How do you move the chickens to a tractor?

[beccasev]

So I have a coop for my 11 girls, and I (will shortly) have an attached run. I also have a tractor for them so they can graze on the green grass too. My question is, how do you get them moved from coop or run to tractor? Right now, I put a bucket under the door and when I open it, they literally throw themselves out the door and fall into the bucket and then I carry the bucket to the tractor. They range from 4-7 weeks old so they aren't too heavy. I usually make two trips. But this isn't something I really want to continue doing. And moving them one by one is laborious, even if my 4 year old does enjoy it immensely. Any ideas? Maybe a chicken wagon? And no, they can't really free-range. We have 5 acres in a country setting, but I'm pretty sure we are the only people in the subdivision that fence their dogs and so we randomly have very large hunting dogs visiting us.

 

[blythspirit]

I would make a chicken wagon complete with chicken wire bonnet to transport them to the tractor. We carry ours from the greenhouse to the run in the morning now because we just moved the run to a new spot and we don't have the 'tiles' under the run coop yet..but I only have 2 adults and 2 babies right now..if I had as many as you do..a nice plastic garden wagon with a chicken wire bonnet would be something any 4 year old would want to pull around...or if you have a garden tractor..pull it to your chicken tractor...lol what fun I wish I could help.

 

[rehric00]

Dumb question, but what exactly is a chicken tractor? I know of runs and what not, but not certain what a tractor is, and I've heard the term a few times, lol

 

[Jo Anne]

Here is our tractorhttps://www.backyardchickens.com/t/768946/our-finished-tractor#post_10955904

 

[beccasev]

Dumb question, but what exactly is a chicken tractor? I know of runs and what not, but not certain what a tractor is, and I've heard the term a few times, lol

Not dumb at all! A Chicken tractor is basically a movable pen or run. Sometimes they have entire coops built into them. Mine is really just a pen- no nest box, no roosts, just some shelter from the sun or rain and some wire to protect them. This is mine. The door isn't quite finished yet but we've been beset by rain lately, so haven't had a dry chance to finish it.