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Mobile chicken coops are quickly rising in popularity, and there’s a good reason for it. They resolve most of the primary issues chicken keepers struggle with, they’re easy to use, and provide a ton of benefits for your chickens, property, and wallet.
However, you need to consider your exact needs before you buy one. There are different options available, and there is no one-size-fits-all option.
Here are a few tips to help you pick the best mobile chicken coop for your flock.
Mobile chicken coops aren’t the most expensive equipment you’ll ever buy, but they’re also not cheap. You want to ensure that the mobile chicken coop you buy is going to be a worthwhile investment that’s built to last. It also needs to be easy enough to move around that you don’t feel encouraged to let it sit around too long.
The best setup is by far designed around galvanized piping and wire.
With 2-inch piping creating the bulk of the frame, you’re not going to have to worry about the frame being damaged, bending, or anything else. A heavy-gauge wire is enough to keep the mobile system lightweight, but predators and chickens can’t get in or out of it.
Roofing materials can vary, but we’ve found that 10-ounce vinyl provides ample insulation, protection from the elements, protection from hawks, and it’s durable enough to last more than 10 years. It’s also lightweight enough that one or two people can install it on their own. That’s always a bonus.
If you opt for something made of other materials, you might have to replace your coop much sooner than you should, and you might be stuck handling more extensive maintenance tasks more frequently.
This is a key point for backyard chicken keepers and those with smaller flocks. You likely don’t have the equipment to move around a heavy coop, and if it’s hard to move or use, you’ll be far less likely to use it properly.
The main thing to consider is weight since it limits what you can do without a tractor or similar piece of equipment, but we already covered the setup necessary to solve that issue.
Another key point is how easy it is to operate.
You’ll have to move the coop around regularly, and the less you have to do to do that, the more likely you are to keep up with it.
Automatic wheel deployment without any complicated adjustments is the best route to take. Lift the handle, the wheels drop, and the coop is ready to move.
Not only are you less likely to want to keep moving to a more complicated system, but it's also more work that puts strain on your body. The more convenient it is, the better it is all around.
The size of your flock is the most important factor when you’re choosing a mobile chicken coop.
If the coop is too small, the chickens don’t have enough room to move around, they’re more likely to suffer from health issues that stem from being stuck right on top of each other, and there’s a moral dilemma to worry about.
If the coop is too big, you're putting yourself through extra work moving and maintaining a larger coop for no reason, the chickens aren't getting any real benefits from it, and you have more space for your coop.
In general, there are three sizes to look at.
A 6x8-foot mobile coop has the right amount of space for 10 layers. If you’re raising smaller broiler birds, you can fit 30 without running into any issues. This is usually the perfect size for a small backyard flock for beginners.
A 10x12-foot mobile coop can hold 80 broilers or 20 layers, and it’s a solid option for beginners or small farm flocks. However, backyard chicken keepers will usually find that it’s too big to move around a lot.
Finally, a 12x12-foot option can hold 100 broilers or 30 layers. This is as big as you want to go or transporting the coop can get more difficult. It’s also not as accessible for those with smaller properties. However, it’s the perfect size for a small farm’s flock, starting a larger flock, etc.
As you can see, you can fit quite a few chickens into a relatively small space. So, while these measurements don’t seem all that expansive, they’re perfect for most chicken keepers outside of commercial environments.
As we said, a mobile chicken coop isn't cheap. It shouldn't fall apart a year after you get it, and you should be able to rely on it for decades with few minor repairs outside of replacing the roof vinyl each decade.
As such, you want to buy your mobile chicken coop from a company that stands by its product with guarantees. Ten-year guarantees are great, but even a few years is a lot better than you taking all the risk and the company not being held accountable for issues.
Finally, one thing everyone looks at when buying anything is the price vs the quality of the product being bought, and mobile chicken coops are no different.
In general, you don’t want something that sounds too good to be true, because the manufacturer likely cut corners in some serious places to achieve that price point. Even if it looks and sounds good, you’re going to be disappointed. However, there’s no need to look up the most expensive option possible and expect a higher-quality product.
We’ve already listed the optimal setup for a mobile chicken coop, and the standard price for a 6x8 coop made to those high-quality specs is a little over $1000. So, you shouldn’t be able to find much lower without sacrificing quality, and anything higher than that is likely going to provide diminishing returns.
If you’re looking for a mobile coop, whether it’s a permanent coop solution or just something to move your chickens around a larger property, Chicken Range Coop provides several options to meet your needs, and our coops check all the boxes listed here.
Check out Chicken Range Coop today!