Diy meat bird or grow out A frame tractor (step by step build pics)

[Tre3hugger]

Built this sweet chicken tractor today. Costs a little less than $150 total. It is 8x4.
Materials: 12-2x4x8, 2- 26inx8ft plastic roofing, 2t ft hardware cloth. Scrap plywood.

Started with the bottom frame...

Then made 2 identical sets of A's for the ends.

And added the ridgeline.

Next was the framing for the door, roofing and HC. Two more slightly smaller A's.

And saving the doors for last...

Still need to add a big door (for putting whole brooders in there or catching a bird) and a small door( for feeding and watering). I'm thrilled with what I accomplished for the price. If anyone has any specific questions feel free to ask. I will be updating this thread as I finish the details over the next couple days. Thanks for reading!

 

[ColoradoPip]

Looks good!

How will you move it? Will you hang food and water? What about predators digging or lifting it?

 

[Tre3hugger]

Looks good!

How will you move it? Will you hang food and water? What about predators digging or lifting it?

Thanks! I'm going to add two handles out of scrap to pull it. Considering a hinged HC skirt for added security. It's fairly heavy tho. Definitely going to hang water and food. I may try my luck how it is security wise. Some people have success with tractors like this just moving it everyday so holes can't be worked on two nights in a row.

 

[ColoradoPip]

It looks heavy so I wondered if you would need anything else for predators.

No wheels? Man, that's not for the old guys!!!

 

[Mylied]

Is the bottom open? I just had a fox dig under mine and get my birds. I had a dog flip one too that was so heavy I had a hard time moving it. I think it looks great though. Smart move with hardware cloth. We did field fencing with chicken wire over it once and a dog tore through the fencing. It was dang determined. And racoons reach through every little hole and pull out what they can.

Ps we just added fencing to the bottom of ours after the fox. It dug in one night.

 

[Tre3hugger]

It's currently open. I think I will put the skirt on it rather than close the bottom as it will work better with my slightly not level yard. Sorry to hear about the fox. Really appreciate your input!

 

[Mylied]

It's currently open. I think I will put the skirt on it rather than close the bottom as it will work better with my slightly not level yard. Sorry to hear about the fox. Really appreciate your input!

Those skirts work pretty well. I've used that on my big coop.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Those skirts work pretty well. I've used that on my big coop

How did you make yours? Got a pic by any chance?

 

[Mylied]

How did you make yours? Got a pic by any chance?

No pics. We just attached it to the bottom and nothing dug in. On the new coop we're digging a trench and burying the fence. Just think like a predator. Any weakness and they will find it.

 

[CindyinSD]

Built this sweet chicken tractor today. Costs a little less than $150 total. It is 8x4.
Materials: 12-2x4x8, 2- 26inx8ft plastic roofing, 2t ft hardware cloth. Scrap plywood.

Started with the bottom frame...
View attachment 2099620
Then made 2 identical sets of A's for the ends.
View attachment 2099621
And added the ridgeline.
View attachment 2099625
Next was the framing for the door, roofing and HC. Two more slightly smaller A's.
View attachment 2099630
And saving the doors for last...
View attachment 2099634
Still need to add a big door (for putting whole brooders in there or catching a bird) and a small door( for feeding and watering). I'm thrilled with what I accomplished for the price. If anyone has any specific questions feel free to ask. I will be updating this thread as I finish the details over the next couple days. Thanks for reading!

Beautiful! I built a smaller version for a broody coop, but I really struggled with the angles. Though I enjoyed geometry in highschool, that was a looooong time ago. I finally settled for good enough. Would you please (if you have them recorded) share the ridge and base angles & lengths for your A-frame? That would be super helpful for me (& I suspect for many others as well).

I made my covered end a nest box and the back wall a swing-down door with the top triangle excluded & screened to vent. It was my intention to put a "rabbit cage" door in the front wire but I haven't gotten it done & may not do it as the (very small) tractor works well for me without one. Once the bitties are big enough that they're too fast for me to lift it up and change out their feed & water, the mama is ready to take them out foraging anyway. The only downside to that is me scratching up my hands on the hardware cloth in my haste to be in and out before someone pops out of the nest box to investigate.

Anyway, excellent build & I know you're gonna be so glad you did it. Time and money very well spent!