(This post took several days to write. After all, I am trying to think about homeschooling again. Because it wasn't a "one shot" post, it became a lot longer than intended. For the Cliff Notes, skip to the bottom and read the section "In an Eggshell.")
Time for Episode 2 of my Considering Chickens expose. (Pronounce that "ex-po-zay" because I don't know how to get the accent mark in there. You'd think I would, being a former Spanish teacher, but it's all different on a Mac...)
When choosing how to house your chickens, there are quite a few options. I am going to jump right into what you need to consider for chickens once they are past the baby stage and can be safely placed in a real coop. (I suppose I'll have to do a post on the baby-rearing stuff, but really, that isn't hard--you can raise chicks in a cardboard box.) Here's a
Option 1: Total Stationary Confinement
Raising chickens in "total stationary confinement" certainly is a choice that is out there. It wouldn't be my choice, but I thought I'd mention it here because you will see it with backyard chicken raisers. Total stationary confinement means that the chickens live and forage in a single area. Most often these coops are like sheds that are built on a fixed piece of land, surrounded by some sort of chicken wire or fencing. They may have a run instead of a large fenced area, and the size of the run varies widely. People would choose this type of housing because it requires slightly less work on the part of the chicken owner, it keeps the chickens away from the house, garden, etc. and is generally a very safe option against predators. However, there are some serious drawbacks to this type of setup. 1.) The chickens will destroy the ground within the coop area very quickly. There will be no fresh grass left to eat. There will be no more bugs left. This is like taking away a chicken's two favorite things in the whole world. 2.) There will be a lot of poop left in the area, which will encourage disease and pests in the chickens. 3.) The chickens will get little to no exercise. No one said they should be running marathons, but they should probably be able to do a little five yard dash here and there. Perhaps with some wing-flapping. But this really isn't possible in this type of coop unless the chickens are taken out regularly. I hope I haven't condemned this option too much!
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| An example of a stationary coop. This is a great "Craftsman Coop" with a small run. This is only one type of stationary coop. There are many other types. I considered the "wheeled" version of this coop, but it is so heavy, and so expensive that I looked into other coops. |
Option 2: Movable/Portable Confinement
This type of chicken housing is often referred to as "chicken tractoring" and the coops have many names, such as "mobile chicken coops," "chicken tractors," "movable chicken coops, " etc. With chicken tractoring, you are keeping your chickens safe from predators from above, for sure. There is a slight decrease in your ability to protect from ground predators, especially from things that would tunnel under or try to rip open the caging material of the coop. The main advantage to this coop is that you can move it around. Not only do the chickens eat fresh pasture and bugs every day, they do not destroy or wear away the grass, and they will produce healthier eggs for you. There will not be a buildup of poop in the run area, which helps prevent disease. However, the disadvantages of this system are: 1.) If you want a decent sized flock, which I consider six or more, you will have to invest in a fairly sizable coop/run combination. This could end up being somewhat heavy or awkward to move if it is made of wood. Please be sure WHEELS are a part of your life. Otherwise plan on two adults moving it. And this could be detrimental to an otherwise lovely marriage. 2.) It requires serious commitment on the part of owner to make sure to move the coop often enough. 3.) Because it is made to be moved, the chicken wires/fencing will not be driven into into the ground. This makes it less predator-proof as I mentioned above. 4.) It requires more thought as to what feeders and waterers you want to use. Remember, every time you move the coop, the feed and water containers have to move, too. This is much easier if you find a way to attach them to the coop, instead of having to move them separately each time. This isn't a huge deal, just something extra to think about. 5.) You must have the space to do this. If you are trying to raise a large flock in a small yard, your yard will begin to show wear. But who decides to raise a large flock in a small yard? Probably not many. 6.) The issue of exercise is also a factor here. Chickens do like to frolic. I'll talk about this at the end of the post...
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| A small chicken tractor |
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| A large chicken tractor. I considered this coop for our new chicken adventure, but decided on another one. |
Option 3: Stationary or Movable Coop, But Chickens Free Ranged All Day
With this option, you would have a stationary structure for a coop, or even a movable coop that you don't have to move, but the coop will function differently here. It will serve mainly as the place where chickens retreat in bad weather, to lay eggs, or to sleep at night. Or one might think she's hatching out a wooden egg and sit in there all day. But the chickens are not stuck in the coop or coop area at all. The chickens are let out at dawn, and head back inside when it gets dark. They spend all day frolicking and eating whatever they want. This is an ideal situation, but has its drawbacks, as I learned from "Chicken Adventures Part 1" a couple years ago. 1.) The chickens will peck your house. Loudly. At 5am in the summer. 2.) They will poop on your front porch or your back porch when they hanging out there getting shade or protection from the rain. 3.) They will eat ANYTHING you planted in your flower beds around the house. 4.) While chickens will usually not wander far from the coop, without a rooster, they can get pretty far if you don't have any fencing or natural borders to keep them contained. 5.) Safety from predators is virtually nil in this situation WITHOUT A ROOSTER. The reality is that most backyard owners will not be able to keep a rooster, and if you can't, just know that your ladies, however lovely and wonderful, are stupider than Jupiter. Oh, they will hear you open the door and come running if they think you have food. But they aren't smart enough to keep safe from hawks. On a real farm, a rooster would sound an alarm, and the females would take cover. But without him, they are free game. Literally. Or maybe it's free poultry. Either way, someone is getting a chicken dinner, and it isn't you. On a real farm, there might also be a "farm dog" that has been raised to leave chickens alone and act as the flock protector as well. With no rooster and no dog, I'd highly discourage this option. (Tidbit of chicken info: Did you know a hawk won't attack a chicken with another large mammal around? Once he strikes a chicken full-force from above, he is stunned for a moment while he sits on his kill. In this moment of "gathering his thoughts" he is vulnerable to predators, and so he will generally not attack if he knows there's another large predator around that could get him while he's stunned. Hawks are not stupider than Jupiter.)
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| This coop has no "run" and so your chickens would be out all day. |
Chicken Housing: Our Past and Our Future
On our first go-round with chickens, we utilized option #3 above. We built our own wooden coop, using some plans we purchased online. It was supposed to be a "leave the chickens in the coop" type of coop, but it was so small, and they seemed so restless, that option #2 quickly became option #3. The coop was just not big enough for the amount of chickens it was advertised for and I felt like they were too cramped! We also used untreated wood because I read that was best for chickens. They wouldn't like the smell of treated wood (said the froo-froo organic-raising chicken books), and all those harsh chemicals---gross! What they don't tell you is just how fast untreated wood will succumb to the elements, and how red mites, a super invasive, hard-to-get-rid-of pest, LOVE to nest in untreated wood. I ended up with some visibly sick chickens at the end of last summer, not realizing they had been slowly victimized by red mites. Not to mention, the inside of a wooden coop is just super hard to clean. Imagine how hard it is to scrape dried bird poop (a HUGE pile) off your car. Now imagine your car is made of wood, and think how hard it would be then. That's what cleaning the inside of a chicken coop is like. Even when you use lots of bedding, which I did, they still soil the roost bar, the ramp, and even manage to get poop in the nest boxes if they dig down through the bedding. It's just not an easy task unless you have lots of time and like to clean poop. For me, this was strike two for wood. (I should mention that great strides are being made in this area in terms of chicken coop design. Many of the premiere wooden coop designers, the Amish being one, are starting to line the floors of their wooden coops with linoleum or a sort of plexiglass. This is great for cleaning the floor, but it should really be done to the roost bar, although this would make it slippery, and most importantly the nest boxes as well. But these "features" cost extra, and you can end up taking the price of your nice Amish coop right through the roof by the time you pimp it out, as I quickly learned.)
For our new chicken adventure, I took quite a long time pondering the housing situation. I knew I needed something with an enclosed run. (I had my rules, after all.) There are lots of options out there for movable coops with runs, just google "chicken tractors" and see what happens! However, it finally boiled down to two things for me, the two things I struggled most with the first time: ease of cleaning and pest problems. I considered wood. I built and re-built (like you would a new car online) my dream wooden Amish coop. I wanted electricity. I wanted an electronic, sun-sensing door. I wanted the plexiglass floor. And apparently I also wanted to win the lottery. Then I wanted metal. Easy to clean. Light enough to move. But reviews said that the metal coops heat up too much in the summer and can also lack the proper insulation in the winter. I also couldn't find one big enough to house ten chickens. I was losing hope on finding something that would work.
Enter: The Omlet Eglu. Made of recycled plastic, easy to clean, will not rot and create holes for mites to hide in, movable, and able to contain my flock. (Our run will be bigger than the one pictured here.) I debated about plastic. I really did. But the reviews on this coop are fantastic. Original models had a slight leak issue which has been fixed with the new models, and they even have good resale value if you decide chickening isn't for you. Omlet is having trouble keeping these stocked in the country (they are manufactured in England) because they are becoming the go-to choice for backyard chicken owners. I read review after review. Many of them said, "You can make your own coop for practically nothing, why would you spend money on this?" (I thought, yes, we did that already and look what happened!) And other reviewers would post, "The only people who don't love the Eglu are the ones who've never had one!" SO....this will be where my ladies live.
That said, I DO plan to also release them into my garden frequently, not only for exercise, but also to pick the bugs and nasty critters out of the garden beds and off plants. While there, they might also provide me with some free fertilizer! As long as they tame well, and I keep my pockets full of sunflower seeds, I also think that we can "play" with one or two at a time outside of the coop. This will all depend on who the "good girls" are, but we had such great ladies last time, that I'm hopeful we'll get to do this often with all of them. They do so love to dash around like idiots. (For any husband that might be reading this: I promise, they will not get on the porch or within 20 yards of the house.)
In An Eggshell
The three things you need to consider when choosing chicken housing are:
1. Type of Housing: Will your coop be stationary, mobile, or a combination of both? (See options 1, 2, and 3 above.) How much freedom and exercise will the chickens get? No matter which option you choose, you want your coop to have proper ventilation, access to light, grass, and the eggs for collection, and be easy to clean.
2. Material of Housing: Wood is beautiful but hard to clean and prone to pests. It also requires maintenance and can be heavy if you want a movable coop. Plastic is...plastic. But it is easy to clean, won't harbor pests, and is very low maintenance. Metal is easy to clean also, but can get very hot in the summer and lack proper insulation in the winter.
3. Cost: What can you afford? What will yearly coop maintenance cost in money and time? (Do not overlook this!) Will you be constantly cleaning, repairing and re-staining the coop? Base your flock size on how much coop you can afford. If you are super handy, build your own and save money, but consider treated wood, or some alternative materials. (I've seen some made out of that wavy, corrugated plastic stuff, which would be a neat option.) There are literally millions of plans and unusual coop designs to check out online if you want ideas! Here are some of my favorites:
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| This is by far my favorite coop I've seen online. Any car aficionado has to appreciate this. Ellie, tell Fred this one is for him! |
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| A "trash can" coop designed to hide a couple chickens being raised illegally in a city. How stealthy. Love's and Schwenkler's, this one is for you! |
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| I can't tell what the housing area of this coop is made with, but I think the design is awesome. I wonder how heavy it is?? If it were light, and I were handy, I'd definitely build myself a couple of these. I love the separate little food and water area! |
Stay tuned for Episode 3 of Considering Chickens: Birds of a Feather, where I will ponder (hopefully in much fewer words) the different breeds of chickens for your backyard flock!
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