Ok some interesting questions on coop/tractor

[kizanne]

I would like to build tractor. I plan on making the tractor/coop the recommended size of about 4 sq. ft. per bird which will make it 32 sq. ft. for my 8 birds. This will make it large and heavy so I want to mount it on an old trailer that can be move with the mower. It will then have runs that can be moved and attached separately.



So here's the questions.

I have some marine grade plywood left from a different project. I have seen people saying don't use it due to leaching. If it is a tractor would you really get much 'build up' of runoff chemicals?
I plan on painting it, I see plenty of people posting pictures of them painting the inside of the coop. If I paint it would any bad chemicals leach through the paint.

Do you use latex or oil based paint?


Second question I haven't really seen in the numerous posts I have read trying to avoid posting unnecessary topics....

My yard isn't level. If I move the tractor around and everything isn't level will that bother the chickens. You could design it to be leveled everytime you move it but that would be alot of extra expense and work.

You input is appreciated!!!

 

[patandchickens]

I have some marine grade plywood left from a different project. I have seen people saying don't use it due to leaching. If it is a tractor would you really get much 'build up' of runoff chemicals?

No. HOWEVER it is awfully heavy to use in a tractor. I sure would not suggest it. Also it is too valuable for projects where you *need* marine-grade plywood, which you totally totally don't in a tractor. ONly the 2x4s (or whatever) that are actually in direct contact with the ground need to be p/t.

I plan on painting it, I see plenty of people posting pictures of them painting the inside of the coop. If I paint it would any bad chemicals leach through the paint.

Pressure treated wood -- which marine grade plywood is made of -- just does not take paint well.

My yard isn't level. If I move the tractor around and everything isn't level will that bother the chickens. You could design it to be leveled everytime you move it but that would be alot of extra expense and work.

If it is just on a bit of a slope that is not a big deal. Make your waterers and feeders *hanging* so they are always upright. And you don't want it on such a slope it becomes tippy.

However if your yard is unlevel on a smaller scale, that can cause real problems for using a tractor. A tractor really only works on a surface that is DEAD FLAT on the scale of the tractor size. In other words, there cannot be any dips or rises or changes of curvature of ground *where the tractor is sitting*, b/c it causes gaps between the tractor's bottom frame and the ground. Which causes predators getting in, which causes not needing a chicken tractor anymore.

To a very minor degree you can stop up little gaps by having an attached wire apron, 1-2' wide, that you flip up to move the tractor and then carefully tentpeg or weight down to conform to the contours of the ground. Which is a nuisance. However this will only accommodate *small* unevenness.

I would suggest making a wooden frame the size of your intended tractor footprint, and take it out in the yard. Lay it in a bunch of different places. If there is more than a fist's height of gap between frame and ground at many sites, your yard may not work well for a tractor. Better to check this BEFORE building a tractor

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[kizanne]

I should give a more detailed explanation I guess.

The tractor will be on a trailer and have a solid wood bottom. I do not believe predators will get in.

The run will be seperate and will not be 'under' the tractor. The run will be a box of chicken wire on all sides even the bottom (using wooden reinforcements) with the sides having hardware cloth. Then I'll have a tunnel that attaches to the tractor probably using carbiners or zip ties that can be removed when I move the tractor.

The food and water will be hanging. The water will have the chicken nipples.

I think the predators will have trouble getting in and my gordon setter likes killing raccons, possums as long she adopts the chickens the way she does the cats I think I'll have alittle extra protection.

I was worried about the level issue more on roosting and nesting boxes. If the girls would be disturbed by the slope. The roosts could be round which wouldn't change on a slope or I can use 2x4's but on a slope they'd be slanted a little. The nesting boxes would have bedding which would absorb some of the unevenness.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Kizanne--we have a tractor we move around that is 4x8. Our lawn if very uneven and has a hill from the back to the side yard we must navigate. Taking that into consideration, we use a floating skirt for the bottom of the tractor to accomodate the unevenness and it allows us to adjust it accordingly. It is not attached to the tractor but butts up against the ends and back. It is then secured to our portable run with ties. Yes, it is not completely predator proof but it works for us. Our dog is a deterrent and the tractor is close to the house. The tractor itself is secure from all predators except bears and humans when the chickens are locked in. The chickens wont care if the tractor is not level. Mine roost and lay eggs even at an angle. Use 2x4's for the roost, wide flat side up so they can cover their feet and keep them warm. I have a pvc feeder attached to the wall inside with bungees. My waterer is a juice jug with a nipple in it hanging from a hook in the ceiling. You can see pics of all this on my byc page. If we can make it work on our uneven, hilly lawn, you can too. Just put lots of thought into what you build and above all, make sure that the tractor is built well. Good luck and remember to post pictures!

 

[kizanne]

Thanks! that was exactly what I was wondering as far as the leveling and roosting. I have a degree in engineering so I will be designing it very carefully. And I've been reading all the threads and visiting coop pages to steal every good idea everyone else has already come up with!!!!

 

[kizanne]

Ok so latex or oil?

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Chickens don't chew wood the way parrots do, so they won't ingest dry paint. Once paint is completely dry and there is no more paint smell, it's safe for chickens to go into the coop. Paint fumes (even latex ones) are potentially hazardous, though, so make sure the chickens are kept well away during the painting.

I always use latex paint since it makes cleanup so easy. For our indoor bird room, I used a new and very expensive zero VOC paint called Natura by Benjamin Moore. Using this paint I didn't have to move all of our indoor birds to the outdoors while the paint dried (I only moved them into another room). It made the job so much easier, and the paint itself is wonderful and gives beautiful coverage. It would certainly not be necessary to use this kind of paint for an outdoor coop, though.

A gloss or semi gloss finish is good anyplace you may need to be scrubbing off poo.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
I also don't think chickens are going to mind sloping roosts or nest boxes (as long as the eggs can't roll out of the box, should be fine). I am a little confused by what you mean when you write "the roosts cold be round which wouldn't change on a slope." In any event, if you're thinking of a round dowel or pole type roost, that shape is truly not the most comfortable surface for a chicken's foot. A wider, flater perch is better.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Ah -- so not so much a tractor as a portable coop with portable run. Gotcha.

I was worried about the level issue more on roosting and nesting boxes. If the girls would be disturbed by the slope.

Nope, as long as it is only minor slope they will be fine. If you are concerned, consider 1) using large diameter (like 5"+) de-barked dead tree branches for your roosts rather than 2x4s and 2) make your roost so that it slots into a u-shaped support on either end, and make several of those u-shaped supports on each wall so that you can move the roost to re-level it if the coop is on a "crosswise" piece of ground at the moment. How necessary/desirable these things would be depends on how much slope we're talking about of course, chickens *are* fairly adaptable

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​