Nuts and bolts of rotational chicken grazing

Jonathan wrote in to ask how we get our chickens into the appropriate field each morning, and I realized that my blog entries have been very vague about the nuts and bolts of our rotational chicken pasture system.  Let's look at it theoretically first, and then I'll give you an idea of the specifics of our own incarnation of the system.

If you're working with permanent pastures, you'll want to situate your coop in the middle of the area to be grazed, then build pastures like the petals of a daisy radiating out from that central point.  In theory, you could make as many pastures as you want, but you should keep in mind that chickens will spend much less time at the extreme ends of the pasture (unless you give them a reason to be there, like a chicken waterer, compost pile, or dust bath spot.)  I suspect that eight to ten "petals" is about the maximum you should put on your "daisy."  Your petals will also be much less regular than they look in this diagram since you'll have to work around trees, driveways, and any other obstacles that restrict straight lines.

You'll need a door in the side of your coop leading to each pasture, but luckily these doors can be quite small.  "Popholes", as the British call them, are openings just large enough for a chicken to fit through, perhaps a foot wide and a foot or two tall.  All of the popholes but one will be closed at any given time, so the chickens have no choice but to go out into the open pasture each morning.  When it's time to rotate to a new pasture, wait until the chickens are tucked in for the night, then close the old pophole and open up a new one.  So, to answer Jonathan's question, no, I don't lead the chickens into the appropriate field each morning.

At the moment, we have two coops, one with two pastures and one with three, but my goal is eventually to have four pastures radiating out from each coop.  Although the two coop system was an accident (the first house is in too shady of a location for winter chicken health), I've been pleased with the flexibility that allows me to raise chicks of various ages alongside older hens.  If you were planning for two coops, though, I'd recommend making your daisies side by side so that you can place a gate between the adjoining pastures to entirely contain your flock as you lead them from coop to coop.