In the beginning.... (Warning Pic heavy Tractor build and a bit cheesy!)

[petrel]

DW wanted chix. I was opposed. DW insisted on chix. I made the mistake of going to the hatchery's website. Not a safe place for a person who appreciates beautiful birds....and eggs!

It all began with a corner:



And a sketch, materials list, hours of YouTube videos, and days of research on this site!

It grew from there:



Bravery was key. Little girls driving staples! Safety glasses were promptly issued.


Power tools keep young men entertained/interested in the project.


Teamwork creates....


Progress!


...


Fortunately they turned out to be expert roofers, with zero fear of ladders, unlike their father!


My favorite hen moves in early!


Thanks Opa!!!

The top is latched inside and lifts off for cleaning. Access door is 9 year old accessible.



The guests of honor arrive! Had to whip up a brooder too.










My thanks and appreciation to everyone on here who took the time to contribute their experiences and expertise on this site, and fielded my novice questions. I'm sure there will be more.

Additional thanks to: A gentleman named Larry who posted two tractor construction YouTube videos and inspired my design. Meyer Hatchery who helped make chick ordering easy, delivery precise, was there to help, and stood behind their product.

 

[aart]

NICE!!

Have you tried moving it yet?

Is that a roll away nest box?

 

[petrel]

Yes, we've moved it 5 times. We try to move it every day or two. It won't roll on gravel, but it does OK on the yard. It has a hitch so it can be towed with our lawn tractor.

It is a roll away nest box, or at least my best rendition of the one detailed by Opa on this site. I've only installed one nest pad so far and tested it with some eggs from our kitchen. It works!

 

[aart]

Cool....are those the trailer wheel that crank up and down?

Where are the chicks when you move the tractor...do you move it before letting them out of the coop in the morning??

 

[petrel]

Cool....are those the trailer wheel that crank up and down?

Where are the chicks when you move the tractor...do you move it before letting them out of the coop in the morning??

Those are double wheeled trailer tongue jacks. Once they are deployed, the end of the coop can be easily lifted to hitch it to the lawn tractor.

Yes, we move it while they are still in the coop. Mostly in the mornings. Hopefully, when they are full grown, we could move it while they stand on the wire floor, but we will proceed with that with caution later.

 

[Tiller]

Absolutely beautiful, love the wheel idea too.

 

[bestponymilo]

Lovely! And the story was great

 

[theoldchick]

You built a chicken tractor and memories everyone will treasure. Awesome!

 

[petrel]

Thanks for all the kind words!

We feel like we've added 13 new family members too! Everyone got to claim/name their own chickens. Mine are Bess and Druscilla (Blue Andalusians) and Blanche (White Rock). I can't keep up with everyone else's names yet.

I stole the trailer jack idea from Larry on YouTube (Larry's Chicken Tractor/Larry's Chicken Tractor 2). It worked the first time with no trial and error...well at least no errors yet.

 

[DLV58]

Cool...Quality time on a great family project, doesn't get any better than that!