Chicken tractors a better way!

[slingshotandLAR]

Now for the feeders....

I had a issue with the standard 3 foot tray feeders, I would fill them up and when I tried to put them down it basically started a riot. When the birds were small enough the even jumped up, landed on it and knocked it out of my hand.

I didn't want to add multiple feeders in each tractor so I need another option.

My wife came up with this idea during one of our business meetings when I mentioned the said problem.

She said" what about gutters?"

The next day we went shopping and this is what I came up with:

Each tractor has 1 10 foot cutter cut in 1/2 with end caps and brackets. Cost wise it's a wash, roughly the same cost as 2 feeders in the pen. It's roughly $40 per tractor in materials.

It's worth it! The birds don't pile at the feeders and I just fill them with a bucket when I go in to fill the water bucket.


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[slingshotandLAR]

Thank you for sharing this it looks awesome. I love the rope ratchet idea. I want to build something like this, but we have wind issues and I'm afraid it would be a very nice kite.

The wind hasn't been an issue, that's another reason I used the shrink wrap. The tractors are heavy enough to stay put but light enough to move. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[slingshotandLAR]

Few things I'd like to add....

Air tools make life much easier.

An air powered crown stapler is basically a must, there are just about 5000 staples in each tractor.

We can build a complete tractor in less than two days if we start Saturday morning by Sunday afternoon we are putting the tarp on.

It costs about $240 per tractor, I haven't broke the cost down per tractor to the penny yet. Lots of the material can be used for more than one build. I will get years of use out of each one, plus with them pulling double duty with turkeys they are very profitable infer structure.

My tractors are in a pasture behind a 6 wire 8000 volt perimeter fence, if I was going to use them without it I would probably use hardware cloth on the bottom.

Being able to walk in is such a nice option

I have jacked it up on the wheels and moved it with the dolly, that actually how I get it out in the pasture. It works very well.

Good luck and have fun




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[slingshotandLAR]

Pics of the jacks as promised...

I just drilled holes and mounted them with the included hardware, I use a cordless impact to tighten them


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[slingshotandLAR]

This is my dolly....

I use it to take the tractors out to the pasture, 2 people can walk it where ever it needs to go no problem


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[frg34]

how do your dual wheel trailer jacks work on soft ground? I was considering them but was concerned if they are going to dig into the ground versus a pneumatic wheel. My tractor (layers not meat birds) is very heavy. I tried a simple lever today attached to a 2x4 and it compresses the 10" pneumatic wheel badly. I could rig it up where I have a lever inside bolted to the lever outside for a total of 4 wheels and I think that would work, but it would be uglier than the jack solution probably.

 

[slingshotandLAR]

how do your dual wheel trailer jacks work on soft ground? I was considering them but was concerned if they are going to dig into the ground versus a pneumatic wheel. My tractor (layers not meat birds) is very heavy. I tried a simple lever today attached to a 2x4 and it compresses the 10" pneumatic wheel badly. I could rig it up where I have a lever inside bolted to the lever outside for a total of 4 wheels and I think that would work, but it would be uglier than the jack solution probably.

They do very well in my pasture....

I think the weight is gonna be a issue regardless of what you do if it's crushing the wheels. At this point we have been in full production since May without issue

 

[frg34]

Thanks for the feedback. I think I better stick with pneumatic because of the weight. Buying two more wheels so I can have a set on each side of the frame should do the trick. Will be cheaper too and I don't have a harbor freight real close.