HELP!!! WHAT CHICKEN TRACTOR SHOULD I BUY??

[RendonRoo]

Hope this addresses your question. If this tractor weighs 400 lbs like it says that is way too much weight for one person to move on those small wheels. Unless your property is very level i see a problem there. Another thing i don't like is the perferated floor. They do this for cleaning purposes but it may be hard on the chickens feet. It will also be hard to keep warm in winter. I understand some ppl. just aren't builders but i agree that if you look around a bit some out of work carpenter can build you a much better and more functional unit off of plans that you can find on this site. He should be able to do it off of a pic that you like. I'm also sure that labor and materials will be about half that amount of money. Now after all that it all boils down to whatever makes you happy. Good Luck and enjoy your new experiences with chickens.

 

[kristenm1975]

If you have anyone near you who makes Catawba Converticoops, I recommend those. I build them for a living over here in western WA and have had good results and happy customers. You can check out the website at: www.catawbacoops.com. If you have any questions, the designer is awesome and gets back to you via email very quickly. Cool guy.

I agree with all the other posts; I think the price is too high on the tractor you're referring to. However, it all depends on what's important to you. I spend over $200 on materials for each tractor that I build. It takes half of one day to assemble those supplies from Home Depot and the lumberyard, half a day to measure out and cut all the pieces (and a $150 miter saw to make those cuts). From there, you're looking at about 12-24 solids hours of building. Obviously, if you're a general contractor, that doesn't apply to you.

The point is, if you know what you want and don't have the time, skill, or patience to make it happen yourself, it makes sense to pay someone who will do a solid job of it so that you have a tractor that lasts the next 20 years and never gives you a moment's trouble.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Where are you located? I'm sure there is someone on here that can help you find a much cheaper tractor close to you.

 

[Ah Lian]

I am a newbie and was also interested in this post because I too much time daydreaming about chicken tractors! If you have the budget for it and want to buy ready made, how about the Eglu cube? http://www.omlet.us/products_services/products_services.php?view=Eglu%20Cube

I think it will only house about 6-8 chickens (despite their claims of 10 chickens) if you use their run, which people seem to think is a little small. But I've also seen pictures of it used as a coop and attached to a custom built run. I believe it's $995 with the run and $775 without it so it's less costly than the chicken tractor you were originally looking at. I have been drooling over it and I know that if I had the budget I would certainly think hard about buying it

There is a UK Omlet forum where people who have been using it discuss their experience. Overall most seem to have a good opinion of it. If you're curious about exploring coop options you may want to check there.

Good luck and let us know what you decide!

 

[BluegrassSeramas]

Welcome!

If you do want to save money and hire someone to build you one
CHECK OUT :
http://www.servicelive.com/MarketFrontend/homepage.action

I saw it this week on Rachel Ray. You name the price you want to pay and when you want it done and the carpenter gets paid when he is done. Put money back into the economy and hire some small business guy to do it from your town!

It will still cost WAY less than that metal one with shipping.

I built my10 ft long tractor (with 3 foot wide winterized indoor part) and I think that it was less than 250 for paint and everything. Its a lot cuter than that metal one. Save your money for chickens and chicken feed!
Best of Luck!

 

[tielsflyhigh]

and if you are not into building or setting up a shed post an add on craisglist asking if somebody can build you one locally- you will get a huuuuuuge run and a large coop that way

figure out your budget and the size of coop and run you like and post an add if somebody can do it- some people have access to a lot of cheap building material and are even willing to deliver it ...
IN this economy there are a lot of people with time and skills who would love to bild something for you

You can even post a picture of a tractor you like and ask what it would cost to build - just don't pay upfront ( expept maybe for material against receipt or a small deposit)

 

[Lady Henevere]

I went for the Eglu Cube. I ordered one and it should arrive next week. I got the extended run so the cost was a little more, and shipping bumped up the cost too. But overall, for the ease of use/cleaning and the simplicity of not having to build something, I think it will be worth it. I'll post a review somewhere on BYC once I get it in case anyone is interested.

I really respect the creativity and handiness of all the BYC'ers I've seen here. The coops and tractors displayed all over this website are beautiful and useful and creative and fun. But not all of us are able or willing to do it ourselves. I'm sure my hubby could have built a great coop and run, maybe even for less than I paid for the Eglu. But I wasn't willing to wait for him to build one (it could have taken a weekend or a year, you never know with him), and I didn't want to interrupt the work he's doing on the house to have him build a coop (I'd rather have a finished den than a handmade chicken house). So for me, the cost trade-off was worth it. We may all be BYC'ers, but we're not all DIY'ers.

Good luck with the chickens and

 

[tielsflyhigh]

have to agree - not everybody likes to go DIY- please let us know about your eglu cube - I was looking at the cube but then I found somebody locally that build a coop and run for me bare bone so I just had to "furnish" it with nest boxes, roosts...

 

[Ah Lian]

Ooh! Lady Henevere please do post a review of the Eglu Cube when you get it! I'm so curious about it. I would love to know whether it's easy to move around (the wheeled part looks all right but I wonder about the run) and whether you have to disassemble it if you want to "chicken tractor" it around. Also, how do you close the coop door? Do you need to climb into the run?

And of course, what colour did you order?

 

[Lady Henevere]

I got green, because I thought it would blend well in the garden. You don't have to go in the run to open the door -- there's a lever on the outside. I will post about mobility, etc. once I get it and can try it out. Here's a pic from the website: