How do you safely move chickens in a chicken tractor?

[Sabrinakia]

So, I have the tractor finished and the chickens are all settled inside but when I moved it I mistakenly assumed they would move out of the way. They all team up in the back and stayed in the corner. Unfortunately, one of my girls was caught and I felt terrible because I went very slowly. What solution can I use to prevent this from happening again? BTW.. She is just fine but what to do!? I tried twine but that doesn't seem like a permanent fix.

 

[jesirose]

What did they get caught on?

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

We have this problem, too. It's a tough one, I think.

What we do is use two people. One drags the chicken tractor, the other watches the birds and chases them forward. I don't know why they're not smart enough to move out of the way.

The other thing we do is move the tractor about an hour before sundown. We let the birds out to play, and move the tractor when it's empty. With just an hour of daylight left, the birds don't get a chance to cause too much mayhem before they go back to the tractor to sleep.

 

[BuffOrpington88]

After a while, they'll probably learn to walk along with it, but right now it would probably be safest to let them out and then move it.

 

[Sabrinakia]

Duh. That makes sense! She got caught under the 2x4 frame on the bottom. I usually move it mid-day or mornings but I will now wait. They are only 7 weeks and we are all still learning. Thank you Everyone!