A chicken Tractor Type of Deal

[cmcgoun]

Well I have a regular chicken coop, you know a stationary one but I was thinking of building a little thing I could put them in to move them to fresh grass during the day, and then moving them back into the regular coop at night. Will you need a house in the tractor for the chickens to go into or would just chicken wire do? These are laying hens, so what would they do if they needed to lay an egg? Thanks

 

[Timmo]

Using chicken wire and having a secure house really depends on your predator situation. Chicken wire won't keep anything out, it's to keep chickens in, and if you have coyotes, raccoons, weasels, neighborhood dogs, etc... you will definately want to be able to shut them up in a secure enclosure at night.

Here's a great page with lot's of examples: http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/tractors.html

Good luck!

edit:

OOOPS! I just re-read your post and if you are going to put them back in their regular coop at night, you'll do just fine without an enclosure in your tractor, maybe just have something on top of part of it for shade and in case of a sudden downpour. Make sure the wire will keep out a stray dog if you're not on guard duty. You may want to add a laying box just to give them something routine to lay in.

 

[patandchickens]

I would suggest having one end '3-sides-boxed-in', using steel siding or thinnish plywood or the like. (Alternatively you *could* use a tarp, but it will shred itself during the season and you'll have to replace it over and over, plus it is not as protective).

Reasons:

-somewhere to get out of the wind
-somewhere to get out of the rain
-somewhere to get out of the sun/heat
-somewhere to get away and hunker down if menaced by predators pacing the mesh part of the walls

Unless you can get really heavy gauge chickenwire, and *I* sure don't know where to get it around here, I would suggest you consider 1" welded wire mesh instead. Even during the daytime, a lot can happen...

If you put them out in the tractor before getting 1 egg from each and every hen, I'd just put a portable nestbox in there with 'em, just in case. I have a couple of rubbermaid totes that I cut a hole in the end, or you could maybe find an old covered-style cat litter box at a garage sale or thrift store.

Have fun,

Pat

 

[cmcgoun]

Okay thanks, I have decidided not to put walls up and just have a little portable nest box put in. I will post pictures soon