While it’s not exactly in the same vein as other projects around here, like restoring vintage video game systems or tricking an ESP32 to output VGA, keeping chickens can also be a rewarding hobby. They make decent pets and can also provide you with eggs. You can also keep them on a surprisingly small amount of land, but if you have a larger farm you can use them to help condition the soil all over your property. For that you’ll need a mobile henhouse, and as [AtomicZombie] shows, they don’t all have to be towed by a tractor.
This henhouse is human-powered, meaning any regular human can lift it up and scoot it around to different areas without help from heavy equipment. It uses a set of bicycle wheels which rotate around to lift up the frame of the house. A steering wheel in the back allows it to be guided anywhere and then set down. It also has anti-digging protection, which is a must-have for any henhouse to keep the foxes out.
We like this one for its simplicity and ease-of-use. Not needing a tractor on a small farm can be a major cost savings, but if you really need one, [AtomicZombie] also designed a robust all-electric tractor-like device that we featured a little while back.
Thanks for posting my project! It’s nice to work the land in the summer, and when the -40 weather hits, I run indoors, trade me welder for a soldering iron, and work on projects like this…
https://www.atomiczombie.com/vulcan-74/
Cheers!
Radical Brad
Thanks for sharing. I am 66 and a widow. I got 2 baby chicks and took care of them in my tub. I then bought a chicken coop at Tractor Supply and a few weeks ago they each started laying 1 egg a day, every day. I really would like a bigger area for them. Your coop with wheels is a wonderful idea. Thanks again! Marilyn Easterly of Liberty, Mississippi
You can buy something similar from a company called Omlet
Thanks for the link, I checked them out. Seems, those units are only perhaps 20 square feet or so inside. Do you have a link for one that is in the range of 200 square feet and not requiring a vehicle to pull it? I am interested because I would like to see how others solved the weight issue. Always looking to evolve my designs!
Thanks,
Brad
Thanks! We are getting about the same… a dozen eggs per day from a dozen birds. They are happy when they get to move around and when they have a lot of space. For just a few birds, there are many inexpensive portable coops available. I have seen them up to 30 square feet. It’s when you get 20+ birds that portable becomes an issue. I don’t allow gas vehicles on my land, so this design was required.
Brad
Seems to lift up rather high. All other movable ones I’ve seen are on or a lot closer to the ground and are moved without chickens escaping. This one?
Clearance during mobile mode is about 4 inches. This was fine for chickens, which are a few months old when they move in. The round tubes are also very safe for them during a move. The coop area can also be adapted for a screen floor, in case chicks ever need to move.
The lift is also adjustable.
Currently, we are using the Pen as a shade house, covered with a UV resistant tarp. It has worked very well for starting tomatoes and many other plants.
https://www.atomiczombie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/PortaPen8a.jpg
Brad
I assume you move the chickens inside the coop while moving
Yes, the idea is that they have fresh pasture every day, and are completely safe from all predators. The side flaps prevent digging underneath the structure. The poultry just walks along as the unit moves, always looking forward to fresh grass.
Brad
It looks like racoons, weasels, possums and maybe even birds of prey could get inside and even if they can’t they could reach in and kill a chicken. You’ll need something smaller than 1/2 inch and metal to keep the chickens safe in my opinion.
I like how you’re going to tell this dude who’s been using this setup for ~5 months that it won’t work.
We have a chicken wire cover that is used when they are young. For those initial months, there is no gap larger than a thumb diameter. 4 years now, and not one loss from predators.
Brad
Dale is generally correct. Holes larger than 1/2” are not recommended by expert chicken keepers. You may just have not had any predators reach through yet.
Thanks, we use that rule here as well. Even our permanent run has 1/4″ wire buried under the ground. In the photo, you can just barely make out the 1/4″ wire on the portable coop.
Brad
No way. 1 inch can be ok too. Perfect design, perfect weight distention…..wish I thought of it.
Not to mention that when the coop is moved you leave the chicken poop behind.
Yes, and it is amazing how beneficial that is for rotational growing space, or just the lawn!
I thought that was obvious with this line…
“you can use them to help condition the soil all over your property. ”
B^)
Almost looks good, but we have hilly and/or lumpy ground.
Our terrain is somewhat hilly, although I shot the video in the best (and only) level spot. With the 4 to 6 inch lift, you can basically move it anyplace a car would go safely.
If you are really out in the “back woods”, then yes, this design will require mods.
But then again, that’s what DIY is all about… making it work for your needs!
Brad
That Spiro commerical is stuck in my head for some reason; “Chickens on the run, frozen in their tracks, hope that purple dragon don’t come back”
I’m glad anti dig flaps were mentioned. Chickens are highly intelligent and darn sneaky. They’ll run in the house and steal the dog food if your back is turned for even a second.
The only thing I’d suggest is an extra door on the entrance as an air lock and perhaps some brush strips so you can wheel it around when it still contains chickens. The second you lift it up an inch they’ll duck under it and you’ll have the fun of trying to persuade them back in. Unless they like it, nothing short of a six foot electric fence to keep the wood be little dinosaurs confined. Life finds a way. This seems like a favourable environment.
Yes the are indeed! Our flock lives in an insulated coop now, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they found a way to rig up a crude computer and get on Hackaday to learn how to take over the farm!
Can’t see clearly from pics posted that there’s hardware cloth halfway up the outside of the cattle panel all the way around affixed with wire, plus a heavy duty tarp covers the full length and width of the unit….
https://www.atomiczombie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/PortaPen6a.jpg
Ps, anyone know how to make linked images show up here? I tried [IMG] tags, but they didn’t work.
Brad
I’ve been keeping an eye on Brads work for a number of years now on the atomic zombie site and it’s a great source of inspiration and ideas for mobile devices .
Thanks for that!
The inspiration is driven by the community, here and on my own forum.
Cheers!
Brad
Old news. Dozens of movable designs on youtube, with and without needing wheels. No need to purchase a plan.
I agree, and if you have a play list to share, I would certainly want to post these to my site, which is all about promoting DIY. When I designed this unit, it was all about moving 200 square feet of secure poultry space without needing two people or a gas powered vehicle.
If there is already a similar sized single person movable unit out there, I would like to see it, as I also take my inspiration from the DIY community, and this site. So your “old news” would then be “new news” to myself and my forum members.
Poultry in Motion (again)!!
How many chickens live in there. It’s awesome, BTW. Would love to have this for my chickens, but I don’t have enough land to be worth moving the coop :)
Thanks!
I prefer to give the flock a lot of room, so 10 turkeys, or 15 chickens. Some say a lot more can be housed in 200 square feet, but we treat our flock like royalty. The coop is now a portable greenhouse and shadehouse, and the chickens have their own insulated coop and massive run.
I only have 25ft x 20ft of grass. What would be the smallest number of chickens and structure for a space like that? I have seen these but never thought of how that would allow me to move them around my small space.
Would three chickens in say a 5 x 8 structure
We have had chickens for 5 years now, so still “noobs”, I guess. I found this book to be very helpful, and it this section discusses space requirements for flocks, indoors and out…
https://www.dummies.com/home-garden/hobby-farming/raising-chickens/how-to-determine-your-flock-size-and-space-requirements/
We double what is recommended actually. The choice to raise poultry for us also includes giving them the best life possible, and knowing where all of our food comes from and how it was raised.
500 Sq/Ft of grass is a decent amount, and if you rotate often, it could actually grow back by the time you make a full circle. If you are just getting into poultry, I do recommend that book… it has a lot of good info.
Brad
can this have a permanent nesting box made into it?
can this house 4 hens and 1 tolouse goose?
can this be used throughout winter (northeastern USA)?
can this be modified to disassemble? (we rent)
Hello Rose!
If you use lightweight materials, such as 1/2 ply, then you could certainly make nest boxes, and just fasten them to the back wall.
We have had 20 chickens live comfortably in this, but I am no expert on mixing in a goose! For that, please consult someone with proper knowledge.
We live in Northern Ontario, so I can’t imagine any place with more winter than here! Even today, there is 2 feet of snow in my yard!
You could probably modify the connection points (screen to tube) for removal, and make frame couplings for the main frame to allow for disassembly. It would take some creative thinking to make that work, but that’s what DIY is all about.
Please join our amazing community and put these questions out there. There is an amazing amount of create thinking here…
http://www.atommiczombie.com/forum
Cheers!
Brad
Correction on above link…
https://atomiczombie.com/forum
What is the white material used for the enclosure? And where to find it?