So, I have a large farm, 20acres or thereabouts. My husband and I would like to raise a flock of birds between 60-80 hens and a few roosters. We also want to start breeding our flock of guineas and have them be tractored too.
Our neighbor used to be a large scale chicken farmer and made many 25x25x2 foot chicken tractors that hold up to 100 birds each. We figured that we could modify them and add a small coop on top and use the tractor as a giant run, still hauling it around the fields with our 4x4 truck.
Same plan for the guineas.
We already know that the chicken tractors are pretty easy to haul around the fields with the truck and they are really well made and VERY sturdy! With a small coop on top, we figure the birds can live in them year round, as long as there are enough birds inside to keep the coop warm. We live in Wisconsin and the winters can be pretty cold, we have had weather ranging between -20 and -45 degree temps and our current flock did just fine, their house stayed pretty warm and dry inside, even on the coldest days. Our neighbors also had no issues with their birds without heating, etc.
I know this is backyard chickens, but my farm is my backyard and I do not know anyone else that wants to do this kind of thing for their birds around here. People still are against growing organic, all the neighbors have been growing GMO soybeeans and corn and keeping their chickens in massive barns and selling the eggs and meat to foster farms. yech. I feel like a crazy person sometimes!
Getting to the point, am I nuts to try something like this? I really want my birds to be able to run around and eat grass, bugs,etc, but still be safe from predators (especially eagles and hawks!). I do not want to have to try gathing up 60+ birds every day and tossing them into the tractor, then gathering them up again at the end of the night! I would rather have little coops on top of a massive tractor and have that be a year round house.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Pictures?
Many thanks-
Amy and her chickens
Our neighbor used to be a large scale chicken farmer and made many 25x25x2 foot chicken tractors that hold up to 100 birds each. We figured that we could modify them and add a small coop on top and use the tractor as a giant run, still hauling it around the fields with our 4x4 truck.
Same plan for the guineas.We already know that the chicken tractors are pretty easy to haul around the fields with the truck and they are really well made and VERY sturdy! With a small coop on top, we figure the birds can live in them year round, as long as there are enough birds inside to keep the coop warm. We live in Wisconsin and the winters can be pretty cold, we have had weather ranging between -20 and -45 degree temps and our current flock did just fine, their house stayed pretty warm and dry inside, even on the coldest days. Our neighbors also had no issues with their birds without heating, etc.
I know this is backyard chickens, but my farm is my backyard and I do not know anyone else that wants to do this kind of thing for their birds around here. People still are against growing organic, all the neighbors have been growing GMO soybeeans and corn and keeping their chickens in massive barns and selling the eggs and meat to foster farms. yech. I feel like a crazy person sometimes!
Getting to the point, am I nuts to try something like this? I really want my birds to be able to run around and eat grass, bugs,etc, but still be safe from predators (especially eagles and hawks!). I do not want to have to try gathing up 60+ birds every day and tossing them into the tractor, then gathering them up again at the end of the night! I would rather have little coops on top of a massive tractor and have that be a year round house.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Pictures?
Many thanks-
Amy and her chickens
