Hi Sue, What you're talking about is commonly known as a "chicken tractor" - the name is from Andy Lee's book of the same title. It's also called an "ark" in Britain. I've posted a link below to one of the nicest, most well-thought-out chicken tractors I've seen. They are, however, pretty pricey, although there's a dealer in our area if you've got lots of money. If not, maybe you are a handy person and can get some good ideas from this site. Another interesting site is http://hometown.aol.com/mabkcb/Fowl1.html. Hope this helps!

Here is a link that might be useful: Forsham Cottage Arks

Hmmm.... these look like something I could build.

Thanks!

Sue

There were plans for something like this in Organic Gardening Magazine in the fall of 2001 (I think). You should be able to find a back issue of the magazine in your library. I had someone make one for me out scrap material for less than 100 dollars. My chickens are happy in it (6 bantams). During the winter I move it into the garage where I can provide some heat and light.

I also live in the suburbs on 3/4 acre. I had envisioned building something like this, but instead I wound up just building an attractive 'hen house' for my back deck, and that's where my 2 hens live. I latch the door open every other day or so, and they leave and peck around the yard on their own. They always come back to their house at dusk. Here's a link that might interest you...

Here is a link that might be useful: Backyard Chickens

Chicken Tractor: The Permaculture Guide to Happy Hens and Healthy Soil
by Andy Lee, Pat Foreman, Patricia L. Foreman

Hope this helps.

A farm I went to in BC had a chicken coop in a wagon. So the chickens and their house could be moved to apropriate grazing area. They had a movable fence also so that they actually moved the fence a couple of times before moving the coop/wagon. The wagon/coop had a ramp so the chickens could get in their wheeled house whenever they wanted.

My husband built me one and actually insulated the house part. It has an 8' long run framed with 2x4's
with chicken wire sides and top attached. The house has a hinged roof, a suspended food trough we made with a metal chute to fill with food, a waterer, a door to shut the chickens in when moving it, a large-mesh wire bottom, and a large wheel in back to help it roll when the run end is lifted. I swing it to the side onto new grass every day. In the winter I hang a trouble light inside. We also converted an old dog house into an additonal chicken run by adding a chicken wire run and door on the house. I removed the roof and put a flat lid on. I can't stand free-roaming chickens scratching away all my mulches and getting into my vegetables, but they can now eat grass and fertilize my lawn at the same time. Actually, I got rid of my last chickens last year and now only have ducks in the run. They love to eat grass too but don't scratch deep holes like the chickens, and lay more and better eggs, too.

You asked for ideas using a cart on wheel for housing chickens? There are some eggs-cellent ideas (sorry, couldn't resist) on this site, inc. one with wheels !!

http://www.rosecomb.com/random/coops/coops1.html

I built two rolling carts for chickens a couple of years ago. It was a relatively expensive project but that was because I didn't want it falling apart. Basically, I had pneumatic wheel barrow tires mounted on a welded metal frame with legs. The frame is 2" square steel tubing. I then built a wooden chicken coop on the frame. Doors are on each end. It's about 6' wide, 4' high, and 10' long. The roof is sheet metal. The floor is 1" square wire mesh coated with vinyl. It can comfortably hold maybe a dozen adult birds.

It works as planned. You feed them, they produce fertilizer that falls through the wire and eggs that don't fall through. A dozen chickens can make a lot of fertilizer. Ideally, you'd move it every three or four days. I drag it around with an ATV. The biggest hassle is supplying drinking water to the thing as it moves around, but that's not too bad.

I have a permanent coop and a moveable pen. A typical day:

Early morning I let the half-dozen birds out of the coop for an hour or so of "free-range." Then I put their mash and fresh water in the "chicklet day-care center" and they go in to feed. I close them up and go back in the house to start work.

Usually once or twice during the day I move the pen a few feet so there's some more fresh grass and weeds.

In the evening, I let them out to free-range another hour or two until it starts getting dark. While they're running around sampling the flowers and pooping on my porch, I scoot the pen to fresh grass for the next day. I then put more fresh feed and water in the coop and they happily return to the coop to eat and roost and I close them in for the night.

This arrangement has worked well for me all summer and the lawn has never been as green as it was this year. The birds seem happy and know exactly where to go in the morning and evening. The trick is to give them just enough feed so they will look forward to getting fresh stuff when you want them to make their next move. They'll turn their beaks up at left-over mash in the feeder but follow me around the yard when they think I have some fresh stuff with bigger bits in it. Food is a powerful motivator.

Wayne