PROJECT PHOTOS

Chicken Tractor

June 17, 2008

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It's called a chicken tractor, since you let the chickens mow your grass from the safety of a portable coop. We started out thinking we could build a 4' triangle coop, but after looking at it in broad daylight, we realized it was too small for what we wanted. So we made it 12' long, 6' wide and 4' tall. We used 2x4s, 2x2s, 1x2s and 1x4s to create it as we went. Since the bobcat killed half our flock last week, we decided to make the new chicken condo like a fortress. We used welded 1" wire and welded 3/4" wire for the air circulation that they need. We made the bottom of the second floor out of mesh, so soiled bedding could fall thru to the ground. We made nesting boxes out of plastic dish pans from Wal-Mart filled with soft coastal hay, they loved them. There are three upper access doors for collecting eggs and a lower access door for refilling feed and water units which hang from the struts.

You know by now how we build things, so this was supposed to be moveable by one person... It takes the lawn tractor to pull it cause we made it to last with Pressure Treated lumber and lots of reinforcement. There are handles, but it takes two people on one end to lift it up. We don't think the bobcat can get in here unless he brings some wire cutters and some strong friends. There are two safety closures on each door, the barrel bolt and a thumb latch. There is a drawbridge type of ladder to remotely pull up at dark (by Billy) after the chickens go upstairs to roost. Another safety feature.

mesh on left side, starting the doors

before we added the bottom wire mesh

driving it away

dragging the empty coop to the spot next to the hydroponics garden

Billy hooking up the mowing tractor to the chicken tractor

lots of room for them to hunt and peck

view inside looking thru second floor

happy chickens

Billy enjoys pulling it around the property after adding wheels to the back end, he's moved it already three times ( in two days) to get to the best grass. You're supposed to move it when the grass is nearly gone, to another spot, so the other grass can re-grow. The chickens eat bugs and cultivate the ground, so maybe it will help the areas with bare spots. We'll see.

 

chicken tractor framework

attaching the doors with hinges and barrel bolts

getting ready to roll

the coop is empty till we get it closer to the other chicken pen

view of side with the access doors

chickens running around inside

the wire mesh is 2' tall on the ends

hen at one of the water bowls

view of chicken ladder and drawbridge rope hanging down outside