Question for those of you w/chicken tractors...

I could never have moved my tractor by myself with skids. The yard was way too lumpy.
It's an area dependent feature. (like ventilation, predator protection and other features)

I can't use wheels because my soil is more of a clay and the wheels sinks when wet. It be like constantly getting a car wheel unstuck from mud (without the ability to use kitty litter). The skids glide over the mud like they would over snow. They work on dirt fine too.

Retractable wheels may solve your issue. It works like a lever and they aren't bad. Be careful on placement when installing.

(This not my coop or craftsmanship. Used to display wheels. There are lots of varieties)


There are also side wheels. These are good on small coops and don't require a lot of placement skill.
(not my coop but example)


Or elevated coop wheels

Best for large flocks


This one below is more like the skids on mine but still not mine

best for mud and snow


There are a variety of ways to make it move and predator proof but really it depends where it is and how many.

The 3 different tractor styles I have seen is the traditional shed (if it looks like a shed or box no matter how small it fits in this category), Ark, and hoop. Most displayed are the traditional shed coop but i'm partial to the ark for my area due to wind resistance for tractor coops.

*none of the coops pictured are mine. I just use google images.
 
My tractor is lovely, as long as you have Godzilla to help you move it. Mine is built with wheels that you are supposed to pivot into place, and then you roll it. Pivoting the wheels is a horrific job, and the wheels don't move all that great either.

I keep thinking that I need to make another tractor, but build it on top of my garden cart.

My tractor is maybe 4x10. I put 25 chicks in there to grow them out, and they needed to be moved every day to every two days. They actually didn't kill my grass since they were in there at the peak of my growing season. (almost 24 hours of sunlight makes for impressive growth).

However, later in the season I put just 5 chicks in there, and they needed to be moved about every week, just because the grass growth had slowed down.
 
I use a old camper as a coop we move it around in the spring

it works great.
That does work
big_smile.png
 
Wow! Thanks for the awesome detailed replies! You've given me lots of food for thought! I'm checking this from my phone so I'm going to come back and re read and look at the images better on the laptop in a bit.
 
That is marvelous.


You need to set up a coop page!

I am on the coop page in here already, have 2 of them, one is how you build your coop and the other I just joined something like a tractor coop, I am not sure of the name I just found it this week. with all the snow I get to go into read more groups
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom