Need help improving my chicken tractor

[lablover]

This is what I have for my 6 chickens to sleep in at night. During the day, they free range completely. There are now 2 roosting branches stretched from side to side. Right now, I'm using a 6x8 tarp to cover the box and 1 roost. (It covers about half the tractor) The tarp comes completely to the ground on one side, and there's a 2 foot space on the other that's open. Keeping the food dry is my main problem right now. It would easily stay dry with a bigger tarp that went all the way down on both sides, but I worry about ventilation then. I also worry about warmth in the winter. Any ideas on what I can do to improve it? I do plan on reinforcing the lower half of the sides with hardware cloth.

 

[ChickNhood]

May seem simple but how bout putting the food under the nest boxes... It would act like roof to keep it covered...migjt be too simple to be that easy bit should wprk

 

[lablover]

That is where I put it when it rains, but lately the rain has been splashing in through the open side and getting pretty close to it.

 

[ChickNhood]

Maybe wrap some sheet medal arpund the.end with the nest box and leave the end furtherest from tthe boxes completely open...have half completely covered half xompletly open

 

[A.T. Hagan]

The tarp doesn't have to come all the way to the ground. Just most of the way on both sides.

It takes quite a driving rain storm to get the feed wet in my tractors. Ordinary thunderstorms the feed stays dry.

 

[suzyQlou]

Do you have the food elevated? I've always heard "as high as the chicken's back." It could be hung from the bottom of your nest box, or put up on a concrete block. That might help keep it out of rain that gets under the tarp.

 

[lablover]

See, I've always worried about having half completely closed because of ventilation. Would there be enough? In the winter, I would love that type of protection.

The tarp doesn't have to come all the way to the ground. Just most of the way on both sides.

It takes quite a driving rain storm to get the feed wet in my tractors. Ordinary thunderstorms the feed stays dry.

I would think for sure that the feed would get wet. Where exactly is the food in this one?

suzyQlou, right now, the chickens are just 11 weeks old, and they climb in the feeder. (It's a trough-type feeder) Once they get bigger though, I do want to put it up on something.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Look just underneath the bottom edge of the tarp and you'll see the bottoms of two 30lb tube feeders that I hang in each of my tractors. They're close to the center inside so it takes a hard blowing wind to wet the feed in the bottoms of each feeder. That's the waterer that you can see in the front.