Chicken Tractor - Construction Started - Pictures added

[lowry075]

I think I've read that some people provide them with dust bath trays, like kitty litter pans. Maybe someone who does this could chime in.

 

[suzyQlou]

I had a hard time meeting that #1 goal of "light and portable". Looks like your setup will come much closer!

After reading your posts, here are a couple things you might want to think about:

Will you have enough access to the inside of the run? I see that it's slanted, 4'6" to 4' tall. Are you tall? Are you going to be able to reach inside to clean the nest box area and gather eggs? Will you have access to the nest boxes through doors in the back wall? I like the side door you added after seeing the photo from the city chicken. You may not even need a "main door" if you plan to change the food/water from the side. Are you still planning to hinge part of the roof? Depending on how you do that, it could really give more access.

Will the chickens have enough shelter in stormy weather? I like the openness for the hot summer, but where would they go in a storm? In the nest boxes? Probably. Would the nest boxes be big enough for all of your hens in a storm? Did you say 2 or 3 hens?

Are you still thinking about using pvc for the framing? Would that be strong enough to support your roof and doors?

Wheels? Even as lightweight and portable as this looks, you still might want to add wheels to help you move it. My pvc run is 4x8, too. I slide it (empty) without too many problems. With the additional weight of nest boxes, a back wall, and a roof, I might recommend some wheels under the nestboxes.

 

[doubleatraining]

I had a hard time meeting that #1 goal of "light and portable". Looks like your setup will come much closer! Thank you! I have been studying them for a few weeks now.

After reading your posts, here are a couple things you might want to think about:

Will you have enough access to the inside of the run?I think so. With the door being right around halfway I should be able to reach everything. I see that it's slanted, 4'6" to 4' tall. Are you tall? I'm 5'6 I figured it was tall enough to kneel in and I did the front taller for water drainage for the roof. Are you going to be able to reach inside to clean the nest box area and gather eggs? Will you have access to the nest boxes through doors in the back wall? I should have clarified. I think I'm going to make a door that will actually be the back of the nesting boxes. That way I'll be able to clean them and gather eggs easily. I like the side door you added after seeing the photo from the city chicken. You may not even need a "main door" if you plan to change the food/water from the side. Are you still planning to hinge part of the roof? Depending on how you do that, it could really give more access. Currently I'm planning on 4 "doors" Main door, side/feed door, back part of the roof hinged, back of the nesting boxes. It may seem excessive but from what I have read/seen its better to have too many doors/access areas than not enough.

Will the chickens have enough shelter in stormy weather? I like the openness for the hot summer, but where would they go in a storm? In the nest boxes? Probably. Would the nest boxes be big enough for all of your hens in a storm? Did you say 2 or 3 hens? I didn't realize they would want to hide. I thought they would be comfortable on the roosting bars. I'll put 3 nesting boxes in if you think that would be better. I will have plenty of siding. I'm going to have roof and sides for almost 1/2 of the entire run.

Are you still thinking about using pvc for the framing? Would that be strong enough to support your roof and doors? LOL nope, its going to have to be all wood.

Wheels? Even as lightweight and portable as this looks, you still might want to add wheels to help you move it. My pvc run is 4x8, too. I slide it (empty) without too many problems. With the additional weight of nest boxes, a back wall, and a roof, I might recommend some wheels under the nestboxes. I have considered it but have read mixed reviews. I plan on building it without them and then adding them later if I find it difficult to move it around the yard.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for talking this out with me. Please tell me if you see any holes or flaws in my thoughts/design. I hope to start buying supplies and doing frame work tomorrow.

 

[suzyQlou]

Sounds like you have planned really carefully.

The only thing I cringed at a little was "kneeling" in the run. My run is so yucky and poopy! But, you won't really have to worry about it. It sounds like you'll have plenty of access so you won't need to actually be IN the run. I love the idea of so many doors and hinges.

As far as the storms, my chickens might just be more silly than most. They do get nervous (and noisy) when they hear the thunder. They huddle in the coop during rainstorms. If your hens are like mine, they'll probably want to huddle together and share the nest box space in a storm. Maybe they'll even prefer the sheltered space below the nest boxes. I probably wouldn't add a nest box just for storms.

As I was thinking about using nest boxes for shelter though, I had one more thought. This isn't personal experience, but I've heard of people having trouble with hens roosting (sleeping and therefore pooping) in the nest boxes instead of on the roosts. In general, the advice is to make your roosts higher than the nest boxes. I wonder if your hens will be confused about that. The open-air roosts are probably nice and cool, though. I don't know. Just thought I'd mention it.

Happy building!

 

[doubleatraining]

Thanks for the encouragement.

LOL ok so maybe squatting is the correct term. I think I'll be using the garden hose to spray away the yuk before going in.

Maybe I won't have chickens scared of the storms. I can always move the tractor closer to the house to add more wind barrier to help when it storms.

Hmmm I don't want them sleeping in the nesting boxes, I can move them more towards the middle or bottom....it will just require putting a top on them instead of using the roof like I had planned......something to think about.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and suggestions. I REALLY appreciate all the help. I can't wait to start building. I'm going to take lots of pictures as I fumble through all this.

 

[GardenGal]

We built a 4x8' tractor run out of 2x2s. It's pretty light and strong, and works well. My favorite thing is we just put wheels on it. Makes life SOOO much easier! 2x2s are about $2 or less per 8' board, which is nice too. Don't know if that would help you since you'll have an attached coop.

I wonder, would it be possible to have a wired tray at the bottom you could pull out in the day time? Chickens seem to love to work the soil. If push comes to shove, post some plans. My husband is an architect I'll put him to work

 

[doubleatraining]

Gardengal, Thats an interesting thought....making the bottom slide out. I'm not sure I'm skilled enough to manage that though..... The rough plans are on the first page.

I wished I worked a job where I could be home nightly to lock them in a coop then the run could have an open bottom. I work EMS so I typically work 24hrs at a time. I also worry about the stray dogs we have around here digging underneath during the day. I think I would rather give the girls a dust bath box than come home to a massacre.....

 

[zookeeper15133]

To answer about your dust bath. I use a large litter pan. I guess about 16 x 24". I put in 2 coffee cans of sand and 1 can of Red Lakes DE. My chickens hace a large yard and some dust on the ground, but many prefer the litter box.

After a rain, I just lean it up against the 5 gal bucket I keep the sand in to drain the excess water without losing all the sand. I use sand from Lowe's, I find it by the concrete, it is under $3 a bag.

 

[doubleatraining]

Ok great on the dust bath.

Question about shade and roofing. I am thinking it might just be better to roof the whole tractor. It will provide shade and protection from weather. Do they NEED to have open air anywhere?

 

[zookeeper15133]

They like to lay in the sun. Especially to dust bathe.

If enough sun comes through the sides you should be ok.

Keeping the run dry in storms is nice.