"Chicken Tractors" have become popular with the rise of backyard flocks. They are small coops, usually with an attached open area where the chickens can get at pasture. These "Chicken Tractors" are great for a few chickens and one or two people can easily move them around a yard. We know several homesteaders that are having great luck with them. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, or just want to know more, there's some good information and photos here.
This next picture was moments after Farmer John almost died on the tractor. The front end went way up in the air and almost tipped backwards. (Shh...don't tell our Moms.)
That was because the coop hit this post on the way through the cattle gate.
Farmer John and Farmhand Dad jacked up the coop and then managed to get it away from the post. Then it could be dragged to it's final spot.
The next step was to set up the fence. We use "electro-net" as fencing around the chickens. This electrified netting keeps the chickens in (most of the time) and predators out. It takes a little time to set up, and at least two sets of hands, but it's much easier than setting up any kind of permanent fencing. We like it because the fence is large enough to give the chickens room to move around, scratch and eat bugs, it also keeps the chickens safe. A couple years ago a fox found our chickens and reduced the flock by more than half. We haven't had any problems with predators as long as the flock is inside the fence. 
Next, the guys did some work on the coop. 
These are the nesting boxes. Our chickens seem to prefer the milk crates over the white buckets. I think they are just the right size, the buckets are just a little too small. So we got rid of all but one bucket and are going to replace them with more milk crates. 
I put this picture up before, but I love it. And because it's Father's Day, I'm posting it again. Here's my Dad taking down nesting boxes. Thanks Dad for climbing inside the coop, fixing gaps in the chicken wire, putting up the fence, herding chickens and helping with all the other farm projects!
Here's the coop's summer spot. It's not too far from the house so we can check on them easily. It's also close to the cattle water, which makes it easier for us to give them lots of fresh water throughout the summer (rather than haul it from the house). And, it has a nice view of the gardens and a hayfield. 
Our farm doesn't have a "Chicken Tractor". The coop we have takes a tractor to move it. It is big enough for 70 chickens to have space to roost and use the nesting boxes. We've never had that many chickens, the most we've ever had was about 35. But, Farmer John and "Uncle" John built the coop with the intention of adding more hens to the flock.
Several times a year the coop gets moved to a new location. The night before the big move we close them in the coop. If the coop moves without the chickens, they can't find it. (Chickens are not the brightest birds around.) Farmer John hooks it up to the tractor and drags it to the new spot. There are two Locust logs that the coop is built on and they act as skids to help the coop move.
This next picture was moments after Farmer John almost died on the tractor. The front end went way up in the air and almost tipped backwards. (Shh...don't tell our Moms.)
That was because the coop hit this post on the way through the cattle gate. Farmer John and Farmhand Dad jacked up the coop and then managed to get it away from the post. Then it could be dragged to it's final spot.The next step was to set up the fence. We use "electro-net" as fencing around the chickens. This electrified netting keeps the chickens in (most of the time) and predators out. It takes a little time to set up, and at least two sets of hands, but it's much easier than setting up any kind of permanent fencing. We like it because the fence is large enough to give the chickens room to move around, scratch and eat bugs, it also keeps the chickens safe. A couple years ago a fox found our chickens and reduced the flock by more than half. We haven't had any problems with predators as long as the flock is inside the fence. Next, the guys did some work on the coop. These are the nesting boxes. Our chickens seem to prefer the milk crates over the white buckets. I think they are just the right size, the buckets are just a little too small. So we got rid of all but one bucket and are going to replace them with more milk crates. I put this picture up before, but I love it. And because it's Father's Day, I'm posting it again. Here's my Dad taking down nesting boxes. Thanks Dad for climbing inside the coop, fixing gaps in the chicken wire, putting up the fence, herding chickens and helping with all the other farm projects!Here's the coop's summer spot. It's not too far from the house so we can check on them easily. It's also close to the cattle water, which makes it easier for us to give them lots of fresh water throughout the summer (rather than haul it from the house). And, it has a nice view of the gardens and a hayfield. 
Here's what the porch looked like after the power washing. 
Oh, I should have mentioned that we cleared everything off the porch first. You know, things like chairs, tables, a glider and the moose antlers. No West Virginia cabin would be complete without it's moose antlers. 
Then all the windows and doors were covered with plastic. That's because we were going to use "Uncle" John's amazing paint sprayer. 
The paint sprayer was awesome. Here's Farmer John staining the floor of the porch - which took him oh, about 5 minutes. It was so much better than brushing or rolling all the stain on. 
The guys kept the sprayer bucket full, moved the hose around and supervised Farmer John whenever he was up on a ladder. This project went so much faster than we anticipated. Now we're thinking about which buildings to paint/stain next. 
Here's one of the walls after one coat of stain. 
Sam helped with rolling the stain on all the railings and then trimming around all the doors and windows. (I bet all you teenagers out there wish you could have such an exciting summer vacation!)
Here's a before and after - I know it's hard to tell, just believe me that it looks better. 
Another after picture - this time with Farmhand Dad. I like the warm Cedar color of the cabin now and that it still shows some of the weathering that's happened over the past 26 years. Our next goal will be to run water the cabin and eventually add a bathroom. Until then, it still has the best porch on the farm. 
Close-up of an eye. It doesn't open much at all. We don't yet know what's wrong with her eyes. 
This was taken shortly after Farmer John left me with a calf in the house! Notice the phone next to her - I was making frantic phone calls. 
After her first bottle she has some energy and got up to explore the house. 
I thought it would be a good idea to corral her in Badger's cage. It wasn't. 
This is where she took a nap. Then I thought I was losing her! But, I got part of a bottle in her, and then she was up again to explore. 
She can't see, so spent some time in corners, until I could get her turned around. 
Back in the kitchen. 
Bottle before we took her to the barn on Saturday night. 
In the barn on Sunday - that's a full bottle that she wouldn't drink. 
Successful feeding on Sunday night! 
We do use organic practices in almost all areas of our farm. We do not spray any of the produce with large amounts of herbicides or insecticides. We use manure and other organic materials to keep the soil fertile. We do not give the livestock growth hormones or unnecessary antibiotics. They have lots of pasture, fresh water, and shelter.
I've been thinking about this recently, especially when it comes to the livestock. It's been hot here, which has brought out the flies and mites. Also, two chickens have died in the past couple weeks. It's really hard to know for certain what caused those deaths - so we're doing what we can to make sure we don't lose any more.
Farmer John scratched up some dirt, and added Insectrin dust to it. The hope is that the chickens will use this for their dust baths. The Insectrin dust will kill the mites that are all over the gals (and rooster). We were also looking for some wormer that we could give them. Everything that we found said it was not to be used with laying hens. But, Farmer John talked with some of the old guys hanging out at our local feed store. They said "you don't need any of that stuff - just add some vinegar to their water". This seemed like a much better solution than feeding them something that would make the eggs inedible.
FLIES! Tons of flies. Butterscotch beats her horns on the ground to get them off of her. Of course that only works for a few seconds, then they're all back. Swarming her eyes, nose and horns.
Can you see all that black on top of his horns, closest to his head? Those are all flies. Masses of them. Gross.
