Day pen chicken tractor

[Sally PB]

Ideas for concept for the framework holding the netting.
I checked prices and characteristics of chicken wire and bird netting; bird netting looks better other than it won't last as long unless I can keep it out of the sun.

This has me thinking. I know I'd have to cover it because of hawks and eagles in my area. But if it were something I could set up by myself, hmmmm...

 

[saysfaa]

Notes on building flight pens from https://www.pheasant.com
- Knotted is much stronger than knitted.
- they use 6" round posts, 10' above ground (I missed how far they bury them; below frost line probably).
- Airline cable is much easier to work with than high tensile fence wire
- cable goes across tops of posts. Netting goes over the cables.
- counts the holes in the netting (2" holes, 10' post spacing so they count 60 holes and tie a marker. Then they count 60 more holes and put another marker. Each way. Then match the markers to the posts.

If you need to seam two lengths of net together, ring the edge holes of each length together at each and every hole. Picture of completed seam.
- their internal posts are not set.
- pull the netting tight both ways securing to the wires with rings. Tight means less issues with snow and less likely for any birds to get caught in it. Looks better, too. It works best to have two people pull from the outside and one person ringing from the inside.

Way overkill for this project but some elements are helpful. There may be other projects someday also.

 

[cavemanrich]

Since this idea is floating in your mind..

I am a pragmatist,,, so this is in my thoughts. Make the tractors modular. This way you can vary size, and location to suit your needs.
Use standard lengths. Lumber 8 foot. cut in ½ is 4 foot. PVC is 10 foot.
Make frames 4 foot x 8 foot,, or 5 foot by 10 foot. Chicken wire is common in 4 foot width. If you go with 5 foot frame,, you will have 2 choices. Get specialty wire not easily available,,, (but it is out there).. or splice added width.
Connect as many frames as desired for that days' purpose. These frames would be quite light individually,, so no need for wheels.
There are numerous ways to connect the frames. The most budget friendly would be rope. You would need to refresh your knowledge on good knots. (definition of good knot;; holds well and is easy to untie)
I can suggest other ways if you need more advice on connecting panels.

 

[saysfaa]

Thank you cavemanrich, that makes a lot of sense if I were buying the materials.

Current plan is to not buy anything.

After sketching and discarding several concepts... this is Plan A. It is mostly but not completely to scale. Overhead and bent figures are one square is one foot. Details of joints are about one square is one inch.

Cut sugar maple saplings, 2"-3" in diameter to get four 12' lengths, eight 7' lengths, and eight 3' lengths.

Make 4 timber frame bents, each with one 12' beam, two 7' posts, and two 3' diagonals. The diagonals go through the posts and beams to allow cotter pins since there are no sills.

Cut another six lengths of maple saplings, each 10' long. These connect the bents. They are connected differently so they don't tighten as the wood seasons. They will slide up off the posts when the pen is moved or stored.

High tensile wire holds the top of the chicken wire or bird netting to each post 4' up from the ground (or whatever height makes sense). It also may be needed for diagonals between the bents.

To move it, I take the beams between the bents off, carry the bents up to the dump rake, set them on forks (or platform or something) yet to be determined/built. The wire is stiff; it should bow out but I may need to do something more with it... probably at least tie it up off the wheels. Edit to add: the wire won't bend sharply enough for the bow out to the sides to work. Tweak to the plan is to let the wire slide through the fasteners out the back. This means it will have to be bird netting rather than chicken wire and will require spacers between the bents to give clearance for the bunched up netting when it is in travel or storage mode. The wire can't drag (it would catch on stumps and everything else.) It will probably cross and flip into a hoop.

I may start with fewer bents and make it longer if it goes well and seems better. But the purpose is to give them a lot of space; foraging is a minor secondary purpose.

 

[saysfaa]

Per Log weight calculator on woodworking site for 2" on small end, 3" on big end of "logs" at 75% moisture ... each bent will weigh about 70 lbs.

Air dry wood is about 20% moisture. Calculator for weight of cubic foot of various species of wood at various moisture levels gives best estimate that the bents will weigh about half as much once the wood seasons. That won't take long for pieces of such small diameter.

I should be able to move it myself without injury even at the calculated sizes. I expect actual diameters to be smaller.

Edit to add this picture so I can find it when I start actually building.
Separately,
Roundwood timber framing usually uses a butterpat joint rather than a mortice and tenon joint. I don't want to spend $150 for a transfer scribe to make the saddle part of the joint. This might work to scribe at the scale of this project. I'm not sure I can make a butterpat this small so it might be simple saddle joints or pegged saddle joints. Or something adapted from how ship builders attached yards or booms to masts.

 

[3KillerBs]

Per Log weight calculator on woodworking site for 2" on small end, 3" on big end of "logs" at 75% moisture ... each bent will weigh about 70 lbs.

Air dry wood is about 20% moisture. Calculator for weight of cubic foot of various species of wood at various moisture levels gives best estimate that the bents will weigh about half as much once the wood seasons. That won't take long for pieces of such small diameter.

I should be able to move it myself without issues even at the calculated sizes. I expect actual diameters to be smaller.

I'm very interested in this because DH's Christmas gift from me was one of those sets for creating the mortises and tenons for making log furniture. We can practice on stuff for the chickens.

 

[saysfaa]

Plan B
Wattle hurdles (picture from the internet)

I may not have enough bird netting for plan A as it is. I could use a combination of bird netting and wattle hurdles.

Or just the hurdles.

When at least some of the snow melts, I'll cut some willows and experiment; see how fast/easy it goes.

 

[saysfaa]

My brother suggested hinged beams between the bents. And backing the tractor up beneath them to sort of accordion fold the frame onto the carry forks/platform. Not having to carry the bents may or may not be worth the complications for the carry forks/platform design so it wouldn't require getting off the tractor for each bent.

We think rope or wire hinges will work; no need to buy hinges. Then a splint of some sort for each hinge joint to hold the halves stiff when the contraption is set up so the beams between the bents can do their job of keeping the bents from falling over.

Less carrying and fewer loose parts are good things.

 

[3KillerBs]

My brother suggested hinged beams between the bents. And backing the tractor up beneath them to sort of accordion fold the frame onto the carry forks/platform. Not having to carry the bents may or may not be worth the complications for the carry forks/platform design so it wouldn't require getting off the tractor for each bent.

We think rope or wire hinges will work; no need to buy hinges. Then a splint of some sort for each hinge joint to hold the halves stiff when the contraption is set up so the beams between the bents can do their job of keeping the bents from falling over.

Less carrying and fewer loose parts are good things.

Once it's worked out and constructed you will have to make an article for it.