separating roosters from the hens with a chicken tractor?

[LaSombra]

Anyone do this or at least know enough to think it's a good idea (or not)?

I've got some scrap material and am thinking of putting together a chicken tractor for my garden. The weeds are crazy and I'm hoping to get a good start on next year with the chicken tractor.

Anyway, I have some suspected roos and my boys don't want me to get rid of them. They've already got transformer names picked out for them and such... so I figured, maybe I could just put the roosters all in the chicken tractor w/o females. I've heard that roos usually get along fine when there are no hens to fight over. I could also use the roosters if I ever want to do some breeding in the future.

I just think it'd give the roos a job and if they're the ones in the tractor, I wouldn't have to worry about nests or collecting eggs, just the feeding/watering/cleaning, in there.

Anyway, any insight is welcome before I start this project

thanks in advance

 

[pipermark]

Sounds great to me.

 

[nhnanna]

 

[cmom]

Sound like a good idea to me too.

 

[LaSombra]

thanks for the replies, guys

I'll have to post up some pics in the building section when I get it built

 

[bja105]

I had two roosters that got along fine. Then I got some hens. The roosters free ranged, and I put the hens in the coop. Within minutes of seeing the hens, the two roosters stared fighting. They couldn't get to the hens, just see them.

If you roosters can see the hens, they might fight. It sounds like a good idea for fertilizing the garden all winter. They'll scratch up grubs, too.

 

[Zahboo]

How many roosters in what size tractor? If they can hear the hens I am unsure it will be smooth sailing

 

[LaSombra]

Quote:
probably 3-4 roosters, at this point...maybe more next year. I've got a roof piece that's 4ft x 8ft that I'm planning on using for the tractor, so plenty of room in there for them. They'd be pretty far from the hen house, at least 100 ft, and no way they'd see them. Plus, there are other things between, the dog run, yard, driveway, more yard... We live on 5 acres so have plenty of room to spread out.

I don't free range. We have too many predators around here.