how to get chickens to chicken tractor

[Buckeye in PA]

Maybe I am not thinking correctly. We have a coop that is stationary that opens into a fenced chicken yard. But the hens have grazed the area bare. The idea of a portable chicken tractor that we could use to "rotate" their pasture area is appealing. But how do I get the hens into the tractor (from the coop) without having them run off? At dusk I think they would naturally head to their coop, but in the morning I'm not sure how I would get them to the chicken tractor. Or do the hens live in the tractor all summer? If so, do you move the tractor with the chickens in the tractor? Thanks for any help you can give me.
Dianna

 

[Wynette]

You can begin by training them to the sound of a treat. What I do is use a hard plastic feed scoop, and put some treats in it (BOSS, barley, oats - something hard that will rattle when you shake the scoop). I say, "chick! chick! chick!" and rattle the scoop - throw a bit on the ground or in the coop (or tractor) and they'll soon realize that it's treat time when you rattle the scoop!

 

[tackyrama]

chickens are easy to catch at night with a flashlight. Place them in the tractor at night and leave them in full time or until you want to move them back (again with the use of a flashlight).

 

[BluegrassSeramas]

Most tractors are built so the birds can live in them and you control where they graze.

I agree with the treats idea. When you get them use to coming when you call, you can toss the feed in the tractor and lock them up when they run in.

I feed my free rangers 2x a day, and if you did this you could feed them in the coop so that they would have to go in there for pellets and water?

I think it might help if you posted a picture of a style that you like and might use. Then we would know the set up!

 

[patandchickens]

If you just have a few chickens, the easiest thing may be to pop them into a box (e.g. dog carrier) and manually transport them to the tractor.

If you have more, or if your chickens are not amenable to lots of picking up, it is not at all difficult to move a tractor with the chickens inside (that is how tractors are normally moved, after all). Especially if this is meant just as a 'day tractor', with some shade and windbreak shelter but not a real heavy-duty nighttime-type predatorproof house on it, you can make a tractor that moves extra easily for your purposes. The chickens just walk along inside as you wheel it along. You do have to make sure not to lift the end so high off the ground that chickens can pop out underneath as you go along, but my chickens don't seem to have ever even thought about that.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[barred-rocks-rock]

i have two chicken tractors, and my chickens live in them permenetly. They have learned that when it moves, they stay in the center of the tractor so their feet dont get squished. oh, and just pick your chickens up and put them into the tractor.

 

[LA~Poulet]

Ours are staying in the tractor-nights and days, and we move them daily. They love running at the front looking for new bugs in the grass each time we move.