r/Damnthatsinteresting 6d ago

Video This solar powered chicken coop that moves every day to a new location

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u/00to60eventually 6d ago

As someone who grew up on a farm with a lot of chickens, I just wonder how many are going to get stuck underneath that or killed. Chickens aren't the brightest and they tend to squeeze into areas they shouldn't when they're young. Guarantee they will have to clean smeared chicken off that every now and then.

Interesting idea but I would be intrigued see more

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u/Bashka_ 6d ago

My grandma used to have backyard chickens when I was a kid. The coop they lived at was on wheels and moved to a different part of the yard every other day. We were moving the coop in the morning, before letting the chickens out for the day. Chickens go to sleep in the coop every night when it gets dark (as a person who grew up on a farm you should probably know that) and after they do, you close the door for their safety. In the morning when we went to feed them and it was a moving day, we would move the coop with chickens inside it and the enclosure to a new spot, let the chickens out, refill their food and water. The coop itself was on wheels and the enclosure was built out of very light PVC piping and thin plastic netting, so even as kids we were able to move it with no issues.

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u/00to60eventually 6d ago

I don't understand what that has to do with my concern about these? This is obviously:

-not lightweight PVC. It literally has feed bins attached which weigh multiple tons (ours held 40ea)and the whole thing is motor driven -the birds are alert and moving around while it's traveling -its daytime

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u/TituspulloXIII 6d ago

We were moving the coop in the morning, before letting the chickens out for the day.

This part -- they are saying the thing likely moves when the chickens are locked in their resting area.

If it does move during the day, it's not like it has to move far, less than one full width would be sufficient so they couldn't possible be run over.

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u/Beaticalle 6d ago

The video literally shows the thing moving during the daytime with all the chicks awake and moving with it.

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u/TituspulloXIII 6d ago

I mean, it's a promotional video, they would want it to be able to be seen.

Doesn't mean it can't be programmed to move at night.

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u/00to60eventually 6d ago

How does one width prevent them from being run over? One foot would be enough to run them over.

It looks like some use lights or an alarm to scare them away from the edges so they don't get run over. Some also are times to where the feed lines run to cause them to get up and move to the center.

Overall some do get run over but this is used to minimize that. That's also why a grower needs to walk the barns a couple times a day, since some will die naturally anyway

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u/NickDanger3di 6d ago

We had chickens for a while. I learned quickly to never enter their area wearing shorts, as they were savage little beasts that lusted after my bodily fluids. I certainly don't condone chicken crushing, but I won't stay awake over it tonight, either.

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u/cleaver_username 6d ago

My first thought as well. Chickens are dumb as rocks, and if there is even a tiny gap, i could see feet getting stuck and chickens going under. Like, if they moved it when chickens were removed/outside, or when they were roosting, but in the middle of the day seems like asking for chicken paste. For smaller ones, it would probably be easy enough to lift it higher or just eyeball the birds. But that big mechanical one... chicken paste. 

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u/carelet 6d ago

My guess is it moves so slow that it doesn't happen, but I don't have experience with chickens, so no idea

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u/00to60eventually 6d ago

Looks like some lights or noise to scare then away. Did some research because I've actually never seen these before