There is nothing better than taking a bite of delicious organic chicken meat. From the crispy skin surrounding the thighs to the tender white meat that will go directly to your muscles. That is the taste of a chicken that led a happy life and roamed free on the pastures. Regrettably, good fields are a finite resource. Because of this, you need to use a portable chicken coop to transport the feathery creatures somewhere where they can find insects, seeds, and other healthy food.
A portable chicken coop is also known as a mobile chicken coop or, strangely, a chicken tractor. Chicken tractors got their name after tractors used in farmland. But, in this case, the chickens are performing the functions of the tractor by digging, weeding, and fertilizing the soil. It allows your chickens to be free to run around as they wish and can be moved to different locations if needed. A portable chicken coop doesn’t have the traditional ground floor, a signature of a normal chicken coop.
Chicken tractors are usually lightweight with an A-shaped frame to facilitate ease of movement (dragging) but heavy enough to prevent being toppled by predators or strangers. A wide range of portable chicken coops come with wheels at each end to ensure easy transportation.
Due to their mobile nature, you can place these chicken coops in any area of your property—even in your backyard. If you are a domestic bird keeper or an amateur just testing the waters of rearing chicken, a mobile chicken coop might be your best option.
Benefits of a Portable Chicken Coop
It’s no news that chickens are much happier when you allow them to move around freely in the daytime. This is why a portable chicken coop is extremely beneficial. Chicken coops come in different sizes and shapes and allow chickens forage for food like bugs and grass while being sheltered from the elements. Unlike conventional coops, a mobile coop does not come with any flooring, so you are not in any way saddled with the responsibility of cleaning regularly. Read on to find out more benefits of this chicken coop design that makes raising chickens a breeze.
Ease of Use and Maintenance
The average portable chicken coop should flexible. This should be enough so you can move from one area of your yard to the other without much effort. Due to their mobile nature, your birds can live somewhere that is much cleaner than a stationary chicken coop. All you have to do each day is to move the chicken tractor. This will provide your brood with an area that is fresh and clean. If you use a stationary coop, remember to clean it thoroughly at least every other day to rid it of any form of disease-causing agents like chicken feces.
Furthermore, using a movable chicken coop is certainly not rocket science, even though there are many great chicken coop ideas out there. Anyone can use them — the only requirement is that you have to learn how to move the device from one point to another and then your chickens can enjoy being free range with fresh grass and bugs to peck at all day before coming home to roost.
Natural Feed
The need to give your chickens pre-mixed food is reduced while using a chicken tractor because the grasses and weeds that take hold on the landscape serve as a natural supplement to your bird’s diet. Furthermore, the highly nutritious pasture will result in organic meat and high-quality eggs that teem with nutrients. Additionally, healthy free range chickens will often increase egg production, too!
Perfect Mobile Fertilizers
With a portable chicken coop, you can aerate and fertilize your plots of land. This is especially important if you are an environmentally conscious individual. Farmers, especially those who operate on a small scale, immensely benefit from the chickens fertilizing their land at almost no cost. Chicken droppings are an excellent source of fertilizer, which enriches the soil with phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen, minerals that are essential to the successful growth of crops and other plants. The poop improves the fertility of the soil while also boosting the structure of the land. This increases the humidity content of the soil and makes the entire landscape healthier all around. When the ground you cultivate is in good condition, your harvest will be healthy, and you have your lovely free-range birds to thank for that! It’s a wonderful win-win situation for all concerned—especially the birds!
Protection from Predators
Many poultry aficionados shy away from rearing birds of their choice. This is simply because they lack options on how to combat predators that might put their birds at risk. If you are on this bandwagon, a portable chicken coop might be the answer to your prayers. This mobile shelter is usually enclosed and fenced to prevent predators like cats, dogs, snakes, bears, and hawks from making a hearty meal out of your chickens. Additionally, your hens are free to roam without any form of interference and get enough vitamin D from the sun. When the weather conditions are bad, you can move the coop to safer areas.
Yard Protection
Using a portable chicken coop is basically a symbiotic relationship between you and your avian counterpart. While you fence off any form of predators or extreme weather conditions from your birds using this ark-like shelter, the inside environment is a safe, secure, and homey place for your chickens. Furthermore, you can rest assured that you won’t find your garden in disarray while you are not looking. A portable chicken coop permits your birds to roam freely yet keeps them within the confines of a particular area. Also, chicken coops cut back on maintenance bills (using a lawn mower) because the birds will help keep your field naturally trim by constantly feeding on the grass.
Egg Safety
Like nomads, your free-range birds love to enjoy freedom. So, imagine how difficult an egg-hunt it could be when it is time to find those eggs. Using this portable, movable shelter guarantees that the eggs will be laid within a confined space. It is much easier if the portable chicken coop comes with a nesting box as your fowl will likely lay their eggs in the nesting box, making the whole process of gathering eggs as easy as a walk in the park.
Price
If other benefits do not call out to prospective users, the fact that these portable chicken coops come at pocket-friendly prices making them a win-win. If budget is a real concern, you can construct one yourself and significantly reduce costs without compromising quality. An affordable portable chicken poop will come in very handy for anyone who is on a budget.
Conclusion
Not only are there multiple benefits in using a portable chicken coop, but the ease of creating shelter for your poultry in this way makes the whole ordeal pass even the most strict cost/benefit analysis. The assembly is not particularly time-consuming and provides your chickens with a place to sleep and a place for food and water. Finally, the coop allows the chickens to retain their freedom of movement and be free range chickens.