So we got our craigslist tractor coop home and the hens that came with it, boy did this look funny turned upside down in the back of a pick-up!
I'm working on reinforcing the tractor, since I know the chicken wire is not the most secure, I've already stripped some stronger fencing from some other projects and reinforced the bottom. I'd like to redo the whole thing in hardware cloth, this is a little sharp and picky around the corners and seams. I would have done a few things differently than the people who built this, but it is a good basic frame and shape to modify. We've already removed the light they had in there and added a roost (the hens had been roosting in the nesting boxes and using them as litter boxes
). They LOVE the new roost and don't seem to miss the light at all! I'm also going to work on a door and sealing us some cracks and gaps, although they spent all winter in this coop as you see it.
Here are the ladies! A RIR (so we were told) and WR, they are a year old.
They seem friendly enough, but I haven't handled one yet, I think they just haven't had a lot of attention since the previous owner's son lost interest. I'm working on them slowly with lots of treats and talking, they seem to react to my talking and cluck back at me.
My daughter meeting the chickens! The WR hen was really funny, kept stopping and looking at my daughter and cocking her head from side to side like a dog. I think the previous owner had a grandchild the same age who fed them treats.
We are still working on converting our 10'x10' shed to a coop for these two and our 8 chicks coming in a few weeks, so this is just a temporary home for the hens. I might use this coop for meat birds next year with some modifications and larger movable run.
Edit: we found out the red hen is NOT a RIR! Looks more likely to be a partridge rock or something similar.
I'm working on reinforcing the tractor, since I know the chicken wire is not the most secure, I've already stripped some stronger fencing from some other projects and reinforced the bottom. I'd like to redo the whole thing in hardware cloth, this is a little sharp and picky around the corners and seams. I would have done a few things differently than the people who built this, but it is a good basic frame and shape to modify. We've already removed the light they had in there and added a roost (the hens had been roosting in the nesting boxes and using them as litter boxes
Here are the ladies! A RIR (so we were told) and WR, they are a year old.
They seem friendly enough, but I haven't handled one yet, I think they just haven't had a lot of attention since the previous owner's son lost interest. I'm working on them slowly with lots of treats and talking, they seem to react to my talking and cluck back at me.
My daughter meeting the chickens! The WR hen was really funny, kept stopping and looking at my daughter and cocking her head from side to side like a dog. I think the previous owner had a grandchild the same age who fed them treats.
We are still working on converting our 10'x10' shed to a coop for these two and our 8 chicks coming in a few weeks, so this is just a temporary home for the hens. I might use this coop for meat birds next year with some modifications and larger movable run.
Edit: we found out the red hen is NOT a RIR! Looks more likely to be a partridge rock or something similar.
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