
|
And the "can we get chickens" discussion continues...
I would like to know the advantages of having the chickens (6-12 layers)in a coop with a fenced area or having them in a chicken tractor. If we get chickens, my mom wants them to be free range and would just like them to run day and night. I told her you can't do that in city limits (even though, remember we have 13 acres here - 5ish grass/yard around the house, the rest is creek and woods) and plus, we have tons of wildlife here that would find our chickens tasty, I'm sure. I suggested a chicken tractor, which she thought was a great idea...until someone mentioned that it will totally destroy your yard. She freaked a bit. What we're dealing with here is an actual yard, not a pasture or anything like that. So from what you know about chicken tractors (or your experience with them) how much do they destroy your yard? Does it depend on how often you move it? Does it not matter - its still going to leave bare spots? My mom said "If a chicken tractor is going to make the yard look like we left the kids pool out (you know how it kills the grass and you get bare spots that never grown back wherever you leave the kiddie pool?) then I don't want a chicken tractor." So honest advice with that one would be great. As in, when the chickens are on that area and then you move the tractor...will it be bare, and/or how long does it take for the grass to grow back?
Man, I feel so very green. :(
As for a coop, if we built a coop with a fenced area, eventually they would eat all the grass that was there and it would be bare (but it would be one area, not all over.) After its bare, they aren't going to get grass and bugs anymore and they will only get feed, right? Unless we were to sneak them out into the yard for awhile...But I'm correct in thinking that coop yard would be permanently bare, right? Or if you give them enough room...will the grass catch up with them? Also, if you have a coop, do we have to worry about their run area being covered? We have lots of hawks, owls, etc. here.
Did I mention I feel really green?
Thanks ladies. I appreciate your wealth of information to my questions that probably seem really silly!!
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.wakeupstartlearning.blogspot.com
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com |
|
|
magnoliakathy
True Blue Farmgirl
453 Posts
Kathryn
Magnolia
Texas
USA
453 Posts |
Posted - Feb 17 2010 : 05:47:28 AM
|
Inside the chicken tractor they will remove all grass in a few days, the same with a coop and fenced chicken yard. I have purposely penned a bantam hen and her 6 chicks on a 4'x16' raised garden bed (completely overgrown) and they had it down to dirt in about 6 days. Chickens are also known as organic roto tillers.
When you free your mind your heart can fly. Farmgirl # 714, |
 |
|
|
Melina
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Melina
USA
435 Posts |
Posted - Feb 17 2010 : 07:03:41 AM
|
DH made me a chicken tractor a few years ago, out of pvc pipe and chicken wire. We moved it through our orchard and it did NOT ruin the ground. If you move it every few days, they will eat all the bugs, fertilize as they go and aeriate the ground. In fact, you could see the darker green patches of grass after they had passed that area. If you leave it too long and the weather has been wet, they will denude an area, leaving a muddy, balk spot.
The trick with a chicken tractor is to extend the wire outward around the edges. That way a predator can come up to the wire but not get under it bacause they are actually standing on the wire. One thing we did was allow the dog to live in the orchard with the chickens. He kept them safe from racoons and possums, and kept the deer out of the fruit trees, too. But I had to be careful of escapees, the dog was as big a threat as the racoons!
The morning breeze has secrets to tell you. Do not go back to sleep.
Rumi |
|
|
|
kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Feb 17 2010 : 07:16:18 AM
|
First of all, 6-12 hens are not going to do that much damage if you move the tractor around every few days. I have had 6 turkeys in one for months moving it nearly every day and the grass grew back. Plus 25 meat birds in the same tractor in the same area. Still have grass out there.
2nd, with 13 acres, those hens will not go far. I have 3 acres and my silly birds stay right here in the yard where the food is.
If you do a coop with a yard, let them out after they lay their eggs. And only feed them in the coop. That way they will go back to the coop in the evening. Feed them then. They will go back. Just lock them up at night.
My hens are free range. They roost on the hay racks in the goat barn (not good for hay eating goats though) and in a few trees out in the yard.
I hope this helps.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
|
|
|
farm~maid
True Blue Farmgirl
176 Posts
Christine
IN
USA
176 Posts |
Posted - Feb 17 2010 : 11:20:02 AM
|
I don't have any experience with chicken tractors, although I can see the advantages and am thinking we could use one for turkeys - thanks for the idea Kris. Our chickens have a coop and they free range all day. A few choose to hunker down under/in the barn at night. We have an enclosed fenced area off of the chicken coop for the meatbirds.
I'm sure you'll do just fine once you get started. It's all about learning and our chickens have taught us quite a bit.LOL |
Edited by - farm~maid on Feb 17 2010 11:21:38 AM |
|
|
|
remembrance farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
59 Posts
Cheryl
"Remembrance Farm"
Ky
USA
59 Posts |
Posted - Feb 17 2010 : 1:20:43 PM
|
Oh Melina do you have any pictures of your chicken tractor? I have been wanting one for soooo long!!
C
I will work harder! |
|
|
|
sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Feb 17 2010 : 7:28:23 PM
|
hi there, my chickens have a yard that is naked but for alfalfa and hay and shavings i put in. chickens can learn to hide when prediters come. guinnies are a good watch dog so to speak for chickens. they make noise when startled or big birds come. also. this is what i had to do to move my chickens long distances. i made tubes out of wire. like tunnels. i could put the tube in an area and they would go in and out of the tube from their pen.we free range our birds with electric fencing that is on a solar charger. in winter they have their insulated coop and a yard. good days they are out. just a thought. sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farmgirl #1014
|
|
|
|
CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
133 Posts
Stephanie
Granite Falls
Wa.
USA
133 Posts |
Posted - Feb 18 2010 : 12:11:50 PM
|
I'd love to see pictures of the chicken tractor too.
"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle." Irish Quote |
|
|
|
kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Feb 18 2010 : 12:41:36 PM
|
Back a few years ago Mother earth news had plans for a chicken tractor. It was on the cover, too. It was shaped like a teepee. My hubby and I built it in just a few hours. We put 2 boards on either side and drilled holes for rope and I would just drag it all over. It lasted a few years. But it served it's purpose a few times. You may still be able to pull up the MEN web site and see the plans for it.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
|
|
|
Roxanne G
Farmgirl at Heart
2 Posts
Roxanne
Janesville
MN
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - Feb 19 2010 : 06:04:41 AM
|
Two years ago, my husband made our chickens a insulated chicken house, and I do mean house! We use a chicken tractor when the chicks are young and then move them into the chicken yard. If you use a chicken tractor it has to be moved frequently (depending how big it is and how many birds you have in it. We had to move ours everyday. (Remember, they are pooping where they eat.) We have 22 hens and a really scrawny rooster. The chickens and our goats share a devided house with nesting boxes and roosts on the chicken side. They keep each other warm in the winter. (Minnesota) The house is in a fenced yard. The fence is woven wire. It is about 8 feet high so that the chickens won't fly out. It looks like lace when we have hoar frost in the winter! ...I digress. There is a big insulted door with a window for natural light and a small chicken door. The yard is bare, but the chickens get plenty of grass clippings from the mower, and lots of vegetable matter from our 2 acre garden. I keep old pumpkin and winter squash to give them in the winter. I give them all the veggie scraps from the kitchen. I love the chickens, they give us eggs year round which we sell and eat!
You will never find time for anything, if you need more time you must make it. |
|
|
|
Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Feb 19 2010 : 07:49:01 AM
|
We had a chicken tractor and it was always having to be moved to keep the girs in fresh grass, it became quite a pain. After that expericnce we decided to do chickens again, but with a house instead.
A nice warm insulated chicken house with plenty of nest boxes and roosting area, two chicken doors and a human door too. Our chickens have a fenced area aroud their house about 35'x 35' and there are 2 human doors for me. If we leave the girls penned up then they mow the grass down in no time and are playin in the mud. So we bought 3' construction fencing and unroll it and make a temporary "fenced area" for them, they absoultly love it. My girls don't fight the fence, but every once in a while I will get one with a wild idea to fly over or crawl under the fence. This way I can move the fence to any shape I want it or can take it down when needed and everyone is happy. Right now the fencing is put up so it has created a path to my garden (which is fenced) and they play in the garden off and on all day long eating all of the slugs and such. Right now we have 16 hens and a roo in this area, after we have a weekend of butchering we will be moving the other girls over to this area (we have 2 hen houses with this set up) for a total of around 40. The girls do get treats all year long and I do suppliment with alfalfa during the winter.
Also we have alot of predators around here too. Cougar, cayote, hawks, eagle, owls, coons, etc.... Our chicken fencing is 8' high and is curved out at the bottom with a rock fence all of the way around to hold it down. There are 2 strands of hot wire all the way around. We don't have any fencing across the top and haven't lost a bird yet. We did have an attempt last year but it was spoiled by our rooster. Juvinal hawk thinking he was going to take on my roo-HA!
One last thing-it doesn't have to cost alot to build a chicken house. Our houses were all built out of recycled materials except the fencing.
Lillian
PS. I reccomend you read the book- Storeys guide to raising chickens- before you get started, there is alot of good information in there. |
|
|
|
farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
Posted - Feb 19 2010 : 08:01:49 AM
|
I want to say THANK YOU for all the information. Farmgirls are the best! After a lot of talk, we are currently leaning towards a coop and letting the chickens out in the backyard during the day. (but its all just still "talk".)The backyard is fenced on three sides and the fourth side is a wide creek. I'm assuming the chickens won't try to hop in the creek...will they?
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.wakeupstartlearning.blogspot.com
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
Melina
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Melina
USA
435 Posts |
Posted - Feb 19 2010 : 08:39:37 AM
|
I'm sorry but I don't think I have a single picture of my tractor, and I've since sold it and moved. There are lots of sites online that have plans for building them. Maybe you can find one there.
The morning breeze has secrets to tell you. Do not go back to sleep.
Rumi |
|
|
|
starchild35
Farmgirl at Heart
2 Posts
Karen
Schenectady
NY
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - Feb 19 2010 : 08:49:04 AM
|
Hello All,
I have 5 hens. With the help of a neighbor, I built a 6x4 ft run covered with chicken wire that was their outdoor enclosure when they were young for the daytime. They would come in at night. I then built a 3ft by 10 ft wire run enclosure from an Article in Mother Earth. The original article was for housing 2 hens and had them living in a dog house inside the wire run. Instead, I enclosed my 6x4 foot run with plywood- making a door in the front and a door in the back. I added 3 nest boxes on one side and have a roost inside. It was originally covered in chicken wire, and now the plywood is over the chicken wire for added security. I am no expert and the edges have gaps.. Heh heh heh. I put 4 wheels on the bottom and I move my coop every few days. The wire run fits outside the door- it's fully enclosed so they are safe during the day. They go in and I close the door at night. I can move the wire run from the front to the back- so I don't have to move the coop as often. It's heavy now that it's covered in plywood. When I move the run to shut the door, I rake the poo every night. It helps extend the life of the grass. I also reseed as I move to ensure fresh growth when I come back around. I have clover seed and rye grass seed. They also get out to roam free when I am able to supervise. They love to take dirt baths. I love my hens! My best friend passed away last February. I bought my chicks in April and they were the only things to cheer me up for a very long time. I would sit in my lawn chair with a stack of magazines, a cup of coffee and watch them forage around, sun themselves and hop on my lap. They helped heal my broken heart and I love them! |
|
|
|
CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
133 Posts
Stephanie
Granite Falls
Wa.
USA
133 Posts |
Posted - Feb 19 2010 : 10:38:56 AM
|
Starchild,
Thank you for sharing that wonderful information and thoughtful post.
The chickens must be like little angels to you, clucking sweet words and making you giggle when you needed it the most.
Take care.
Stephanie
"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle." Irish Quote |
|
|
|
starchild35
Farmgirl at Heart
2 Posts
Karen
Schenectady
NY
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - Feb 19 2010 : 3:49:17 PM
|
| Thank YOU! Here's another chicken angel story... My neighbor who helped me, Dick, is in a wheelchair. He fell off a roof probably 20 years ago and has been in a wheelchair ever since. He has a motorized wheelchair and pops over one day and I show him a picture of a chicken run and say, what type of wood do they use for the frame? Well, next thing you know, I'm in his garage riffling through his wood pile for 2x4x8's. I haven't pounded a nail since 5th grade shop class, but he's got me pounding nails longer than my finger. By the end of day one, I couldn't move my arm. Anywho, I finished and dragged it back across the street. A few weeks later, he's sitting on his porch, so I take my son's favorite hen, Darkstar, over to say THANK YOU. She's roaming around, and we're talking and laughing. Next thing you know, he lets out a WHOOP because Darkstar flys up into his lap! Now, I'm sitting on the floor, but she flys up into his lap on the wheelchair! We couldn't believe it. So, she lays down and he's stroking her with the biggest smile I've ever seen on his face. He says, "I like this chicken." It was so funny. I made up a song about Dick and his Chicken Love. I told him that she had a crush on him. It was like she knew how much he helped us and wanted to thank him. She doesn't even sit on my lap! Chickens are so special- I would never have believed it before I got mine. I look forward to spending time with them every day. And now they have a new admirer- my neighbor! |
|
|
|
dawnm
True Blue Farmgirl
92 Posts
Dawn
Blueridge Mts
Va
USA
92 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2010 : 8:58:01 PM
|
I love all of the chicken stories. I was thinking of a small coop with a short run for 2 or 3 bantam hens. I have seen them on a tractor about the size of a wheelbarrow. I am concerned about predators.
We have a lot of possums. They can chew through steel. I hate possums! They are very destructive to our house. One had her babies in our furnace/air conditioning unit. They died of course and started to smell. Dead, rotting flesh. How a big ole possum got inside of our furnace is beyond incredible and why????!!! It cost us hundreds of dollars to find them and fumigate. We had no idea it was a possum in our furnace.
So the moral of the story is we have to find a way to protect the little ladies if we get them.
Dawn
Small farm farmers rock! |
|
|
| |
Barnyard Buddies: Tractor or coop? Gosh, I'm such a beginner! |
|
Tractor or coop? Gosh, I'm such a beginner!
