Portable Chicken Coops
Need a chicken coop that’s tough, durable but also light enough to move around?
Our portable chicken coop kitset range will have something for you - built from tough New Zealand pine and made to last in our conditions.
What is a portable chicken coop?
A chicken coop is an integral part of any chicken owners’ property - they’re the key to getting happier hens and better eggs.
A chicken coop can be defined as a structure that gives your hens the same benefits that your own home does for you: space to rest, sleep, socialise and generally get (and stay) comfortable. They also provide space to lay eggs in a stress-free environment, and usually include perches for roosting and spaces for water, feed, and all the other necessities of chicken life.
Portable chicken coops, however, are a special breed. They’re just as tough and as comfortable as a stationary chicken coop, but they’re also able to be moved after they’ve been constructed. Outpost Buildings chicken coop kitsets are all designed to be portable, mounted on timber skids and requiring only a 4x4, a 4WD or even just a couple of strong volunteers to move, depending on the size of the coop in question.
This portability means that you can move your coop where you want, when you want, turning any of your hen houses into chicken tractors. You can even sell the coop easily if you don’t need it anymore, or bring it with you if you move to a new property.
The benefits of having a portable chicken coop
Safety
Your hens deserve a safe and stress-free nights’ sleep. When they’re roosting in a portable chicken coop, they are protected from dogs, stoats, ferrets and other animals that would harass, harm or even kill them.
Shelter
Your hens need a place to get out of the rain, hail, snow and wind that can make outdoor life unpleasant in New Zealand. A portable chicken shelter gives them four sturdy walls and a strong roof over their heads to get warm and comfortable.
Roosting
Portable chicken shelters provide a dedicated, comfortable place for your hens to roost. Not only does this make it easier to clean by focusing all of their nighttime waste in a single place, but it also allows your hens to roost in their preferred social hierarchy, reducing the amount of arguing and fighting.
Laying space
Better eggs are the result of comfortable, stress-free laying. A portable chicken coop provides all the space your hens need to produce their eggs, with carefully-designed tilted nest boxes that keep your chicken happy and make egg collection a breeze.
Easy assembly
Our portable chicken coops come as kitsets, delivered to your nearest Toll transport depot. These come with everything you need to put the coop together, from the framing to the fixings to the instructions. Our smaller chicken coops are perfect for a DIY project, while our large kits will need a bit more man power to lift and position the heavier parts over the course of just a few days. Our kitsets will get you up and running fast.
Portable
This is the big one! Portable chicken coops are designed to be easily moveable, requiring only a 4x4, a 4WD or a few strong volunteers to move from place to place. This means that if you want to move your flock to a different pasture, their shelter can come with them easily. The same can be said if you want to move home - all you need is a trailer or a hiab truck for the larger chicken coops. And if you find you don’t need your coop anymore? The portability means you can sell it on without having to deconstruct it first, putting some of your initial coop investment cash back in your pocket.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do chicken coops need to be moved?
There’s heaps of good stuff in fresh grass for your hens - bugs, insects, grit; they might be nasty for us, but for your birds, it’s a five-star buffet. That’s why giving your hens access to new pastures every so often is a great choice.
While you don’t have to move your flock from place to place, it does mean that your birds get access to more of the good stuff - and that reflects in their happiness, healthiness, and the quality of their eggs.
That’s why so many chicken owners invest in what’s often called a ‘chicken tractor’ AKA a mobile chicken coop. These portable chicken coops are designed to be moved around, mounted on tough timber skids to make them moveable with a 4x4 or a 4WD, depending on the size of the coop.
There are other benefits to using a portable chicken coop:
Balanced fertilisation. Chickens will naturally fertilise your garden and land as they move around. By moving the coop every so often, you get a more balanced level of fertilisation.
Greenery recovery. If you leave a coop or the chickens in the same place for too long, the grass will slowly die off. Moving them means they have time to recover, and avoids bare patches in your garden.
Less frequently changed bedding. If you have a portable chicken coop without a floor, the chickens can use the underneath as bedding instead, meaning you don’t have to change it out as often.
What are our portable chicken coops made from?
Our materials are sourced from local NZ suppliers wherever possible, including the timber in our framing made primarily from sustainably grown NZ pine.
By sourcing locally, we’re able to both support fellow New Zealand businesses and ensure that you get the highest quality portable chicken coop possible: tough, strong, durable but still light and manoeuvrable, designed with New Zealand needs and conditions in mind.