Chicken tractors

[aart]

Well I don't understand the proposed redesign lol but I don't really understand tractor layouts in the first place.

When they won't disclose dimensions, we know it's too small.

 

[LavenderHen]

Well I don't understand the proposed redesign lol but I don't really understand tractor layouts in the first place.

Well I don't understand the proposed redesign lol but I don't really understand tractor layouts in the first place.

could be because I didn't propose a redesign I said I have done something different from my original post I didn't share that design might be why you don't "understand" it. I suppose your either in favor of tractors or not so. I was hoping to get the experience of those who use tractors or small Mobil coops. So if anyone has experience with tractors or Mobil small coops I'm interested in that wisdom.

 

[rosemarythyme]

could be because I didn't propose a redesign I said I have done something different from my original post I didn't share that design might be why you don't "understand" it.

Sorry for the misunderstanding! Hope your tractor design works out for you.

 

[LavenderHen]

When they won't disclose dimensions, we know it's too small.

You know I've followed a lot of the things you post on and your kind of a jerk chicken I'm not disclosing it to you because your obnoxious. I have 4 chickens 4 only 4 and by how many times people lose their chickens to chicken stuff I hope I'll have 4 in a year. But my tractor large enough for 6 by the designer who actually used them . but again I've gone with another idea building off of my tractor.

 

[LavenderHen]

Sorry for the misunderstanding! Hope your tractor design works out for you.

Thanks

 

[paintedChix]

Ah - to chicken tractor wisdom.

I used the 8x8 CP hoop coop (big enough for us to walk in) meant to be a tractor. Worked fine at previous property. When we arrived here on this one - lots more sand, some of which is deep - wheels didn't help much - couldn't pull by hand w/o causing strained & sore muscles and ligaments. Ground cover is sparse and varied - hard on the tractor and on us pulling by hand. Turns out I didn't have braces in all the corners as recommended. The three that we'd used at previous property now became permanent.

I have equipment that Larry has purchased, but I'm not all that great with figuring out how to do angle cuts, use the jig (sigh), rip - etc, nor do I have the time to really work on it. There are several tractor styles I'd love to have - don't have the $, the knowledge for "intricate" (to me?) piece work or the time to do them.

Our first "little tractors" were a thrown together mix of rabbit cages (from TSC) and puppy X-pens. They worked well enough for chicks but once they want to start roosting and get bigger - not so much. I have some that I'm going to put on a wood base - and need to fashion a door into it, maybe make the top easier to access - simple frame from either PVC or wood (maybe learn to use the pocket jig) so can hinge for lifting on one side. Like I said - we made them work. When I watch TV or ride as a passenger in a car - if I have a project in mind - i can do that then. I "wove" hay string on a Boye loom (a whopping $7) from Hobby Lobby. I'd already string fitted it - when done, I did a running stitch attaching it to the Rabbit cages. Folded feed bags tuck under - instant weather protection that works for us here in NC. It looks like it will last on most of them (6) through this year, then will need to loom new ones. Not fancy but works for chicks. Inexpensive, can be covered with a tarp in bad weather (hurricane in Oct dropped 9" of rain at once on us - chicks did better than some of the older birds in pens/coops).



Summer 2018 - I wanted some temporary grazing pens to grow out some birds. Using just 2x4 wire, and covering the tops with sheet that our vet clinic was ready to throw away, putting feed bags stitched along the bottom - they worked until I expanded them so didn't have to move so often. Then the birdies all learned how to jump/fly over and that was an issue. They were all cooped by fall - it worked for the time I needed it to!





You do what you need to do with what you have. Those 7 CLB roos - may not have been meat birds but they sure were good that winter. They were extras when I bought a group of birds - they just wanted them gone. Win/win.

I like working with CP. I can do that with minimal wood working. I have the directions for a short hooped CP tractor. The 1st two are at a friends' place - they were ready to actually hoop and be complete for chicks - but we didn't get them done before the Corona lockdown here in NC and both she and her husband got sick (she has a lot of health issues - & he's started having some heart problems. They were tested negative for Covid, but both were pretty sick for a couple of weeks). So those two sit.

Last summer, I started the A-Frame ones. Because I didn't do a wood frame other than the base, they are VERY light weight, yet the wind hasn't torn them apart or blown them over (and we've had some heavy wind storms late last fall and this spring). I used tarps as the roof (getting ready to order some heavy duty ones instead of the cheap ones I've been using). So far, as stated in a previous post, they really aren't totally complete but we've again made them work for us.

I not only like to work with the CP, but also believe in reusing a lot of things, if possible. Other then the base, these don't have wood on them at all. I did purchase 2x2s (again, I don't rip them from 2x4's) to build out a frame for a nest box. May not use it - have some other things percolating that may or may not work. I used haystring from the bales of hay we get for our ponies to secure the tops of the A-frame. To protect the tarps from the rough/sharp edges of the CP, I cut the bottoms & tops off of 2 ltr soda bottles. Punched 3 holes on each end & "stitched" them onto the top of the A-frame w/ haystring. Takes a bit of time, but not terrible, can do while filling water buckets or watering the new fruit trees. Even had the 8 & 9 yr old grand daughters working on that last fall - developing hand/eye coordination while they were outside and I was doing something else. Have 3 more need to completely cover w/ the bottle protection.

I have to admit, I've drooled over many designs of chicken coops and tractors. What I've built may not be pretty, but it has worked for chicks and chickens, has kept them safe from roaming predators and most important to me/us, is they are very affordable due to ways I've come up with to build them. If you figure the space in the A-Frame tractor as a run, it's only big enough for 4 chickens. If you figure it as a coop, it can hold 10. 10 is too many for my situation. But I have as few as 3 and as many as 6 in them. It appears to be working fine. They have been grazing down the grass, flowers and yes, weeds, in our front yard.



Good luck on your tractor. Did you already get your 4 chicks?

 

[LavenderHen]

Ah - to chicken tractor wisdom.

I used the 8x8 CP hoop coop (big enough for us to walk in) meant to be a tractor. Worked fine at previous property. When we arrived here on this one - lots more sand, some of which is deep - wheels didn't help much - couldn't pull by hand w/o causing strained & sore muscles and ligaments. Ground cover is sparse and varied - hard on the tractor and on us pulling by hand. Turns out I didn't have braces in all the corners as recommended. The three that we'd used at previous property now became permanent.

I have equipment that Larry has purchased, but I'm not all that great with figuring out how to do angle cuts, use the jig (sigh), rip - etc, nor do I have the time to really work on it. There are several tractor styles I'd love to have - don't have the $, the knowledge for "intricate" (to me?) piece work or the time to do them.

Our first "little tractors" were a thrown together mix of rabbit cages (from TSC) and puppy X-pens. They worked well enough for chicks but once they want to start roosting and get bigger - not so much. I have some that I'm going to put on a wood base - and need to fashion a door into it, maybe make the top easier to access - simple frame from either PVC or wood (maybe learn to use the pocket jig) so can hinge for lifting on one side. Like I said - we made them work. When I watch TV or ride as a passenger in a car - if I have a project in mind - i can do that then. I "wove" hay string on a Boye loom (a whopping $7) from Hobby Lobby. I'd already string fitted it - when done, I did a running stitch attaching it to the Rabbit cages. Folded feed bags tuck under - instant weather protection that works for us here in NC. It looks like it will last on most of them (6) through this year, then will need to loom new ones. Not fancy but works for chicks. Inexpensive, can be covered with a tarp in bad weather (hurricane in Oct dropped 9" of rain at once on us - chicks did better than some of the older birds in pens/coops).

View attachment 2133499 View attachment 2133500 View attachment 2133505

Summer 2018 - I wanted some temporary grazing pens to grow out some birds. Using just 2x4 wire, and covering the tops with sheet that our vet clinic was ready to throw away, putting feed bags stitched along the bottom - they worked until I expanded them so didn't have to move so often. Then the birdies all learned how to jump/fly over and that was an issue. They were all cooped by fall - it worked for the time I needed it to!

View attachment 2133552 View attachment 2133553 View attachment 2133554

View attachment 2133555 View attachment 2133556 View attachment 2133557

You do what you need to do with what you have. Those 7 CLB roos - may not have been meat birds but they sure were good that winter. They were extras when I bought a group of birds - they just wanted them gone. Win/win.

I like working with CP. I can do that with minimal wood working. I have the directions for a short hooped CP tractor. The 1st two are at a friends' place - they were ready to actually hoop and be complete for chicks - but we didn't get them done before the Corona lockdown here in NC and both she and her husband got sick (she has a lot of health issues - & he's started having some heart problems. They were tested negative for Covid, but both were pretty sick for a couple of weeks). So those two sit.

Last summer, I started the A-Frame ones. Because I didn't do a wood frame other than the base, they are VERY light weight, yet the wind hasn't torn them apart or blown them over (and we've had some heavy wind storms late last fall and this spring). I used tarps as the roof (getting ready to order some heavy duty ones instead of the cheap ones I've been using). So far, as stated in a previous post, they really aren't totally complete but we've again made them work for us.

I not only like to work with the CP, but also believe in reusing a lot of things, if possible. Other then the base, these don't have wood on them at all. I did purchase 2x2s (again, I don't rip them from 2x4's) to build out a frame for a nest box. May not use it - have some other things percolating that may or may not work. I used haystring from the bales of hay we get for our ponies to secure the tops of the A-frame. To protect the tarps from the rough/sharp edges of the CP, I cut the bottoms & tops off of 2 ltr soda bottles. Punched 3 holes on each end & "stitched" them onto the top of the A-frame w/ haystring. Takes a bit of time, but not terrible, can do while filling water buckets or watering the new fruit trees. Even had the 8 & 9 yr old grand daughters working on that last fall - developing hand/eye coordination while they were outside and I was doing something else. Have 3 more need to completely cover w/ the bottle protection.

I have to admit, I've drooled over many designs of chicken coops and tractors. What I've built may not be pretty, but it has worked for chicks and chickens, has kept them safe from roaming predators and most important to me/us, is they are very affordable due to ways I've come up with to build them. If you figure the space in the A-Frame tractor as a run, it's only big enough for 4 chickens. If you figure it as a coop, it can hold 10. 10 is too many for my situation. But I have as few as 3 and as many as 6 in them. It appears to be working fine. They have been grazing down the grass, flowers and yes, weeds, in our front yard.

View attachment 2133536 View attachment 2133537

Good luck on your tractor. Did you already get your 4 chicks?

Finally food for thought thank you for the informative post. I do have my baby Chicks so i have a little more time but not much. this is the original design I know it would have worked but I did it in heavy wood and decided to use it as a permanent coop and build a light weight tractor to move around the yard. I mashed up my play house coop with this frame and it's coming together if I can keep my chickens alive and healthy for a year my husband might afford me an upgrade but I enjoy upcycling . so this is the mash up. working on the nesting box I am adding braces to all corners tomorrow.

 

[RobertaD1]

There are several Little Tyke Playhouse conversions in the coops section of the Articles. They are really cool...
Good Luck... and keep us posted!

 

[paintedChix]

I'm looking forward to seeing how your Little tyke playhouse fits out. Please show pics of the inside when you are done.

BTW - did you state the dimensions of the base of your tractor previously? If you did I don't remember, sorry. What size is the playhouse? Just curious.

I looked hi/low on Craigslist & FB marketplace and several local garage sale/thrift store type places for one like that. SOOO cute and I wanted to try what you are doing... I wanted it for chicks, or for some bantams.

 

[LavenderHen]

I'm looking forward to seeing how your Little tyke playhouse fits out. Please show pics of the inside when you are done.

BTW - did you state the dimensions of the base of your tractor previously? If you did I don't remember, sorry. What size is the playhouse? Just curious.

I looked hi/low on Craigslist & FB marketplace and several local garage sale/thrift store type places for one like that. SOOO cute and I wanted to try what you are doing... I wanted it for chicks, or for some bantams.

I love the play house idea but really struggling to make it grate for the chickens . like its a lot of effort . today I took it off and I'm just going with a pitched box kinda coop. Its easy to build. I will try an a frame tractor because my original is just to heavy