My old chiciken tractor was heavy and too small for my expanding flock, and my hens didn't have the sense to get out of the rain.
...Also, my girls need a secure place to sleep now that I have to separate them from the Roos, who get dibs on the nice secure garage coop, as it muffles their crowing from reaching the neighbors at 4am.
Long story short, I looked at all the ideas here on BYC, and took my favorite parts of each, and built an awesome new tractor for about $80 in total materials. (keeping in mind that I have a habitat for humanity Re-Store near me... yay!)
Sooooo, here it is!!
The run can be separated from the coop with turnbuckles. Here's DH doing so! (no, ladies, he did NOT design it, build it, or take any part in the project. Okay, I take it back... he got really romantic the other night and bought me a new Litheon 18V drill since I was complaining that my old one was dying on me...
I can carry the run by myself! The coop is a really easy carry too... it's just too awkwardly shaped for one person. Here are the girls enjoying their new digs. Above them, they can enter the roosting/nesting area, which has a trap door I can close at night to keep them safe. Also, this big arched piece of plywood is connected by hinges at the bottom so I can open the whole thing up and get in.
I can open the top to get eggs and to check on the hens. The vents are old floor vents from ReStore!
I searched the web and downloaded an image of a vintage egg sign, and made a stencil... I LOVE it! (all leftover paint from other projects - mine and my neighbor's)
And the front bottom opens up, too, for me to give them water. A chain keeps it from falling all the way down. Oh, and you'll notice the bottom edge of the run is lined with petscreen. This is to keep little animal paws from grabbing the hens' wings, as happened to one of my babies in the first coop I made. A cat got her paw in through the chickenwire and did a number on my baby's wing
. Also, once my neighbor's dogs scared the girls and they beat themselves silly on the wire. The screen layer is much softer and won't damage their beaks.
I have drawn up plans, sans hardware. I got all my hinges and chains and metal hardware at Re-Store, so I really can't make recommendcations on that front. But the only lumber you need is 11 2x3x8s, and 2 standard sheets of 1/4 inch ply.
... not like I could be the next catawba coop, but...
Whaddaya think? This is the hens' first night in there, and they seem pretty content. I am proud.
...Also, my girls need a secure place to sleep now that I have to separate them from the Roos, who get dibs on the nice secure garage coop, as it muffles their crowing from reaching the neighbors at 4am.
Long story short, I looked at all the ideas here on BYC, and took my favorite parts of each, and built an awesome new tractor for about $80 in total materials. (keeping in mind that I have a habitat for humanity Re-Store near me... yay!)
Sooooo, here it is!!
The run can be separated from the coop with turnbuckles. Here's DH doing so! (no, ladies, he did NOT design it, build it, or take any part in the project. Okay, I take it back... he got really romantic the other night and bought me a new Litheon 18V drill since I was complaining that my old one was dying on me...
I can carry the run by myself! The coop is a really easy carry too... it's just too awkwardly shaped for one person. Here are the girls enjoying their new digs. Above them, they can enter the roosting/nesting area, which has a trap door I can close at night to keep them safe. Also, this big arched piece of plywood is connected by hinges at the bottom so I can open the whole thing up and get in.
I can open the top to get eggs and to check on the hens. The vents are old floor vents from ReStore!
I searched the web and downloaded an image of a vintage egg sign, and made a stencil... I LOVE it! (all leftover paint from other projects - mine and my neighbor's)
And the front bottom opens up, too, for me to give them water. A chain keeps it from falling all the way down. Oh, and you'll notice the bottom edge of the run is lined with petscreen. This is to keep little animal paws from grabbing the hens' wings, as happened to one of my babies in the first coop I made. A cat got her paw in through the chickenwire and did a number on my baby's wing
I have drawn up plans, sans hardware. I got all my hinges and chains and metal hardware at Re-Store, so I really can't make recommendcations on that front. But the only lumber you need is 11 2x3x8s, and 2 standard sheets of 1/4 inch ply.
... not like I could be the next catawba coop, but...
Whaddaya think? This is the hens' first night in there, and they seem pretty content. I am proud.
