If you are planning to have a backyard flock of a dozen or less chickens, a portable chicken coop, or chicken coop tractor, is a great way to go. There are several advantages to having a portable coop. The first advantage is it’s obvious portability. Because portable coops are built on legs with wheels, they are easy to move from one part of your back yard to another. In the fall, after you have harvested your garden, you could park your portable coop there to let your hens take advantage of the soft soil, plentiful insects and left over vegetable matter. The hens will not only clean your garden spot for you, they will turn the earth for you in the process. In mid summer, when the heat greatest, you can move your portable chicken coop under a tree to give your hens the advantage of shade and cool breezes. Being able to move your coop from one place to another is a great thing.
Another advantage of a portable coop is the size. Portable coops are much smaller, and therefore easier to clean and maintain. They also take up less space. This means that if your backyard isn’t large enough to raise chickens in a traditional coop, you can still enjoy the benefits of raising hens. Fresh, organic eggs, are a potential even for those who live in subdivisions or on smaller pieces of property.
The third advantage could be called adequacy. If you are planning to raise chickens for their eggs, you don’t need a huge flock. Most hens lay one egg every day or two. Portable coops work great for a dozen hens. If each one of those hens laid an egg every day you could wind up with an over abundance of eggs. Unless you plan to sell the extra, a small flock will very adequately meet your needs.
And finally, the fourth advantage is intimacy. If you want to raise your hens as pets rather than as livestock, a portable coop will allow you to bring them closer to the house where you can get to know their individual personalities. This size of a coop will allow you to have close interaction with your chickens and they will feel more like pets.
Portable Chicken Coops provide all the necessities a small flock of chickens require while giving you greater flexibility and several advantages over traditional stationary coops. Don’t overlook the great potential of having one of these in your backyard.