Chicken tractor question?

[TreyNC]

I am a newbie, getting ready to start. I was thinking of 6 large bread birds in a 5x12 run. They will be able to free range some. My question is if I were to use a tractor with a 5x12 run, how long will it take them to turn the ground into dirt? I don't have a very thick sod base in my yard. What do you think?

Trey

 

[willowcol]

Sorry to say it won't take long for them to turn the sod to dirt. It would also be pretty heavy to move something that big if you are adding a coop/house to the tractor for that many birds. Maybe 2 tractors with 3 birds each would be easier to keep small enough to move frequently enough.

 

[patandchickens]

With 2 hens in a 4x7 (footprint) tractor, I have to move it daily or at MOST every 2 days in order to prevent serious conspicuous damage to the lawn. As it is, you see a trail of eaten/scratched/dug/pooed-on rectangles stretching out behind the tractor

This is on decent lawn, it is a bit weedy and not super lush but the soil is pretty decent and moist, it doesn't brown off too bad most summers. On my lawn, it takes 2-4 wks before the tractored spots become TOTALLY visually-indistinguishable from the rest of the lawn, depending on how well the grass is growing at that time of year.

So, I am going to guess you'll need to move your tractor daily, or at most every 2 days, depending on what effects you can tolerate.

Mind, even if they do completely devegetate a spot, the grass *will* grow back (unless they do it real real bad and your grass was in poor shape to begin with). But it may take some months, and the tilth of the soil will have suffered.

GOod luck, have fun, maybe consider a permanent coop-and-run

,

Pat

 

[TreyNC]

I may go with coupe/run, instead of tractor. I really liked the idea of the tractor tho.

 

[tdgill]

you could do all of those ideas still

coop and run
AND tractor for fun

I like the idea of two tractors also

 

[patandchickens]

You can have both, you know. Just use the tractor 'sometimes', as much as the lawn will bear, and keep them in the coop/run the rest of the time. That is more or less what I do, kind of anyhow.

That gives you more fun building things, too! <vbg>


Pat

 

[HappyHatch'en]

I thought of the tractor idea as well, great concept.....being real new to this hobby, I set out to build me one...my first tractor ended up being my first coop....my little John Deere 4x4 moves it around ok, but by doing so, it tears up the grass and everything it is pushed over...and I'm not going to add wheels either....My New Coop is 6 x 10 and 6' high....with a raised 6 x 10 pen....pic's posted...New Coop

 

[RendonRoo]

This isn't a hobby it's an addiction. LOL

 

[TreyNC]

I may have both in the future, however to start I was trying to keep start up cost as low as possible. I think the coupe and covered run is going to be for now. Its more work and money, but I think I can make it safer for the birds also. Thanks for the input.

Trey