Size

[Alagirl]

Of course, it matters!

Ok, the question: How high does a small chicken run need to be?
I am considering to build a small tractor to which to attach a covered run.

Would 24" be sufficient?

I am plotting the dimensions, trying to figure out if I want 4 or 5 feet width (It will - in theory - match the garden I am planning to establish, so the birds can run over the empty beds and do their thing)

We are a family of 3 and don't eat a lot of eggs most of the time.

I will try to get a picture of the setup I am thinking of building.

 

[cavemanrich]

24 inches for a tractor is fine. Chickens do not feel claustrophobic as they keep scratching the ground below them. A tractor is a movable spot enclosure. What is considered a run, is an area that is also entered by you to clean, place feed, water, and ground bedding into. I think you are planning on making these spot enclosures and use them where needed. Am I correct???
A higher run has the advantage of placing different levels inside such as pallets on blocks , which in turn extend the square area of a limited space to more available space. It also provides hiding areas for the lower on the pecking order chickens safe zones.
If you have EXTRA eggs, share them with family or friends. At times when I had abundance, I gave to neighbors, which were VERY happy and grateful. Note;; Know which neighbors are comfortable with home eggs. (some only want store kind.)
WISHING YOU BEST

 

[Alagirl]

Thanks.
My mom gives her neighbors excess eggs, she calls it the 'crow fee' since her flock started with a rooster.
Thankfully, I have some country friends, so they might not object to home grown eggs. Or Hubby can pickle them!

Guess it's time to head to the drawing board. Truing to figure out how to construct the house part of the tractor, with the nesting and roosting, etc...

 

[Alagirl]

Ok, I am considering a 4-5 foot wide A frame tractor, the bottom enclosed.

How would I do the layout for the interior?
nesting boxes on the side for easy access through the side?

Roost across the back side, opening to clean - where?

To have about 4-6 chickens, how big would the 'coop' have to be?

 

[cavemanrich]

The guideline for space is 4 square feet per chicken.. It is a GUIDELINE that makes sense. and not a RULE. Overcrowding is a recipe for all kinds of problems. If you have bantams, you can squeeze in a few more in given area. Always better to build larger. At the top of the page is a link to Coops. Go there and look at some of the pix and get IDEAS..

 

[Alagirl]

By now I probably looked at 100s of ideas...

Not seeing quite what I am looking for.