Team Brings Home the Bling

According to Mother Earth News Study, “Studies show that farm fresh eggsbhave less cholesterol and saturated fat than those purchased from the store.

Additionally, they also contain 25 percent more vitamin E, 75 percent more beta carotene, and up to 20 times more Omega-3 fatty acids.

Building chicken coops is becoming more common allowing farmers to have a fresh supply of eggs and the option of selling eggs for supplemental income.

However, raising chickens that roost in a traditional coop comes with some drawbacks. The reason topping the list is the sanitary issue.

For each pound of feed consumed, a chicken will produce approximately 0.5 pound of fresh manure with a moisture content of about 75 percent. This adds up to approximately 75 pounds per year, per animal. Manure leads to disease and contamination when the coop is not cleaned consistently or thoroughly.

Farmers are endeavoring to create a more symbiotic relationship between them and their avion counterparts by creating the best environment possible for their flock This is one reason mobile chicken coops are becoming popular.

Tyler and Jennifer Dart, owners of Silver Heritage Farms in Henagar, are owners of a mobile chicken coop and feel it is the best way to raise chickens and produce eggs.

“Our mobile coop is about 120 square feet and completely enclosed like a cage. It is light enough that we can move it by hand without the aid of a lawnmower,” said Tyler. “The yard area, attached to the coop with fencing, is partially covered allowing the chickens to get out of the elements when necessary. We are very pleased with our decision to use a mobile coop.”

The mobile design eliminates the need to clean manure from a coop because the coop has no bottom flooring. This model allows the grass underneath the coop to be fertilized. Chicken manure is a preferred fertilizer due to its richness in potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients.

Moving the coop to a clean plot of land every few days allows the brood to feed on fresher earth which is believed to produce higher quality meat and eggs. An area that is constantly picked over for feed leaves the flock with a poor diet. Another benefit is that once the coop is moved it does not allow parasites to complete a full cycle to spread to other chickens.

Another reason the mobile design is becoming more popular is the lower risk of attacks from dogs, cats, hogs, foxes, coyotes, bears, owls, hawks, skunks, raccoons, and other predators. The mobile chicken coop is commonly designed as a cage, while still allowing the chickens to roam in a contained area on fresh pasture.

When building or shopping for a mobile coop make sure there is adequate ventilation. Moisture, humidity, and heat are poultry’s enemies. The optimal design includes a vented chimney where heat can escape quickly.