NikiMcAlister
Hatching
I've been doing a lot of research about chicken tractors. My family just relocated from Florida to Eastern Tennesee (Roane area) and our landlord said it was okay for us to use the land how we want (we're renting on 8 acres.) One of the biggest things we want to do is get chickens.
My plan was for 4-5 egg layers and some meat chickens. I'm unsure if I can house the egg layers with the meat birds or if I will have to put them in separate runs. I know we will be building a chicken tractor (or buying a kit/something similar,) but I'm unsure what type would work best for the land. We have a lot of slopes and hills around the main house. I was planning on running the chicken tractor(s) around the main house outside the chainlink fence in order to help with bug control and so they were close enough that I can keep an eye on them during the day/ be able to get to them if I need to at night.
So my questions are:
*Is a chicken tractor feasible with the slopes?
*Will I need to adjust in any way for the lean, to make sure the wind/predators don't flip it over.
*Should I have separate tractors for the egg layers and the meat birds?
Our winters here are mild, its our first winter and it's barely dropped to 13 degrees. My grandparents say it barely gets below 0 Farinheit, but I will be looking to get some cold hardy birds to be safe.
*Are chicken tractors easy to winterize or should I be looking at putting them in a coop during the winter?
I have to keep in mind that we are renting so anything we get has to be able to come with us when we move, which is another reason the tractors seem like the best idea. I can move them all over the property if I want to. As for how steep the slopes are...I don't know how to measure grade or anything like that. They aren't hard to walk up but if you put a ball down it will roll away quickly. The house appears to be up on a hill with all 4 sides sloping down.
As a side note we are planning on farming a portion of the land by the house and I had hoped to keep the chickens close to the plants for ease, but I am worried the slope may be too steep there.
My plan was for 4-5 egg layers and some meat chickens. I'm unsure if I can house the egg layers with the meat birds or if I will have to put them in separate runs. I know we will be building a chicken tractor (or buying a kit/something similar,) but I'm unsure what type would work best for the land. We have a lot of slopes and hills around the main house. I was planning on running the chicken tractor(s) around the main house outside the chainlink fence in order to help with bug control and so they were close enough that I can keep an eye on them during the day/ be able to get to them if I need to at night.
So my questions are:
*Is a chicken tractor feasible with the slopes?
*Will I need to adjust in any way for the lean, to make sure the wind/predators don't flip it over.
*Should I have separate tractors for the egg layers and the meat birds?
Our winters here are mild, its our first winter and it's barely dropped to 13 degrees. My grandparents say it barely gets below 0 Farinheit, but I will be looking to get some cold hardy birds to be safe.
*Are chicken tractors easy to winterize or should I be looking at putting them in a coop during the winter?
I have to keep in mind that we are renting so anything we get has to be able to come with us when we move, which is another reason the tractors seem like the best idea. I can move them all over the property if I want to. As for how steep the slopes are...I don't know how to measure grade or anything like that. They aren't hard to walk up but if you put a ball down it will roll away quickly. The house appears to be up on a hill with all 4 sides sloping down.
As a side note we are planning on farming a portion of the land by the house and I had hoped to keep the chickens close to the plants for ease, but I am worried the slope may be too steep there.