My urban chicken tractor is finally done! Pics UPDATE p.2

[cariboujaguar]

stunning! Love the color!

 

[GardeNerd]

That is the cutest A frame tractor I have seen. Where did you get the shingles? I really like them!

 

[lceh]

The shingles are actually plastic "accent panels" I found at the local Habitat Store for $14 (Habitat is kind of a Goodwill for building supplies). DH thought I was nuts at first, but once they went on he thought they looked pretty good -- and they're a lot lighter than asphalt shingles. I just hope they don't fade in the sun, but my yard's pretty shady.

My dad came up with the wheel design. He bought 4 mower deck wheels at Lowe's, and a length of steel tubing. He covered the tubing with PVC, notching it where the wheels go to hold them in place. I just tip it up like a wheelbarrow to move it.

The ventilation was a worry for me, so the Plexiglass will be held on with screws and spacers allowing some air to come in all the time. In the summer I'll take the Plexi off entirely.

I'm glad you all like it! My 5-week-olds moved in today, and they seem pretty happy.

 

[lceh]

Just thought I'd update now that we've been using this tractor for a few months. For the most part it's great. If I did it again I would not put the run access at the end of the run hinged at the bottom. It's hard for DD to get into the coop without stepping on the door. Instead I'd put a hinged door on the side of the run, maybe next to the house so you could close the pop door without needing the drawbridge-style ramp we're using now (which does work fine too). Ditto the egg door; side hinges would've been better, I think. The lawn mower wheels were fine when the tractor was in the front yard, but in our bumpy, root-ridden side yard I think bigger wheels might be better. The hardware cloth and 2"x4" bottom wire have kept out predators, we've had no losses to the local raccoons. The bottom wire does tend to collect the hay bedding the girls pull out of the house, so I have to rake it out once in a while and put the goodies in the compost pile. We have 8 bantams in it, but I think 6 would be better. They're not picking on each other at all, so I guess they're not technically too crowded, but once we build our second doghouse-tractor I'm planning to take out 2 girls and move them in with the 4 new ones.

Hope that helps anyone hoping to build a similar tractor! We do love it, and it does its job well. It's definitely a major attraction in our urban neighborhood; our girls have several regular visitors.

 

[Mountain Sunshine]

I love it!

 

[Firemenlovechicks]

Nice tractor! Now you need more chickens!!

 

[lceh]

Yep, we have more on the way in April. This time I'm going to try to convert a Craigslist doghouse into a tractor.

 

[weirdmuse]

Beautiful chicken tractor! It's similar to one that I built last year, but yours looks a LOT better! I also liked the way you attached the wheels and the drop down egg door. I may be "borrowing" these ideas!