Mark, I built a sturdy chicken tractor when I first got my hens. It is so sturdy that it is almost impossible to move. I got the materials to build a lightweight one for daytime use (nights = raccoons & opossums), but haven't done so yet. Then I intend to move it around with the girls in it, so they can eat the weeds, scratch for bugs, manure the soil, etc, and I can plant after them. It will also help to keep them out of all the stuff that they and their BIG SCRATCHING FEET get into.

Sue and "Attack of the Killer Chickens" (Henrietta, Agnes, Myrna, and Tallulah)