These things stink, its Tractor Time! Video Update pg3 #29

[Bossroo]

Quote:
Oooo, ooooh !!! Me too ! NO odors, safe from predators and all done in 6-8 weeks at a time.

 

[becky3086]

I had a dozen ducks in the spare bathrooms bathtub until they could go outside. It wasn't good.

 

[chickenwhisperer]

Bossroo, you go ahead and keep yours in your house, mine are going outside to face the weather, the dogs, and whatever else nature can throw at em . . .

THEY STINK, and anybody who says they dont is full of it.

 

[jaku]

Quote:
A day? 8 weeks??

They will poo the grass down Loonnnggggg before they will eat it down.

I didn't even notice that part of the post. Yeah, if you don't move your tractor for 24 hours straight, you will not see ANY grass- it will be 1/2 inch of solid poo. Moving twice in 8 weeks won't work.

 

[chickenwhisperer]

Not if I rake it out . . .

I had that tractor in the backyard at my old house, and NEVER moved it.
I had 6 standard-sized chickens in it.

I would just rake it out every once in a while as needed.


I am doing this in my backyard, and tho its pretty big, there is landscaping and its nowhere close to being a pasture, by any meaning of the word.

My layer coop is going to be "portable" ish, but I dont plan on moving that bohemuth too much either . . .

Us true backyarders gotta do what we gotta do . . .

Besides, tomoro they will be a week old(actually, prolly today) and since theyre going out on Saturday, thats only 6.5 weeks to be out there . . .

Edit:
To me its easier to rake out the tractor than to move it, I go to great lengths to keep my jack russell out of it, and it ends up being a semi-permanent structure.
I usually use 3' metal concrete stakes with screws to hold it down.

 

[chickenwhisperer]

Quote:
I tried this once with 3 ducklings from eggs from a nest that my dog found at the river . . .
I figured since it was "my" fault the nest was destroyed, I might as well try to save what I could . . .
I shoulda just left them there . . .

 

[jaku]

Good luck! If I don't move mine at least twice per day, the poo gets so caked that the grass dies. I've tried to rake it, but they stomp it down and it dries, so it's like concrete on the ground. Hopefully since you only have a few, that will work for you. I do 75 birds, but my tractor is 10x10.

 

[chickenwhisperer]

I use the terms "grass" and "landscaping" loosely.

The contours of my yard are what they are, some good flat spots and the rest is mini-rollinghills.

The grass is not a manicured lawn, it is old grass that is too long right now anyways.

They can eat their way almost to China and fill the hole with droppings if they want, as long as I get my rotissery . . .

Being just a week old, I can already see the need to give them a bit more space to use strengthen their legs, they already want to just lay down at the feeder.

I dont want to end up with a bunch of crippled birds that I gotta babysit for the next few weeks, so hopefully some exercise will prevent that.

These birds are eating machines, I wouldnt believe it if I didnt see it myself . . .

 

[chickenwhisperer]

So I got home a little early this afternoon and it was such a nice beautiful sunny day that I decided to put them outside for a while.

They took right to tractor life, and were outside for about 1.5 hrs..

We sposed to get rain tomoro, and clear again for the weekend into next week.

I think it did the chickens some good, not only did they get a change of scenery, nice fresh air, and some grasses to peck, but I think by them pecking on the ground will sxpose them to a small amount of whatever buggies are in the soil, so they have a few days to deal with it.

Even the 2 biggest fattest ones were up and running around like any old chicken . . .

I cant wait till they stay out there.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
I've always contemplated a tractor that could crawl on it's own, maybe a couple of feet an hour...

Or perhaps a winch line that could slowly move it a certain length each day.