Anyone actually MOVE their Tractor very often?

[possumqueen]

The tractors I've had in the past were too heavy to move easily, and didn't get moved as often as they should have been.

Now I live in town and I'm restricted to three chickens (but who's going to count an extra one or two?

) so my new chicken tractor -- under construction soon!) will be small enough for me to move every couple days or so. I really think if I get it right this time it won't do damage to the grass, and I'm hoping to be able to collect their night-time poops for the compost heap.

When you get right down to it, that poop is a valuable product most folks don't really think about. If the tractor is easy to move, or if the pen is easy to clean, then those chores will get done the way they should be done, and everyone benefits.

 

[wombat]

Today a poo patty mysteriously appeared at my work

Don't wear yer barn boots to the office!

 

[seedcorn]

No longer have a tractor, but why don't you spend extra money on wheels so it is easy to move? Seems it would be a good investment.

 

[7cutechix]

I move mine every other day. It's pretty easy, I only have 6 chickens....I did have to get rid of some so they would fit (new to chickens). We have a new, bigger coop waiting for the finishing touches to move them into. I couldn't see how with snow and ice we'd be ok. NEXT spring, we'll have the new ones in the tractor!

 

[Cindy in PA]

I have a 4 by 12 tractor with a 4 by 6 coop for bantams. We have moved it every 3-4 days since August, but I can't do it alone, since DH built it like a tank. It is on golf cart wheels and we move it with a hand truck under the run end. I have to get it started by pushing on the back as he pulls with the hand cart. I have 12 bantams in now, but should have only 8 for the coop size. I requested a coop I could move myself, but that fell on deaf ears. Right now it's on it's 6th day in position, since all helpers have been off hunting since Friday, so with the rain it will be a mess until we move it tomorrow. The grass would come back easily in the growing season, but I do have several industrious hens that insist on digging a hole the first day. This is really not a problem since my yard is a field more or less. We are planning on parking it nearer the house as soon as the grass turns brown for the winter. No sense killing ourselves moving it when they will just tear up dormant grass. We will just reseed the area in the spring. The grass is much stronger against their sratching then the weed areas! I'm thinking of letting them sratch up the weeds in the spring and replant grass. Probably would take a ton of seed however! Way too many weeds from the farm field next to us!

 

[AmyBella]

I move the heavy wooden tractor every single morning all by myself! It has the front wheel from a kid's bike on the front... looks really funny but it did the trick until the tire blew. I haven't figured out how to replace it yet. I can still move it, but it is more difficult. I wish that it could have somehow been designed to pull rather than push so that I didn't have to walk through all the poo...

 

[KKatknap]

I move mine 2x day. I have 6 chickens in a 3.5x6 tractor, so I can't leave them in one place for long. It was a lot easier to move before it started raining! I have found myself saying things I don't say in public.... Good that chickies can't speak.

It's very doable, just not effortless.
Mine is a pull-type with wheels on the sides at the very back. I don't think I could push one.

 

[sarahm]

We have a catawba coop and four standard size girls. At first I was worried the coop wouldn't be big enough, but they're 11 weeks old now and doing fine. The coop also looks lovely in the yard. I would like to build a more spacious coop eventually, but for now the tractor works. I can move it by myself, but it's easier with my husband so we usually do it together every morning (or every other morning) before taking off for work. That way the girls have fresh grass for the day. Not sure what we'll do in the snow yet. My biggest headache was the water, since I couldn't find a hanging waterer that fit underneath in the run area. Over the weekend my husband tied two hangers around the smaller (1 gal) waterer so that it hangs, and now I'm a happy camper too. Question: does anyone put food and/or water upstairs in the tractor? There's barely room, but with the long nights I worry they may need at least water.

 

[AmyBella]

Quote:
I'm a little worried about winter in the tractor, too. So far I have not put food or water upstairs for them. I figure that it is too dark for them to find it at night and I let them out when it starts getting light out.

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

We use 6X8 Hoop House/tarp "tractors" as shelters within an rotating electronet pasture. When the birds are young they stay in the shelter full time. The tractors have long rope loops so I can slide the shelter in any direction by grabbing one or both loops and pulling. I can move them myself, but I often get one of the children to help when there is a slope. We tried to move the shelters daily, though there were some periods when we were so busy or the weather did not cooperate and they stayed in the same place for 3 or 4 days. You can tell the difference on the lawn when this happens.

We make more shelters when we have more birds. Replacing the tarps with builders plastic makes a mini greenhouse in the garden. They also work for storing my Garden Tiller.

In the Winter the birds go into Winter Quarters in a portion of the pole shed. The sliding shelters go in too, hopefully to be "Honeymoon Suites" when we need to separate breeds 4 weeks prior to hatching season.

I have been very pleased with the set up this season.