Chicken Tractor Build #3

[Ted Brown]

...See how I replaced my husband here with some convienient rocks?.

Many wives would say there is no difference.

 

[Kris5902]

This is where using plywood would save huge amounts of time and effort, and most likely cut down on overall weight. If you’re using plywood skip almost all of these steps, cut two Chunks for sides, leaving enough room to hinge one from the front left vertical 2x4 for egg collection, and you’re done!

I have 8” wide beveled cedar siding available, so that’s what I’ve used... (there was plenty of complaining about what little plywood I did buy, but until the Father-in-law figures out how to mill 1/4” ply with the woodmizer I’m going to buy the stuff!) I used 10 pieces of siding 34 1/2” long for the sides, and I attatch it a little “differently” to make “doors” out of the sides. I use 1 1/4” screws.

First I attatch a top piece upside down

Then I work from the bottom up, thicker side down, with one screw per side on each board, placed about the middle of the height. 4 boards per “door” with about 1.5-2” of overlap.

 

[Kris5902]

Next mark the center of the inside of the door, and 9” out from that on each side. Choose screws that wont stick out (mostly) when used, 1 5/8” for me

Take 2 of the 1x2 offcuts from the rafters and cut 21” off of the square end of each. Cut 2 more 21” off of another 1x2. Now the square end of the remaining angled off cuts needs to be trimmed to a 45* angle. You will want to support the saw with another piece of 1x2 while making the cut to keep the saw 90* to the material.

We will be screwing this to the inside of each side

 

[Kris5902]

Put one of the pieces down on the bottom so the braces will be 3/4” above the floor of the roosting box. Use the speed square to place a 21” vertical and mark where the siding pieces overlap. I also put one screw top and bottom and cut the excess screw off later with the angle grinder. Pre drill and start all the screws

Next attatch the top of the angled portion so that the other vertical can be accurately positioned.

Screw in the second vertical. Then the middle and bottom screws in the diagonal.

Repeat on the second side.

 

[Ribh]

Next mark the center of the inside of the door, and 9” out from that on each side. Choose screws that wont stick out (mostly) when used, 1 5/8” for me
View attachment 1727750 View attachment 1727751
Take 2 of the 1x2 offcuts from the rafters and cut 21” off of the square end of each. Cut 2 more 21” off of another 1x2. Now the square end of the remaining angled off cuts needs to be trimmed to a 45* angle. You will want to support the saw with another piece of 1x2 while making the cut to keep the saw 90* to the material.View attachment 1727749

View attachment 1727746 View attachment 1727747

We will be screwing this to the inside of each side

View attachment 1727748

Ply is wonderful stuff ~ though what you call ply looks rather different to what we used on our coop? I still get confused with these cross cultural language differences.

 

[Kris5902]

Now I use the remaining rafter offcut and 46” of the other 1x2 to make the angled roost supports. Start on the back of the box with the offcuts angled end towards the top. You want the bottom edge around 6-6.5”down from the top.

Mark a line around 9” up on the center back 2x2 this is about where you want the bottom of the diagonal support

I scribe a line on the 1x2 to help with alignment and pre-drilling and mark the hole to predilection for attaching it. There will be several inches of 1x2 sticking out past the 2x2... This is strangely important for the next step.



Screw it into place. Move to the inside 46” support, hint: place all the tools in the center of the roosting box from here on to avoid constantly having to circle the tractor to retrieve them! (I’m slowly getting better at this )

 

[Kris5902]

Mark a line on the 2x4 the same 6-6.5” down from the top. Eyeball the angle using the finished side as a reference and scribe a line along the 1x2 to reflect the vertical of the 2x4

Now transfer that to the very tip of the board using your speed square and sliding it along with your fingers

Cut off the tip using the same technique as in the diagonals for the door bracing.



This gives you more material for attaching the support to the 2x4’s edge.

I figure the spot it connects with the 2x4 near the chicken door by measuring up to the finishe side from the roosting box floor, tracing the line to the front along the hardware cloth (useful little squares!) and securing it at the same height.

It was raining and I was having issues holding the camera, tape, and the 1x2. Please excuse the photos. Normally I have a second set of hands helping with this... but he was running errands and buying me more Staples and Batteries for our solar in town!

 

[Kris5902]

Ply is wonderful stuff ~ though what you call ply looks rather different to what we used on our coop? I still get confused with these cross cultural language differences.

That’s because I’m not using any yet!
The farm will soon be over-run with cats at the rate my Father-in-law is having kittens every time I bring back lumber. I’m using home milled cedar siding FIL milled two years ago “for our house”, the whole 3 chicken tractors worth he finished. We are using the supplied hardi-board type siding, like a pretty cement board, in taupe with a 25 year warranty! The cedar isn’t best for chicken coops, but it’s free, has been weathering for a while (low odor), and stops him from having more hissie-fits!

Ply would be so much easier to work with! Thanks for the comment, I re-read my post and edited it a bit which hopefully makes it more clear.

 

[Kris5902]

For this next step you will want to dual wield your cordless drill and driver! I LOVE my cordless Ryobi tools. They are awesome. Use 3” deck screws to secure the roosts, I use 4 branches carefully trimmed of any pointy branch bits.



First I lay out my roosts, and I use 2” screws just started to hold them in place on top of the support.



I use a flush cut hand saw (the same one that removed the pointy branch bits and a chunk of my knuckle, every time!) to score the bark, scribing the angle (as close as I can... not perfect, but close) and cut with my cordless circular saw.



Secure each branch on both sides, through the 1x2, pre-drilling required. Don’t worry about little gaps after you’ve secured one end, the screws will close it up and pull everything together nicely.



Same roost, before and after! And repeat until you have all 4 done.

So far all 11 of my layers are happy on the top two and three roosts, so I think my spacing is ok. If you have really large chickens maybe use 3 roosts and less birds instead? 5 roosts are too many, they will poop on each other.

Edit to add: that “missing” hardware cloth on the back is going on first thing tomorrow! I ran out of staples, so everything is mostly just lightly tacked in place, except where I used the siding which is fully stapled... time crunch, EVERYTHING MUST be done before sundown tomorrow! I have chicks coming really early in the morning Sunday!

 

[Ribh]

That’s because I’m not using any yet!
The farm will soon be over-run with cats at the rate my Father-in-law is having kittens every time I bring back lumber. I’m using home milled cedar siding FIL milled two years ago “for our house”, the whole 3 chicken tractors worth he finished. We are using the supplied hardi-board type siding, like a pretty cement board, in taupe with a 25 year warranty! The cedar isn’t best for chicken coops, but it’s free, has been weathering for a while (low odor), and stops him from having more hissie-fits!

Ply would be so much easier to work with! Thanks for the comment, I re-read my post and edited it a bit which hopefully makes it more clear.

All is now explained! I often find instructions hard to follow but thanks to all your great photos I think I could build one of these following the piccis. I'm weird like that!