Please let me show off my chickies and their tractor!

[suburbanchick]

So I've been asking all kinds of questions and you guys have given me some awesome ideas. I thought I'd share my setup now that it's complete...

Here's the chicken tractor.

The nesting boxes.

This gives you some idea of how small my yard is AND how close my neighbors are!

My favorite girl, Henrietta... hopefully not Henry.

Here is the inside of the coop showing the nesting boxes, staggered roosts, and heating system.

And another inside shot.

Here are my girlies eating some bread.

And another two of my girlies.

As much as I'd like to take credit for building the coop, I cannot. A local man made it for me and did a great job! If anyone in Raleigh needs a chicken tractor, I'd highly recommend him. Just contact me.

My husband and I build the run though, which I think turned out nicely. And I painted the tin roof. Now I can almost say I have a barn... as much as any person living in the city on a quarter acre can have!

Yes, I know that some of you will think my coop is too small for my four grown hens. I realize that is possible. But I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I'm hoping that since they can be out of the run each day for a couple hours, they'll be OK. If not, my FIL will take one of them for me. OR like I said, my favorite may just not be a hen. She is bigger than the others and not scared of anything!

Thanks to you all for your many suggestions and encouragement! I'll continue to need it, I'm sure.

 

[akyramoto]

thats a nice looking tractor!!!min is much larger & isn't very cute like yours! I love the red roof! looks nice & easy to roll around - those are wheels under the coop right?

 

[suburbanchick]

Yep, it has wheels. Thanks! I'd like to see yours if you have a photo. How much larger is it? How many chickens do you have? I now wish I had asked him to make it a bit bigger, but he suggested this size for 4 hens and I didn't think about it possibly being too small.

We may make the run bigger eventually.

 

[bigzio]

suburbanchick, That is a top of the line tractor. Great roof peak cover and also the attention to prevent predators. The hardware cloth with no small holes left open even for the smallest predator, is the key to no problems. Great job, if I lived closer I would hire your carpenter in a second.

bigzio

 

[SpottedCrow]

That's a really nice set up for the birdies...

 

[akyramoto]

ok so mine doesn't look pretty but it gets the job done. My hens ( i put about 4 in there) get to spend days only in the tractor - I put them back in the regular coop/run @ night. so this is only a mobile lawn mower - not a permanent home. Right now my BB Reds are occupying it during the day. I made this with all FREE materials - except for the chicken wire. i think this tractor is about 4' x 8' and about 4' tall.

It has a sunshade & a tarp for when it rains & more intsense shade. I used an old storage tote with a hole cut in the side for a 'nest'. Theres a pot for some scratch & a gallon waterer ( dog waterer).

the BB's hanging out

used a feedbag as more shade/protection

a length of 14/4 speaker cable as a tow rope - its easy enough for me to pull around the yard - if i want to drag it all the way across the property i hook it up to the lawn tractor

i love that i was recycling!