Hi All -
Here are a few pics from our latest adventure building a tractor coop. I didn’t really have any specific plans so it is hard to give a play by play on the construction of this. I just did some research on here and looked at pics of other coops and for lack of a better word “winged it.” We decided on an A frame tractor coop. We weren’t really wanting any more than 6-8 birds (even though now we have 9) and the dimensions of this seemed to fit our needs.
I will try to give a brief overview of the construction, but if you have more specific questions, please just let me know. I used 2x2’s for most all of the construction to keep down on weight. I used 5/16” plywood for tops and ½” for the floor and screwed everything. Even with using the smaller boards, etc. it’s still quite a “dead lift” to get it up on its wheels. Not too bad for super dad
, but definitely not possible for the kids. The wheel system on this is a bit hard to explain, but basically I attached them to a 2x6 approx. 2 ft long. I put hinges on the 2x6 and affixed it to the coop. In order for the wheels to swing under the coop I had to do a back cut at 45 degrees on the back edge of the 2x6, thus allowing the board to swing under and lift the one end of the coop and then swing back out allowing the coop to sit flat. The function is fairly simple. You just lift up the end of the coop with the wheels, (I created a handle to do this with that slides in and out under the coop.) The wheels fold or roll under the coop, elevating it about 10” off the ground. The hinges take a huge load when doing this, so I had to buy heavy duty hinges and also reinforce that entire side with bolts and washers. I then fashioned some old wheel barrel handles on the other said of the coop that slide in and out (to make mowing around this easier), so in essence, when up on wheels, this coop is just one big wheel barrel. When done moving to its new area, you just lift up the end with the wheels again, and they swing back out and the coop sits level with the ground. It has held up well thus far and we are keeping our fingers crossed it does indefinitely!
Both ends of the coop swing down to allow for easy cleaning. I also put sticky tiles down on the floor and used liquid nails to keep them down. This also allows for easy cleaning and provides a bit more protection for the floor board from spilled water, etc. The whole thing is still a work in progress. I add and tweak things to it all the time. The entire back yard chicken experience has been more fulfilling and entertaining that we could ever have guessed.
Thanks for taking time to look.
Here are a few pics from our latest adventure building a tractor coop. I didn’t really have any specific plans so it is hard to give a play by play on the construction of this. I just did some research on here and looked at pics of other coops and for lack of a better word “winged it.” We decided on an A frame tractor coop. We weren’t really wanting any more than 6-8 birds (even though now we have 9) and the dimensions of this seemed to fit our needs.
I will try to give a brief overview of the construction, but if you have more specific questions, please just let me know. I used 2x2’s for most all of the construction to keep down on weight. I used 5/16” plywood for tops and ½” for the floor and screwed everything. Even with using the smaller boards, etc. it’s still quite a “dead lift” to get it up on its wheels. Not too bad for super dad
Both ends of the coop swing down to allow for easy cleaning. I also put sticky tiles down on the floor and used liquid nails to keep them down. This also allows for easy cleaning and provides a bit more protection for the floor board from spilled water, etc. The whole thing is still a work in progress. I add and tweak things to it all the time. The entire back yard chicken experience has been more fulfilling and entertaining that we could ever have guessed.
Thanks for taking time to look.
