Anyone have an easy tractor design?

[Iluveggers]

We are looking to get about 25 Red Broilers this summer, if we can get a tractor built quickly. Wondering if anyone has any good ideas on construction?

 

[FunClucks]

Have you looked in the Articles section? You can search on "Chicken Tractor" and see what you find. There's so many things out there to consider.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I based mine off of the one in this video and it worked well, for the cost! I'd much rather have a Salatin style one but the cost of lumber was crazy when I was making mine. The one in the video is not predator proof enough so I added hardware cloth around the bottom foot of the tractor, a chicken wire skirt around the outside, and used dog leash clips to secure the gates closed. The gates are tedious to open and close, but they work. This tractor was not too time-consuming to build. Could easily be made in a few hours.

Here is my thread about my first time raising meat birds. You can see thr beginnings of my tractor design on the first page, and then the improvements I made on later pages.

 

[Iluveggers]

I based mine off of the one in this video and it worked well, for the cost! I'd much rather have a Salatin style one but the cost of lumber was crazy when I was making mine. The one in the video is not predator proof enough so I added hardware cloth around the bottom foot of the tractor, a chicken wire skirt around the outside, and used dog leash clips to secure the gates closed. The gates are tedious to open and close, but they work. This tractor was not too time-consuming to build. Could easily be made in a few hours.

Here is my thread about my first time raising meat birds. You can see thr beginnings of my tractor design on the first page, and then the improvements I made on later pages.

Thank you so much!

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Thank you so much!

No problem!

Also, I was trying to find this video for you yesterday but didn't find it until today. Fast forward to about 4 minutes. This guy also based his tractor design off of the first video I sent you. You can see his final product and some of the modifications he made. Might give you some ideas. Make sure you watch long enough to also see him talk about the changes he made to the door. He originally had it opening upward, but changed it to downward to keep the chickens from escaping when the door is open. I might also make that modification this year for myself because I ran into that same problem.

Again, it's not the perfect tractor and probably won't last as long as some. But it's quick, easy, and cheap, and you can at least get a few years out of it.

 

[JeffPr]

Made out of pvc on the side of the road.... just needs a top.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Made out of pvc on the side of the road.... just needs a top.

Wow, nice! Is it sturdy enough to not bend when moving, and heavy enough to not blow away in wind? Those are my questions when seeing it, but other than that, I love the design!

 

[Iluveggers]

Wow, nice! Is it sturdy enough to not bend when moving, and heavy enough to not blow away in wind? Those are my questions when seeing it, but other than that, I love the design!

Me too!

 

[JeffPr]

I am building a coop that will attach. It will be on wheels so the whole thing is moveable. That way I can put the birds to bed at night to help protect against predators. It will also have an electric fence to hat will move with it too.
When finished I will post pictures.
I plan to use candy cane shaped rebar for stakes on the pvc run.

I hope it works as well in the real world as it does In my head .