Farm & Flock Coop on the Move
Farm & Flock— presented by Chicken Whisperer Magazine ®
Chicken Tractors 101
Why Mobile Coops Make Sense
By Kristina Guidroz, Guidroz Family Farm
You might be wondering what a mobile coop, otherwise known as a chicken tractor, is and how it can benefit your backyard, homestead or farm. Mobile coops provide flexibility, healthier pastures and easier management, making them a smart choice for raising chickens.
When we first started raising our chickens in our previous neighborhood, in our small backyard, we needed a way to keep them safe and out of other people’ s flower beds. That started as a small prefab coop from a big-box store; I don’ t even have to tell you how fast those six chickens completely decimated the grass in that coop. Mud, dirty eggs and dirty chickens... we had it all! It wasn’ t a fun time for them or us.
When we moved to our current home, we knew we didn’ t want to deal with the same issues, so we began researching chicken tractors.
We wanted our chickens to stay healthy, our eggs to stay clean and our yard to remain green. Our initial tractors were lightweight aluminum-framed kennels that I moved around the yard every few days. No wheels, just brute force and a desire to keep my luscious grass!
We learned many lessons in the year or so that we tractored our birds on roughly a half-acre.
Why Moveable Coops Make Sense
Let’ s start off with the positives; you’ ll find many more of those than you will negatives when it comes to raising poultry in mobile coops.
Maintenance
The biggest benefit for me was the lack of cleaning required! If you are raising birds in any type of stationary setting, you know that it requires a substantial amount of shoveling shavings and manure. Coops must be refreshed often to prevent illnesses, reduce parasites and keep the smell down as ammonia can be detrimental to birds ' lungs.
20 AcreageLife March 2026 AcreageLife. com