New Covered Chicken Tractor Started

[DavidReaves]

Started the construction on a 12'x 4' Chicken Tractor with a 4'x4' coop this weekend. I'm building it as two modules, the run frame and the coop. I have detailed photos of the build process but will only post a few for now. There will be more as the siding, wire, and roof panels are added. Also, I'll eventually upload an article with the plans-- though I'll have to update the drawings. I'm making a few changes as I go, when something was obviously better from paper to practice.

It's primarily 2" x 2" lumber, with treated 2" x 4" bottom rails. The floor is 3/4" treated plywood and will have sheet vinyl on top. The outside siding is 3/8" plywood sheathing. Wire for the run and any openings in the coop is 1" x 1/2" 19-gauge welded wire. It will have retractable wheels that go on the run's frame at the front edge of the coop. There will be folding/awing doors on the sides of the coop that can shelter the lower ventilation openings. Many of the ideas are from other builds I have seen here on BYC.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Looks good!
Thanks for the photos, look forward to seeing more

 

[DavidReaves]

Got a bit more work done this week. Painted (after priming was done) the coop frame and the plywood for the coop walls. Once all that was dry, the walls went up with the help of lots of clamps and 1" narrow-crown staples. Still have to mount the framing over the plywood corners.

The large openings in the side will be screened with 1"x1/2" 19-gauge welded wire, on frames that are hinged to allow full access to the inside of the coop. They will be protected with doors that are hinged at the top. That will give ventilation and protection from the weather. The open space across the front will also be wired and protected with an awning door, under the eave. The coop door will be an automatic pop door, from Happy Henhouse, Chik-N door. The opening in the back is for an external egg box, with a partition to make two spaces. The outside of the coop will be painted purple, at my granddaughter's request. You can see that the quality of the plywood wasn't great by the amount of fill on some of the external plywood. Finally, the roof will be white PVC sheeting, to allow for protection but transmit some light.

Also, apparently, I can't hold the camera so that it is square with the ground. It looks like I'm leaning a little left or right...

 

[DavidReaves]

Today I added the Awing/Door covers for the sides. There will be another door frame inside, covered with wire, to provide maximum ventilation. The door can open back all the way to the roofline to allow the screen to open and access to the coop. I will be putting a support dowl rod held by boat Bimini top hardware. The Swivel end and Socket/eye on Overton's. I will have dowels of two or three lengths, for different height openings and some sort of catch for closing should that be necessary due to severe weather. I will put this same type of door on the opening at the top front.

 

[DavidReaves]

More incremental work on the coop portion today. Got the vinyl floor in-- I hope it makes cleaning easier. Also worked on the hinged screens for the side opening. I need a detailed photo of the hinges for the screen, but I forgot. It has two 1/4" hanger bolts that mount into the frame and go through the screen frame. The screen just pivots up and out of the way for cleaning. You can better see how the side openings will work, too.

Progress is slow. I work a little, take a break, and then work a little bit more. I can't spend too much time on my feet due to neuropathy. Other health issues keep my strength and energy limited. Slow and steady wins the race, or so I'm told. We will see if it's done by the time the chicks are ready to leave the brooder (hatch is May 6-7)!

There's still lots to do:

1) Build & install second screen side
2) Paint all run framing with final coat
3) Prime & paint exterior of coop (including screen frames)
4) Build & mount external nest box
5) Prime & paint nest box
6) Build door/awning for upper vent
7) Prime & paint upper vent door
8) Build access door for run (x2)
9) Prime & paint access doors
10) Install Retractable wheels on run
11) Install coop on run framework
12) Install wire on sides of run
13) Install coop auto door
14) Install roost bars in coop
15) Install Polycarbonate roof sheets

Finished! Ready to place feeder, water, and bedding in coop.

 

[Hamstermann]

This is great stuff - thanks for posting! Are 2x2s rigid enough to keep the coop secure in high wind?

How far did you space the roof supports apart? How far does the eave overhang?

 

[DavidReaves]

This is great stuff - thanks for posting! Are 2x2s rigid enough to keep the coop secure in high wind?

How far did you space the roof supports apart? How far does the eave overhang?

For the coop, the rafter spacing is "roughly" 16 inches, except for the last one. The run spacing for rafters is 2 ft, since that's the width of the wire. There aren't eaves on the run. I'm considering a folding awning that can be down for wind control, or up for more shade. The area I'm going to be using the tractor has nice broken shade already.

For wind, I expect the 2 x2s to be more than strong enough. For lateral movement, there is a plywood section at the front and the front of the coop supports lateral movement at the rear of the run frame. There's only 8-ft of run that's exposed. Also, if we have really high winds forecast, I can move the tractor into the wind shadow of our storage building or tie down the front using twist-in ground anchors that I have unused for a large swing set.

 

[DavidReaves]

Seems like I've been working forever, especially on paint, which I don't enjoy. Besides priming and painting, and painting, and painting some more (which isn't still quite done... still some trim to paint, I did get some other stuff done. I need to be able to get the coop on the run frame by the end of the week. My camper is in the shop, but it's about ready and I'll have to roll the tractor out of my camper's carport before next week!

I finished the second screen side, mounted the automatic door, built (and primed & painted) the nest box, and built the retractable wheel setup (which also required painting--did I mention that I don't really enjoy painting?). I still have to get pins, then drill the tubing and the support to hold the wheel in the up position. I put in the roosting bars, so almost done with the coop portion. I still have to build (and prime & paint) the frames for doors to access the run and the space under the coop then add the 1/2" x 1" 16-gauge welded wire to everything.

I think I will have to move the door up, so I can add a lip to help retain bedding. It's mounted flush with the vinyl for now. I also still have to frame, mount, and (you guessed it) prime & paint an awning cover for the top ventilation, too.
There's just over 4 sf of opening at the top and the sides can vary substantially. If the side is fully open, there is just less than 4 sf for each side in ventilation. I also need to mount the Bimini top hardware and cut dowels rods to length for various levels of opening for the side ventilation. The final "building" work will be to place the polycarbonate sheet roofing panels on the run, the coop, and the nest box. I'll do that after moving the coop to the run frame and bolting it down.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel!

 

[DavidReaves]

Got the coop and run into one piece. Wheels work as desired and I was able to move the tractor from the RV shed into the yard. With the polycarbonate roof installed, the coop is finished. The awning doors have wooden dowel supports that can be used to prop the door fully open or down, as shown, in rain blocking position.

 

[DavidReaves]

It took a lot of time to get all the wire attached! I had to do a little tuning on the doors to make them open smoothly. Also, spent some time working on water tubes. I'm using cup attachments on the tubes, which hold a total of 5 gallons combined.

I'm pronouncing the chicken tractor complete, for now. The sketched "plans" I started with were generally okay, but I did have to adjust some measurements. I also did some work with planning on-the-fly. I'm pretty satisfied, though the level of work was high for the number of chickens. Beyond safely containing the chickens, it was important that the project be neat and presentable so as to not offend the neighbors.

This photo is after I added all the pullet chicks to the coop. I still have to rehome some of them, but for now I have eight living in the coop for a few days, before I open the run. I was towing the coop down the hill into the back yard, it's permanent home. The cockerels are all still in the brooder, waiting to see if I can rehome any before I have to cull them.