Summer tractor design for 18 layers

peekapeeka

In the Brooder
Feb 28, 2022
2
17
21
Virginia, USA
I'm looking for design help.

We currently have a fixed coop, but I want to make a tractor so we can move our chickens around to greener pastures when it's warm enough. We will use electric poultry netting for the run (and let them free range when they're far enough away from the lead paint...) It would be great if this thing could get moved by 2-4 adults, but we also have a farm tractor we can use to pull it up hills, etc, if need be.

My questions:
1) Would you make one tractor for everyone or build two to make it easier to move? They'll share a run and will share a winter coop.
2) Assuming 1 tractor, would 8'x9' be easier than 6x12?
3) If I make two, could I consolidate all 4 nest boxes into one of the tractors? I'm guessing both would need their own food and water...

4) Assuming the tractor is mostly hardware cloth with very few solid walls, when is it warm enough to let them sleep out there? It gets pretty windy here in the spring. 50s? 60s?

5) We're rural and there are predators here (dogs, bears, foxes, coyotes, hawks...) We haven't had any predator issues in the last year with our electric fence setup, but we've been careful to lock them in at night and they're fairly close to the house. How much protection do you think the electric fence might offer to the tractor(s) - I'm wondering about fold up hardware cloth panels, etc, for overnight. (Longer term, we'll have some farm dogs to help keep predators away, too.)

Thanks!
 
1. A really BIG tractor is going to be both hard to move AND hard to get settled onto the ground without gaps caused by humps and dips. I can't move my 4x8 brooder without having to use a pick to level humps and stuff bricks into low spots. Some people put large, mobile layer coops on small trailers.

2. 8x9 is awkward because lumber comes in multiples of 4 feet while 6x12, though a more awkward shape, is easier to build because you can buy 12-foot boards and cut them in half for the 6-foot parts.

3. It's probably more flexible to make a pair of tractors either identical or as mirror-images so they can be used either independently or parked side-by-side. For more than a handful of birds I'd have at least 2 feed and water stations anyway -- plus extra water in the summer because I'm in a hot climate.

4. IMO, at least solid wall on the windward end will always be necessary except in the most tropical of climates. How about tarp curtains to keep the weight down and offer flexibility so that you don't always have to set the tractor facing the same direction?

5. That depends on your risk tolerance. I had non-predator-proof housing inside my electric fence last summer and was fine. I have to admit that a digging predator *could* have gotten inside my perimeter if it was determined to do so.

I reviewed this really GOOD tractor coop last night. You might find inspiration here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/a-bayou-swamp-coop.47859/reviews
 

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