Static vs Mobile Chicken Coops: Which is the Best Option for Your Flock?

'Tis the season for flock starting and whether you're a seasoned chicken keeper or you're just starting your very first flock this year, you've probably already gathered that there are a lot of opinions on the subject of which is the best housing method for your flock. In this post, I'm going to break down the pros and cons of both to help you get a better idea of what might work best for your flock.

First, let's discuss the basic needs of a flock of chickens. Chickens are considered the "gateway" livestock for a reason: their needs are simple and relatively inexpensive compared to other types of livestock. When choosing a method of housing for your flock, the main concern is Protection from Predators.

Chickens, unfortunately, are a convenient food source for so many things. By day they may be stalked by hawks and other raptors, or snatched by dogs, foxes or coyotes. At night, owls, raccoons, minks and weasels, coyotes or foxes, bobcats, and more depending on your area, will happily add chicken to the menu if it's not too much work for them to get your flock. It's important to know what predators you will be protecting against in your area. If you are new to the chicken game, ask other chicken keepers in the area what predators they have had issues with. In my area, foxes and coyotes are very active right now and are an issue during the day, while raccoons are very good at getting into coops that aren't well secured at night. We don't have any issues with bears, but just an hour or so north of me, they do. Getting a handle on what is active in your area will give you a better idea of what type of coop situation will be best for your flock.

In addition to protection from predators, chickens need a place to feel comfortable sleeping and laying eggs if they are layers. Being birds, most breeds of chickens are most comfortable when they can roost above the ground in some fashion. You need to consider this when choosing a coop. Hens feel safest to lay eggs when they have a bit of privacy in the form of a nest box or private corner. When they can't find that within their housing situation, they may seek shelter in bushes or hidden corners of your property if they are allowed to roam. Giving them the perfect space to lay their eggs within their coop will minimize the chance that they will hide eggs from you elsewhere.

The Static Coop

A cheap chicken coop available online

Most people start with a static coop because it is often the cheapest and most widely available option. You can order one online for $60 - $1000 depending on the size and features you want it to have. Most come standard with a roosting bar and a small nest box. Some have an attached run like the one pictured to the right.

Whether you buy a static coop or decide to make one yourself, it's very important to make sure that it is predator proof. If buying one, make sure that it is of good quality. Often, cheaper ones online will be made of flimsy material (that's why they are so cheap) that are easy for predators like raccoons to break into. Make sure that hardware cloth instead of chicken wire is used to keep predators out of the run area.

The biggest issue with a static coop when dealing with predators is that many can dig under the coop to get inside. Night after night, when the coop can't move, the predator will have the time to dig a little more each night and eventually find their way inside. You can prevent this by burying hardware cloth a foot or so deep into the ground around your coop/run area, or by pouring concrete around the area to prevent digging.

To see how I built an affordable chicken coop in my garage, click on the photo to watch this short YouTube video:

In addition to being widely available and relatively affordable, a static chicken coop does not have to be moved around and, on the surface at least, means less work on a day to day basis. All you have to do is let the chickens out in the morning, close the chickens in at night, and collect your eggs at some point during the day. You will have to provide some type of bedding inside the coop to absorb waste and keep your chickens clean and dry. Many chicken keepers settle on the "deep litter method" for bedding their coops.

What is the deep litter method?

The deep litter method for bedding a chicken coop involves adding bedding material to the coop as it becomes dirty and allowing the bedding material to break down naturally within the coop. When using the deep litter method, most chicken tenders clean the coop out only once or twice a year, stripping the entire coop of bedding and starting over with fresh material. This method is attractive to some because it means you don't have to clean the coop daily or weekly, but when you do decide to clean the coop, it can be rather labor intensive to get all of the bedding out if you've let it build up over the course of several months.

Depending on the bedding materials used and your climate, the deep litter method can result in odors and an increased risk for parasites such as mites and lice since all that decomposing bedding gives critters a cozy place to hide. I've even found mice nesting in my deep litter coops.

Deep litter isn't the only way, though. Some people clean their chicken coops daily or weekly and use just a thin layer of bedding such as pine shavings, hemp bedding or even sand. When choosing a method and a type of bedding, it's important to do what's right for you and don't be afraid to experiment. Hemp bedding can be more expensive, but it's known to be dust free which can improve respiration in your flock, while pine shavings are a much more widely available option and as a result, much cheaper.

To sum up the static coop:

Pros:

*Usually cheaper and easy to find a coop at a store or online

*Less work on a daily basis

*Not a lot of space required

Cons:

*Increased risk of odors and pests, depending on your bedding method and materials

*No access to grass/bugs unless free-range is allowed & that increases predator risk

*The cost of bedding

The Mobile Coop

As we are learning about the benefits of pasture raised poultry, mobile chicken coops are gaining in popularity. Chickens are healthier and happier when they are allowed to move freely throughout the day and forage for grass and bugs.

Chickens who are allowed to eat grass and bugs on a daily basis and are allowed access to sunshine and fresh air produce tastier and more nutritious eggs, and meat chickens raised this way produce healthier meat. In addition to the health of the chickens themselves, moving poultry around to fresh earth on a daily or weekly basis helps improve the quality of the soil by naturally fertilizing the ground with their manure.

While technically not "free-range" mobile chicken coops offer an attractive hybrid between the benefits of moving to fresh pasture, and the safety of a covered run. Moving your flock around your yard or garden in a mobile coop will allow your chickens to keep the pest population down and cut your feed bill as well! Running a mobile chicken coop through a garden plot in early spring or late fall after the garden is finished producing can put those chickens to work cleaning up garden waste, tilling the ground as they scratch around for bugs and seeds, and fertilize the soil with their manure as they move through the space.

Another great thing about a mobile chicken coop is that you really don't need bedding. Using chicken wire as the floor will allow chicken manure to drop onto the ground as fertilizer even while they are roosting at night which will cut an expense and reduce the risk of parasites taking up residence in your coop.

The biggest issue with mobile coops is that they are not as widely available for purchase as static ones. Many people end up searching for plans online and building one themselves. If you do happen to find one for sale online, they tend to be more expensive than static coops in general. Mobile chicken coops must also be moved on a regular basis. This can be time consuming, and depending on how heavy the coop is, can be labor intensive and require multiple people to move.

To sum up the mobile chicken coop:

Pros:

*Usually promote better overall health in the flock; less parasite risk, better nutrition

*Can reduce monthly feed/maintenance costs: no bedding, less feed

*Can improve fertility of the land

Cons:

*Can be time consuming/labor intensive to move

*Not as easy to find a coop, can be more expensive

Now that you have the basic breakdown of each type of coop, it's up to you to decide for yourself. There is no one right answer and some people even use both; keeping chickens in a static coop near the house during the winter to make their daily chicken tending chores easier and keeping the flock in a mobile coop during the summer while the grass and bugs are at their peak to reduce feed costs. Take into consideration your time, budget and goals for keeping chickens to help guide you to the best housing situation for you.

Let us know in the comments your thoughts on static vs mobile coops. We would love to see any photos you have of your set-up!