Anyone actually MOVE their Tractor very often?

[Uzuri]

Quote:
And if you spend money on wheels, make sure you spend twice as much money on making sure they don't fall off when you move it. Suddenly having a 500 lb tractor converted into a stationary coop right where you DON'T want it isn't fun.

My tractor's being (intentionally this time) converted to stationary come dry season; I'd do it now, but I need the time to build a stationary run. Small tractor run's OK when you're moving it about, but I want a run that I can practice pasture rotation with.

 

[gryeyes]

Okay, so I'm one of the "tractor" coop owners who NEVER moves it. I can't. So it's a permanent coop. And as much fun - and pleasure at accomplishment - I had building it, I'm not really using it as it was intended. But I hadn't really intended to move it; I just liked the A-frame style and the estimated costs of building IT versus a "real" coop were more within my budget.

And now I have to admit I then splurged and bought a coop kit with a covered run, which is what I moved the chickens into once I got them out of my bathroom brooder full-time. I set the new coop up next to the A-Frame and the chickens visit the "tractor" out of familiarity with the run area beneath it, but they NEVER went up the long ramp into the tractor interior. They're only 8.5 weeks old, so when I put them outside, knowing I wouldn't be home from work before dark to try to get them to go up that tractor ramp for security, I just housed them in the more traditional coop with its attached, covered run. I have a fenced area around both coops, so when I'm home during daylight hours on the weekends, I open the covered run connected to the traditional coop and let them explore the whole fenced area.

Maybe some day a chicken will venture up that tractor ramp to the interior and others will follow out of curiosity. Right now they just play in the lower pen area and utilize the nifty waterer with nipples I built for it. They run in and out of both pen portions but they sleep in the traditional coop at night.

Ahh well.

 

[jamz]

In the summer, I moved my 3x8' coop and run (5 chickens) every couple of days. It had wheels on one end and was pretty light.

 

[1acrefarm]

I have a small one with 2 chickens that are too young to integrate into the main flock. I move it around the garden to keep the grass and weeds away as well as fertilize. I let the grass tell me when its time it usually ends up being every other day.

 

[possumqueen]

Quote:
And if you spend money on wheels, make sure you spend twice as much money on making sure they don't fall off when you move it. Suddenly having a 500 lb tractor converted into a stationary coop right where you DON'T want it isn't fun.

My tractor's being (intentionally this time) converted to stationary come dry season; I'd do it now, but I need the time to build a stationary run. Small tractor run's OK when you're moving it about, but I want a run that I can practice pasture rotation with.

I learn something every single time I come on BYC!!

Thanks for sharing your pratfalls so I am forewarned! Although I'm sure I'll come up with some of my own!

Go to the coops section on the homepage, go to chicken tractors, and look at the one labelled "Urban Coop." That is SOME wheel design he's got on there, and it looks like it'll last forever. I'm drawing it into my design.

 

[FaereChicken]

Our coop is on wheels (which took a few iterations of design build to get right) and we try to move it every 4-5 days. If we're in the level part of the yard it can be pushed by one person; on the hill, we need to employ the lawn tractor.

Now that I've added 3 hens to my existing 3, I anticiapte a lot more moving, and/or a mud lawn.

 

[cnjtnt]

Thank you all for your comments - it helps!! Most of you have reinforced thoughts/concerns I've had so I guess that means i'm not crazy I've got a pile of different designs I've drawn up. I think the current plan (which changes hourly) is to build the hen house portion of the tractor on a 4-wheeled garden cart we have (which can be pulled by man power or hooked up to the ride-on lawn mower). This way Mom can move it all by herself (which she WILL do) and it's small enough to go through the gate into the full size run enclosure. Then well have a pen we can move & but up to wherever the hen house is. Pvc or something light. We have yard & field area with rocks - Titantic Iceberg rocks!

- so i think the 4 wheels are going to be necessary. We are off to the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store to see what we see....

Thanks again!

 

[possumqueen]

THAT'S the spirit, cnjtnt!! Restore is THE route to go, too!

But I have to say I've got you beat all to pieces in one particular: I've been working on my design for months, and it's still changing, and way more often than just hourly. You'll probably be finished and have the girls moved in before I get MY act together.

 

[gsim]

My flock is too big to consider one, and terrain here not the best for a large one. That said, if I was to do one, I would definitely make the run detachable from the coop. And I would make it so that it could be done with no tools at all. In a subdivision situation tho, I would lock it where it could not be detached without the key. Too tempting for spoiled kids with nothing better to do.

 

[Slofr8]

I moved it about once or twice a week this summer.

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Seems I'm always doing something with the tractor so when I drive by I'll give it a pull.
That coop hasn't been level since I pulled it out of the garage, but the chickens don't seem to mind.
It won't get moved very often now that winters coming tho.
Dan.