Bhaf
Chirping
- Oct 19, 2019
- 6
- 11
- 54
Thank you, that is a good idea. I will for sure look into making a chicken tractor!I am so sorry that you lost your special girl, Ethyl Murtz; .It must have been horrifying to see it on camera.
I constantly am on guard for predators. I regularly hear coyotes at night but had a recent daylight visit from one, have lost birds to a mink and know the surrounding fields host a variety of creatures that would gladly eat my chickens, ducks and geese.
When I only had a flock of four (many, many birds ago), they lived in a coop with an attached run. That's when I learned how useless chicken wire is when it comes to protecting chickens. Also, the run didn't give the girls a lot of opportunity for exploration.
I found a used chicken tractor on Craigslist that let them experience more of the world. It was a DIY proejct, for sure, made sturdy with lumber and chicken wire. When I got it, we wrapped the whole thing in hardware cloth to make it safer from predators.
It was heavy enough that it was hard, but not impossible, to move around so the girls could peck at fresh grass and new bugs. Built with 2-by-4's and a few 4-by-4's, the tractor has been converted into a shelter for my ducks, who sleep safely every night.
All of my coops now have attached runs that include hardware cloth aprons around the bottom so nothing digs in. And the coop doors have safety hooks and multiple latches so raccoons don't open them.
Hope you find a way to keep the rest of your flock safe and happy. Take care.