Hoop coop tractor? Better ideas?

[Browniebird]

I am in a pickle here, we are being forced to move (long story) and I'm losing my chicken coop, but we can't afford to buy a place with prices right now so renting it is. That being said, my MIL can take my birds (which we will be banding to differentiate from her birds) for a temporary stay until I figure something new out. Fingers crossed we end up outside city limits and MIL doesnt have to keep my roosters.

I have 18 chickens. 2 roosters, 16 hens. Barnyard mix of new holland, australorp, jersey giant, and delawares. I know they need 10 square feet per bird. I'm trying to figure out the most economical way to build a fully enclosed coop/run for them that has a tractor and I can move them daily so I dont get in trouble with our new landlord, that I can take apart semi easily when we leave. Whether I can keep my roosters or not, thats still 16 minimum birds. This would be their 100% living space. Coop and run all in one.

I've seen tractors made from cattle panels, which are pretty economical, but what I've seen is mostly geared to meat bird production and my birds are mostly used for eggs. Mean or extra roosters and old hens go in the pot, but otherwise eggs.

We have skunks, hawks, foxes, and "domestic" cats in this area as predators.

I am not a dog (or pet) person, so no guard dog or animal of any kind. The only animals I can stand are meat birds (chicken and duck) and goats.

Does anyone have any ideas for me? Right now this is all theoretical, since we dont even have a place lined up, but I'm a person who needs a plan - i.e once we have a place and MIL takes my birds temporarily, I can start immediately setting up their new home vs waiting until then to figure out what to do.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I threw a hoop coop tractor together two weeks back. Its not predator proof because I used chicken wire in places (I had it on hand) rather than hardware cloth. It was not inexpensive. You would need two of them for that flock size. Needs a tractor or a car to move.

I could drag it across my soils - I still have decent legs - but that's only because I have almost no grass where its at and my ground is flat. Not level, but flat.

Its several hundred $ per hoop coop. As much or more in the hardware cloth as in the cattle panels. The lumber base isn't nothing, either. I use mine as a grow out pen before they free range with the main flock.

 

[NatJ]

I've seen tractors made from cattle panels, which are pretty economical, but what I've seen is mostly geared to meat bird production and my birds are mostly used for eggs. Mean or extra roosters and old hens go in the pot, but otherwise eggs.

Meat birds need a certain amount of space, protection from weather and from predators, and containers of food and water. Laying hens need all of those things, plus roosts and nestboxes.

You can probably put roosts across from one side or end of the hoop coop to the other, add a few nestboxes, and it will work fine for layers. In my experience, layers seem perfectly happy to roost in a sheltered "run," instead of going into a closed-up coop at night.

I don't have ideas on any of your other points at this time.

 

[Krugerrand]

When I added a pair of pullets to my flock, I built a 4'x8' tractor for them. This was designed to hold up to 3 egg layers - and if they get along, a 4th would probably be okay.

I think this style could easily be expanded to hold 8 or so. The fame is roughly 3' off the ground with a perch running along the top of the frame.

A shelf behind a flip up panel provides easy access to food, water, and where a nest box would have gone had they been in there when they were laying.

Hoop coops can present a ventilation challenge. I resolved this by angling in the sides and then having it open underneath the overhang. (still protected by 1/2" hardware cloth).

This can help you figure out how tall the arch will be based on how widely it is spaced:

(source: https://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=4860656)

As U_Stormcrow pointed out, you'll need at least two. If you did an 8' span, the 4' panel would give you 32 sq ft under the tarp. If you tack on an 8' x 8' run, that would give you another 64 sq ft. That should be enough for 9 friendly birds. For something like I did above in that size, I would split the lower portion and higher portion into separate pieces so that you can move them easier.

Fox and raccoon both took interest in it, but nothing got in.