Chicken Tractor Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[joeplouff]

I have been looking online for what seens like forever. I need one that is moveable by one to 2 people, for 8+ chickens, for under 200 dollars.If anyone can help. i need specs and items list.Thanks

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

you just posted the same thing under "predators and pests". did you look at coop designs at the top of the page? lots of great ideas. if you find one you like and it's too small, double the size, or make two.

 

[joeplouff]

i need a chicken tractor(moveable) and i need it to be sturdy cause we have lots of animals. all the specs online are for 3-5 chickens i have 8 planning on more. need it to be moveable

 

[jenesis536]

I wish I could help... we built one for 5 chickens and it is really heavy. We can move it if we have to, but for the most part we leave it in one spot. It is very cumbersome to move. You should try to find as much free materials as possible because once you add in the hardware cloth and the hardware and the wheels, it can add up $$.

 

[farmer_lew]

Simply double the size of all the dimensions in the plans. A plan for 3 - 5 birds will become one for 6 - 10. If that isn't enough, enlarge the plans 2 and a half times. Attach two wheelbarrow wheels on one end and handles on the other. If you use lighter materials in non-structural areas (i.e., if the plans call for roofing shingles use corrugated roofing panels instead.) Shingles are heavier than corrugated roofiing, you can reduce the weght to make it easier to move.

Hope this helps.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Check out my byc page and the tractor my dh built. We move it every day or every other day and keep 8 hens in it. I have a bad back but can lift the end and move it. Works better with both of us cause our ground is very uneven. Hope this helps.

 

[elmo]

8 chickens should really have about 80 square feet in a tractor. I have a 6' by 12" tractor that is light enough for me to drag around our yard by myself (a 52 year old lady), and those dimensions get you pretty close to 80 square feet. Scroll down my page to tractor model No. 3:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=32217

The base is just a rectangle made from cedar 2" by 3"'s (cedar is lighter than pine). I attached the metal hoop frames to the wood with these things (they're conduit clasps that I found in the electrical aisle at the home improvement store...you can buy plastic or metal ones):

 

[babyrnlc]

We made a coop that first was for 4 chickens, but we doubled it to make it for 8. The run is only 8x4ft now so we are going to make a portable pen that we can add to this one that is larger. We spent about $200 for the supplies, but if you did not roof it with shingles you could cut that price way down. It was over $50 for the roofing. WE got the plans off this video, but we made it taller and wider. and moved the nest boxes to the side and made one large door for the back:

The coop is two stories. The top coop is 4ftx 4ft it has two external nest boxes and a floor and two roosts. The one under it is also 4x4 and has a roost and 4 nest boxes. (one with a divider on each side) They both open into the run. Both have removeable floors so that they can be easily cleaned.

We put four wheels on the bottom and it can be rolled by one person, if you were turning etc, you would need two. We took the design off youtube, but did not roof it all the way. We put a tarp across the run (lighter), I think we would do something different for the roof if we were to do it again. Shingles are heavy, but it is quite water proof!

Here was the coop before we enclosed the bottom to make another coop., just so you could see the length. It now has the four wheels and hard wire along the bottom so my lab wont break in to eat the chicken scraps!

Here is the bottom coop (the nest box anyway) and you can see the wheels, I also used wire cubes to reinforce it. I had some. I use cubes and zip ties to make grow out cages and rabbit cages. You can google cube cage and see all kinds of things people do with them. They are handy.

edited to add a full veiw:

 

[wpalmisano]

Here is a link to the building process I did for my " Duck Tractor." Well under $200.00, and still using it. Another issue is it is hard to move in 2-3 feet of snow, lol.






http://www.slide.com/r/76zfl5-56T83Jf0Rb9hUnn5lxoz-SZ3f?previous_view=lt_embedded_url