How often do you move your tractor coop?

[ca_bshwckr]

Hi,

I am new to the forum and about to to build my first coop for 4 chickens (currently chicks).

I am thinking about a tractor design with no floor so that I do not have a daily cleaning chore. However before I go off and crank out something I thought I should ask the experts with tractors how often they move them around to avoid excessive poop buildup and smell?

BTW is redwood toxic to chickens?

Thanks!

 

[elmo]

I move my tractor whenever it looks like the grass is begining to be grazed down, usually every three or four days. I don't want the grass to be eaten down to the roots and die. Of course, the number of days it takes for your flock to begin to make a dent in your grass will vary depending on how big your tractor is and how many chickens you have. I know some peole move their tractor daily.

Since I only have five chickens on grass, smell has never become an issue.

 

[patandchickens]

Redwood is not a problem.

How often you have to move the tractor depends enormously on not only your sq ft per chicken but also on your lawn's health/growth and on how bad you want it to get before moving the tractor.

I can tell you that with 2-3 chickens in a 4x7 (footprint) tractor, on a pretty healthy dense lawn with a decent growth rate, I was having to move the tractor daily. It would leave behind about a week's worth of visible 'footprints' where the grass was eaten/trampled down and strewn with poo. If I missed a day moving it, there would be a really noticeably chewed-down area in the lawn, with conspicous and somewhat lasting dustbath holes.

Perversely, even leaving it in place for 3-4 weeks did not permanently kill the grass (as one might wish for a new garden bed); the resulting rectangle of bare earth stuck out like a sore thumb for a long time but several months later the only sign there'd been chickens was that the rectangle was somewhat brighter green than the rest of the lawn

But as I say, your mileage will definitely vary, depending on your #chickens per unit area, the state of your lawn, and your attitude to having it messed up.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Bellasmom]

Usually 2 times a week Sat. and Tues. But if I think it can go longer we will wait if it's rained or something as that makes it harder to clean up. But more if I go out and it stinks or just needs to be moved. However, both tractors only have 1 chicken in each 1 and I only have 2 chickens! But one chicken can create alot of poo!

 

[Msbear]

I have a pretty big yard and only move mine once every week and a half or longer. It gets pretty eaten down but all the rain we've had revives the lawn very quickly. It all depends on how many chickens, how big the area and how dry the climate.

Last year when it was super hot and dry, I had to move much more often. But, Im not that picky about spots here and there. I also let mine freerange a lot when I am home... this, of course, makes a huge difference. They can go dust somewhere else and don't dig holes.