mimimun height for tractor/moveable pen?

[siouxbee]

Hi --

My new skil saw came today and I'm sooo excited to start building! I want to build a portable pen for my 10-12 ladies (large breeds -- gold laced wyandottes, blue laced red wyandottes, ameracaunas, speckled sussex and silkies).

I'm thinking 8 x 4, and wondering how tall it has to be. This is just a pen for them for the day on the lawn, and I will either attach a coop to it, or drive them over tot he coop each night. Not sure til I build the coop.

Thanks

 

[Whirlwind]

Here is a pic of mine it is 4 x 6, it is not very tall. You just have to be careful and not raise it up to high when you move it. Or go to fast and run over them if they are pokey. We call it the chicken stroller. Should of used 2 x 2's and it would of been lighter, but maybe not as sturdy?

 

[siouxbee]

I was wondering that myself -- I have 2 x 4s and I was going to use my fancy new saw to rip them in half lengthwise and use those for the frame. I guess I'll give it a try and let you know if it's not sturdy! ;-)

So yours is what, 2 feet tall? is that enough?

thanks,
sioux

 

[Whirlwind]

I just measured it. 22 inches tall. Seems to be tall enough. I have Barred rocks, golden comets and bantams. It is taller than they are.

 

[eggandI]

that is cool I've been thinking how do 1 this is a good buggy you've got there.

 

[suburbanhomesteader]

I have two answers, based on my experience so far:

1) If you will need to go into it at all, and it is going to have some height to it, I would make it AT LEAST tall enough to walk into with just your head ducked. I made a quick hoop tractor out of 10' PVC and it's at the perfect height that I have to bend in half to walk in; what a PAIN!!

2) I made a quick tractor similar to this one, but had a hard time getting the chickens out of it without them running everywhere (I had to let them out by lifting it up and they would squirt out the bottom).

I made an adjustment to it and put hinges on the top, making the whole top a "lid" so I could open it to get them. That didn't work, because they all flew up and out at once.

I tweaked the adjustment so that I ended up with an 18" square door on the top of the tractor. Now, I am able to get just one hen out at a time (although I do have some trouble closing the lid without hitting the next hen with it! It's a little tight; I might go with a 2' square door if I was going to tweak it again.

 

[barg]

My tractor will be 4x6 and a little over 2 feet high.
I just found out Lowes will rip 2x4's for me so im going to use 2x2's from that.
Ive also designed my coop so that the tractor will Dock with the coop. Since your not done with your coop, that might be an idea to incoorperate, if you still can.

I need to look and see if you posted updated pics since last time I saw it.

 

[Whirlwind]

Yes mine also docks with my coop. And some times I just let them out in the evening and then they go in the coop at dusk by themselves.