4'x8' Chicken Tractor and 28 five-week old chicks?

[CavalierX]

I just finished building a 4'x8' Chicken tractor with a 4'x4' upper enclosed coop with solid floor and pine-shavings. I am adding a Cozy-Coop mounted on the wall for those cold nights.

We have 28, five week old chicks (12 Austalorp Pullets in one brooder, and 9 New Hampshire Red Pullets, with7 mystery Cockerels in a second brooder). I moving them out of the garage and I want to put them ALL into this tractor for at least a few more weeks on the thick and green back lawn (moving the tractor 8ft daily).

After a couple weeks I will either finish a new 20'x8' Bus Conversion Coop, with a 20'x8' run, and/or a second tractor of the same design.

I know 28 Chicks is a large crowd for these smaller tractors and will be finishing a 1/2 acre fenced pasture/animal yard(48" no climb and hot wire) and before the end of the summer will want all our chickens to be free-ranging in this yard during the days. We live in the Oregon High Desert and the night STILL get into freezing temps on and off for at least another month (we are at 2600' above sea level here). I am thinking that they will be warm and cozy together in the upper 4'x4' apartment at night for the time being. BUT will this 4x8 + 4x4 tractor work short term for these teenager chicks? The 2 groups of chicks were in two different 4'x2'x2' galvanized stock tanks, so this will increase theier living space to a 16 sqft "coop" and a 32sqft run with feed and fresh ground daily. This should be FINE right? I feel like I am way over thinking this. These seem to be integrating really well with no misbehavior or bullying. A couple of the Cockerels are starting to play fighting game with each other once or twice a day, but it last like 3 seconds and they both run away. LoL

I have nine (9) 15 month old Austalorp Hens in a 5'x8' Coop with a 16'x8' attached run and could move in the 12 new Australorp pullets in with them there really is no behavioral issues with these girls they are all very docile and friendly. When the new girls are 6-7 weeks they should be fine with the old girls right? Or is it just a bad idea to mix laying hens with Juvenile Jerks?

This would let me leave the other 16 in the tractor for a few more weeks until EVERYONE moves into the Chicken Bus or they all get newish housing in the Yard.

 

[HogWildAboutChix]

I think it all sounds like it will work out well. You're adding that heat source, which is good. Id check on them periodically the first couple nights out if the temps get low, just to watch behavior. I never like to see them huddled up in corners to stay warm together, someone will be quished or smothered in the morning.
As far as putting the youngens in with the older girls, I have done this and it worked fine. Space is vital to me when putting new crews together! Space gives anyone being picked on the opportunity to evade, and gives room for the others to become distracted from bullying!
Im big on making predator proof areas for my chickens, nothing will ever be 100%, but be thoughtful about over-head predators. My sister had an owl toting off full grown hens!
I would love to see pics of the Bus Coop. That sounds fun!

 

[CavalierX]

Mixed - results at best.

Added the Chicks 2 days ago. No behavioral issues when we mixed them together at all- they were clearly all in shock with the new environment. Before the end of the day however they had separated into their 2 distinct groups (Australorps and NHReds) in 2 separate corners. They are just trying to avoid each other- no fighting for bullying.

That night they were too stupid to follow the heat and light up into the coop part and get out of the cold. My brother and I had to crawl into the tractor and grab them from the back and toss them up into the heated coop. They were fine through the night no issues. Next morning they were down and eating and still segregating themselves, but no issues clearly eating and drinking and pooping. It appears that they love the fresh grass, but it was apparent that the tractor needed to be moved daily with that level of Bio-load they had inside/were depositing on the grass.

This tractor is too heavy to move with one person on bumpy/uneven grass. Also, the chickens are too stupid to move with the tractor and one got its leg pinched between the rear bottom of the frame and the ground. It was one of the mystery Cockerels, and unfortunately it leg was broken, so I dispatched him. Life on the farm- sad but real.

Second night, chicks still too stupid to go to bed on their own. It was dark and cold, they were knotted up in 2 segregated little cuddle-puddles at the base of the ramp and were easy to catch except for the last Australorp. I tossed all the other upstairs and thought he would either figure it out or, oh well Darwinism at work. This morning at 6 am (20 minutes after sun up) all the Austalorps were downstairs and just fine. I don't know if 11 of them came down to save the one peeping little buddy or if he figured it out and went up top.

Today, 1 of us used a heavy duty hand truck to lift up the rear a couple inches while the other picked up the front and it was an easy slow move. We also threw an Amazon box in the back of the tractor to keep the chicks away from the rear. I am also going to alter the rear of the inside of the tractor to have a bump out that is a couple inches off the ground that will bump/push the chicks forward without pinching/pinning there feet. This should remove the problem completely.

I think this is going to work just fine with a tweak or 2 as long as these chicks get some kind of sense of self preservation and go to the warmth at night time.

 

[HogWildAboutChix]

Its always trial and error and retrial in our coop too! The first tractor we made was also too heavy to move easily. And the leg injury thing is common also. You may move it after you've put them up??? Sounds like you'll get it tuned up!

I am not surprised by the segregation, as this happens in my coop also. My Cochins stay together, and I have some Lavenders Orps that stay separated too. All were hatched and brooded together. Makes NO sense, but as long as everyone lives, I am ok with it.

The heat thing is a tough one... my Crele Orpingtons refuse to roost in their coop. They roost on the roof! I have put a light in it, shut them up in it, fed them in it, nothing has worked. Hens will go in and lay eggs fine. So its not like they are scared or unhappy with it. They were up there in the snow....
I would wait a little longer every night to put them up. See if they eventually get it!

 

[rosemarythyme]

That night they were too stupid to follow the heat and light up into the coop part and get out of the cold.

Second night, chicks still too stupid to go to bed on their own.

You keep calling them stupid but I can't really agree. They certainly are still very young, and there's no adult there to teach them what to do. Did you actually observe them going up into the coop section during the day? Do they know how to use a ramp (looks slightly steep to me?) Is the inside well lit and ventilated but not drafty?

I figure my 5 week olds only learned to go into the coop, and go up to roost, because they had adults to copy.

 

[CavalierX]

You keep calling them stupid but I can't really agree. They certainly are still very young, and there's no adult there to teach them what to do. Did you actually observe them going up into the coop section during the day? Do they know how to use a ramp (looks slightly steep to me?) Is the inside well lit and ventilated but not drafty?

I figure my 5 week olds only learned to go into the coop, and go up to roost, because they had adults to copy.

Night 3 -- still choosing not to huddle in the warmth and security of the coop. They can and do run up and down the ramp during the day I have even caught a few of them in the coop during the day. When it gets cold they huddle and hunker. Last night my brother grabbed half of each group and tossed them up into the coop. They split up by breed huddled together and made no immediate attempts to leave and just settled into the pine shavings (same type they have had in the brooders for over 5 weeks). The rest on the bottom made no attempted to fine the others or go up into the coop. Just huddled up in the corner for warmth. It was a low of 35 degrees last night. This morning at about 5:30am all of them were down in the bottom running around. No Chicken CPR or warm water bottles needed. They all seem to be eating and drinking.

I do have 1 Broody Hen right now.... maybe I drop her in with the 27 Chicks and she can be cured of NEVER wanting to be broody ever again and they can learn from her. Win - win?

 

[Mamatomany123]

Night 3 -- still choosing not to huddle in the warmth and security of the coop. They can and do run up and down the ramp during the day I have even caught a few of them in the coop during the day. When it gets cold they huddle and hunker. Last night my brother grabbed half of each group and tossed them up into the coop. They split up by breed huddled together and made no immediate attempts to leave and just settled into the pine shavings (same type they have had in the brooders for over 5 weeks). The rest on the bottom made no attempted to fine the others or go up into the coop. Just huddled up in the corner for warmth. It was a low of 35 degrees last night. This morning at about 5:30am all of them were down in the bottom running around. No Chicken CPR or warm water bottles needed. They all seem to be eating and drinking.

I do have 1 Broody Hen right now.... maybe I drop her in with the 27 Chicks and she can be cured of NEVER wanting to be broody ever again and they can learn from her. Win - win?

You are going to have to teach them to go up. I had to physically put mine into the coop for 2 weeks straight before they got it. Granted, I only have 7, but chi is are chicks.

Also, dont put that hen in there. She will kill them.

 

[CavalierX]

Today was more segregation and low level tension between the 2 Chick Factions.... no out right fighting, just foot stomping and the occasional claiming of territory. The Australorps have claimed the rear lower section of the run and the NH Reds have the front. They both have access to water and feed (throwing feed on the ground in the rear) but the feed bowl and a hanging feeder are in the front. On and off the Australorps will move to the front and the NH Reds will either run to the rear or up into the Coop. Seems that NH Reds have been running up and down the ramp all day in and out of the coop. I think the Australorps have taken to sleeping in the lower section in a cuddle-puddle and the the others up top.

Basically they are all relatively happy and adjusting. They are all eating and drinking and doing chicken things. They LOVE the grass and I have been throwing in clippings, clover, dandelion. and some dirt/play-sand/tiny pea-gravel mix for them to get their grit from. They went right to it when it was dumped in.