Articles About Raising Chickens

"Reasonings"

by Gary Duncan

Ok, you are considering raising some chickens in your backyard, garden or small pasture. What is the reasoning behind your research that makes you want to do this?

It could be simply that having fresh gathered eggs for your table would be pleasing to you. You would know that these eggs are healthy for you and you know without doubt where they came from.

Perhaps, you have children that you would like to get interested in something that is beneficial to the family. It could be a rewarding task that you could all work together with.

You may have the option to just buy eggs from a local producer, but then it just wouldn’t be the same as gathering your own eggs.

If you are going to do this, what are the benefits of purchasing a portable chicken coop that you can move around?

Firstly, if you are handy with tools and have a vision of what you want you could actually build one yourself. There is a multitude of plans available on the internet. But then, if you are new to this you probably are not going to realize all the little small things that make this venture more pleasing.

Here are some reasons to purchase a portable chicken coop and some things to think about.

• Portability: Murrays Hen Hoops have been used and tested for portability. They are made of light weight materials that are very tough and durable. They have been moved around and used, just like you are going to use yours. They have some features designed into them that make your venture much more enjoyable. In summary, they have been designed to be moved daily by one person, depending on the size of the unit. Many home made portable coops, although they may look nice, usually end up weighing too much for one person to move, there for they end up staying in one place and defeating the benefits of free ranging your chickens and keeping them happy. Stationary coops are also more of a problem to keep fresh and clean.
• Safety: No matter where you live, predators may be a problem at some point in time. Whether, that be airborne or 4 legged they are out there. Many suburban areas have healthy populations of falcons, hawks and owl. A portable chicken coop such as Murrays Hen Hoops offer extremely adequate protection from predators. These units have a secure housing area with floor that your birds should be kept in at night. In extreme cases, the portable coops could be moved into a shed, barn or garage at night.
• Cleanliness: Murrays Hen Hoops have an outside scratching and pecking area where your chickens will spend their daytimes. Most of the litter and manure is deposited in this area. As you move your coop you are distributing this over a large area and actually fertilizing your grass.
• Chicken Happiness: Chickens love to have a new territory of real estate every day; it keeps them happy scratching and exploring. You will notice this benefit from the beginning. And, happy hens are happy layers!

Happy Chicks

by Jennifer Freeman

Let me introduce you to Ariel, Belle, Dory, Nota, Wendy, Tink and of course, Cruella deVille. These are my happy little chickens that reside in one of Murray's Hen Hoops, which I received as a birthday gift last year. Who knew that a chicken hoop would be such a wonderful 30th birthday gift !! I truly enjoy caring for and watching my chickens work out all of the dynamics that come along with establishing the "pecking" order.

I did not grow up with chickens and did not realize that they would be so easy to train with a daily schedule. They know they better get inside the coop with it's moving time. They scurry in and are super excited when they get released out to the new area where they immediately start pecking bugs and new grass. I recently added four new chickens to the three that I already had and after a few weeks the new chickens have figured out the system.

I have been really impressed with how durable these hoops are. After only owning a hoop for a few months, we had high winds and several tornadoes go through our area. Huge trees toppled over, roofs were blown off houses and the wind actually moved my hoop a quarter of a turn (the chickens were facing south originally and were moved completely facing the east). After the winds died down, I went over to the hoop expecting the worst but all of my chickens were outside pecking as usual (they must have gone inside during the storm). I was very surprised that the hoop didn't get turned upside down or toppled over on its side. I have also moved the hoop over rough terrain and the hoop has held up remarkably well.

Top ten list of things that I love about my hen hoop:

1. I know where my eggs are coming from
2. The lush grass from all the extra fertlizer
3. The joy I experience when I see how happy the hens are with new grass each day.
4. The innovative ideas on the hoops that make life easier for me and for my chickens.
5. Scooping out the poop is easy and takes me less than five minutes.
6. I don't worry about predators eating my chickens.
7. My chickens seem totally stress-free.
8. The hoops hold up to several weather elements very well.
9. Made of quality materials that withstand everyday use.
10. I have very HAPPY chickens that are consistent layers.

What is a Hen Hoop?

by Gary Duncan

So what exactly is a Hen Hoop? It simply is a floor-less moveable chicken pen that has an enclosed area with entry doors for the chickens to lay their eggs in and a roost for sleeping at night. We call ours Hoops because of the unique hoop configuration that we achieve with our composite lumber.

Since part of the Hen Hoop doesn’t have a floor, the chickens can scratch the ground, eat bugs, grass and all the natural things that chickens eat. The Hen Hoop is portable and easily moved from one patch to another, giving the chickens a fresh area each day. This provides for happier and healthier chickens. Happy and healthy egg layers produce delicious fresh eggs and broiler chickens produce finger-lick’n good meat. This movement of the Hen Hoop also leaves deposits of litter and chicken manure, otherwise known as fertilizer. You improve your soil while keeping the chickens happy and productive.

At Murrays Hen Hoops, we have taken the sometimes shabby construction of portable chicken housing to another level. We incorporate a unique new lumber product manufactured by Green Forest Composites. We use “oriented composite” boards to form a hoop. This provides for much more efficient water shed and greatly improves its wind resistance. We use this composite material exclusively on our Hen Hoops. You can read more thru-out our website about the benefits and longevity of this exciting product.