New To Board & Proud Owner Of A New Stagecoach Chicken Tractor

[Duke of Orpington]

As a Christmas present to myself I just ordered the "Mobile Chicken Stagecoach" Instructional Plans & CD. December Special for $29.99 (normally $39.99). I really look forward to them arriving so I can start gathering my materials and start the project!

Ron

 

[kristenm1975]

I spent the better part of this year building chicken coops, and have found it VERY hard to resist buying more of these fabulous DIY plans. I'm not in a position to build anymore, so naturally I now have the plans for The Garden Coop and the Stagecoach and accessories.

I'm sure at some point I'll actually get to use these wonderful plans. It's been a blast to read all about how such great coops were put together.

When I get back into a house of my own and can bust out the power tools, I'm sure they'll be an explosion of coops in the Seattle area and pictures here.

(I can hope anyway!!)

 

[Duke of Orpington]

Quote:
This will be my first set of coop plans. I came up with several plans of my own I want to build sometime but they're all bigger and out of my budget right now. The Stagecoach is something I can afford to do and I know it'll be useful even if I build a full size coop in the future!

Ron

 

[kayjuggler]

Juliect,
What do you think of the feeder now that you are using it? I like the design but am wondering how much feed it truly holds. And, does it keep feed wasting under control..my chickens currently use a auto dog feeder, like you can buy at Wal-Mart. They bill out a LOT of feed!

 

[juliect]

Quote:
I have no idea what kind of snow load it can handle (this part of TN doesn't see that much snow), but I can tell you that it stood up to the full weight of my 65lb coonhound without any sign of wear or tear.

The guys at http://www.chickenmobilestagecoach.com/ can probably answer your question though.

 

[juliect]

Quote:
I don't really use it. It is too large & too high off the ground for my hens. Plus I only keep four hens in this tractor, so the the storage capacity is just too high to keep the feed fresh. I actually use a smaller hanging feeder that I picked up at TSC. I would probably be a good idea, if you have more chickens and can mount it lower to the ground.

 

[juliect]

Quote:
It has withstood my 65 lb hound, in a full-on frenzy. She put her entire 65 lbs on it. The original pre-built unit that I ordered from them is extremely heavy duty and seems very sturdy. The other Stagecoach that a friend constructed is not as sturdy because he didn't invest in high guage wire and he didn't install as many fasteners as they did...but still his is sturdy enough to keep chicks safe. We do have coons, possums, and coyotes, but I have only lost one hen and that was to a mysterious illness that came out of no where.
The nestboxes have ventilation in the bottom and back, I keep my tractors on a part of property that has a lot of heavy shade in the summer, so heat build-up was not a problem. I have noticed that http://www.chickenmobilestagecoach.com/ has added extra ventilation and optional solar fans

 

[juliect]

Quote:
The tractor is roughly 4' at its peak.
I keep 4 heavy-breed hens in the original Stagecoach, it seems a good fit for four heavies (it could hold more Leghorns or bantams though). The one my friend built was used to house my 8 Favs chicks, but they outgrew it and I moved them into a storage building converted to a coop. Currently it is being stored, waiting for Spring and MORE CHICKS

 

[Rach1966]

I think it's cute
what part of Niota do you live in?

 

[juliect]

Quote:
You apparently have never visited Niota...there are no "parts" just "left of the traffic light" or "right of the traffic light". SMALL town.

But what is MOST important, I am less than 3 minutes from the new Farmers Co-Op that is being built in Athens.

You know you live in a small town, when the new Co-Op is the most exciting thing to have happened in 5 years.