Chicken Tractor Design for Uneven Sloped Land

[Cindy M]

Does anyone have advice for designing a chicken tractor that could be used on unevenly sloped land? I am concerned moving the tractor to different locations on the uneven terrain could leave enough room for predators to sneak in or chickens to sneak out under the straight bottom edge of the chicken tractor due to the inconsistent spacing between the ground and the bottom of the tractor. Is there a recommended distance that I can have between the ground and the bottom of the tractor to ensure no predators can get in? Is there a flexible material that I could put around the bottom to discourage predators from getting in or chickens from getting out. I am new to this site and haven't started raising chickens yet. I want to understand best practices in coop / run design before I start raising my chickens. I'd prefer to use a tractor, but understand that I may not be able to find a solution that will work with my terrain and I may just have to keep the chickens in one spot on the land that is level.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Use wide wire aprons all around it that you can fold up to move. and keep it as small as possible

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Ours is rectangular. We place it across the slope, not going up and down the slope. That seems to be most successful. Some spots leave too much of a gap and just don't work, so you just move to another spot. You really learn your terrain in a hurry.

It also helps to keep it shorter, as you build, so it doesn't tip over. I also kept it smaller and lighter in weight. When you have to drag it uphill, it helps.

I went with a bowl of water, instead of a gravity waterer. Hanging a waterer would work, too. Otherwise, it's hard to get it level if it sits on the ground. If it's not level, it empties out.

The only other two things I watched out for are the roost and the door.

I like the roost to not be at an extreme angle. It's placed so it's running across the slope and pretty level, not going up and down the slope at an extreme angle. I think that's more comfortable for the chickens.

Don't have the door on the uphill side if it swings open to the side or the hill will block it. I designed the door to fold down, so it would always open, but my husband did it his own way and it's a problem. A sliding door would work great, too.

Except for a couple of spots that were particularly uneven, it's worked great.

 

[BeccaBeeOly]

Great thread... I was seeking the same information. Will anxiously await more comments!

 

[HandsomeRyan]

Make a wire mesh floor that the grass can come up through, the poop can fall down through but would prevent both predators from getting in and chickens from getting out?

 

[UPSweeten]

Does any one have photos of a tractor with aprons for uneven ground?

 

[BugStalker]

Make a wire mesh floor that the grass can come up through, the poop can fall down through but would prevent both predators from getting in and chickens from getting out?

How would they dust bathe?

 

[HighlandView340]

How would they dust bathe?

Could you place a bin with dirt/herbs that the chickens can use for their dirt bath? I saw that on another site.

 

[BugStalker]

Could you place a bin with dirt/herbs that the chickens can use for their dirt bath? I saw that on another site.

That could work. They tend to mix it all over their area, so you would want to use stuff you want/don't mind being added to the ground. It also either makes the tractor heavier or is a separate piece to move. Depending on where it is in the tractor, it could block some of the forage area.

For reference, I have made a few chicken tractors for use during part of the day, but haven't yet tried a dust box in one, though I probably would if they didn't have a separate coop. I added wood ash, sand and dirt in a box to the coop during external parasite issues. I had been using chemicals, but they only worked a few days. No more issues since I added the wood ash dust box. I even stopped using the chemicals years ago. I don't know if it would work as well in other areas. It takes about ten times longer to kill whatever I tested, but it's also safer for them to use themselves as needed. It gets everywhere. It seems like it might have mild cleaning properties, in waterers and such...