Australia is the world’s smallest continent with fascinating landscapes, glorious oceans, unique wildlife, and rich history, and 90% of the population of Australia live along the coast in the major cities. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef sweeps over the western coast and boasts 3000 individual reefs. Nearly 416000 households in Australia raise chickens in their backyard. Australia’s rapidly growing urban farming movement has made backyard chicken keeping easier and safer. Finding the right-sized chicken coop in australia is easy as many companies sell products needed for raising chickens on a farm or in the backyard. Raising a few hens in the backyard provides an opportunity to have fresh eggs daily. The eggs are a big inspiration and a chief ingredient for many culinary delicacies, and more people are interested in raising chickens at home.
Chicken coop
Backyard chickens have become very popular because they regularly supply fresh organic eggs. People in Australia use chicken coops in their backyards to provide shelter, warmth, and nesting material to the chickens. The size of the chicken coop depends on the number of chickens a person wants to raise. Extra space is needed in the coop to separate the brooding hens, egg-laying hens, roosters, and sick hens. The chicken coops are made from wood boards or plywood, and the roofs are made from sheet metal, shingles, and PVC to be wind-tight and watertight. A chicken coop provides protection, and it is also a place for hens to roost at night and lay eggs. Chicken coops are made in various styles and designs to facilitate easy maintenance and cleaning.
Chicken tractor
A chicken tractor is also a chicken coop; however, it is movable, not a fixed enclosure. It is called a tractor because the chickens till the soil as the cage is frequently moved around. The chicken tractor has a wheel fitted to be moved around easily, and it has no floor and is easier to clean and maintain. The movable coop is made without a floor, and it is covered on all sides with chicken wire to allow a good flow of air through the enclosure. The chicken tractor enables the hens to forage while protecting them from predators. The chicken tractor is rotated around the yard so the hens can feed on fresh vegetation, and the hens peck the weeds and pests and leave behind nutrient-rich manure fertilising the soil. Chicken tractors reduce the cost of bird feeds while protecting them from predators and adverse weather conditions.
Benefits of chicken tractors
Eliminates cleaning
Though chicken manure is an excellent fertiliser for the garden, cleaning the chicken coop is challenging. Chicken tractors eliminate the cleaning process but provide manure to the soil. The lawn is not destroyed as it is moved to a different location every few days.
Chickens access pasture
Chickens feed on pasture, a natural diet, and scratch around to find bugs. They prefer eating fresh grass to the grains given to them, reducing the feed costs. Chickens eat a lot, and the grass looks mowed, saving the people’s mowing time.
Simpler and cheaper
Chicken tractors are easier to build, small in size, and made from easily found materials. They are flexible as they can be extended when more chickens are added. The most significant advantage is that the tractor is moved to any location in the garden, but the chickens cannot access the flower and vegetable gardens and destroy them.
Building a chicken tractor or chicken coop in australia has become very common as people are more interested in eating fresh, organic food. More and more people in urban and rural areas have started to rear chickens in the backyard and look for ways to keep their chickens happy, healthy, and safe.