Tractor questions

[ChickenCanoe]

The crappy thing about mowing is that the turkeys go crazy for clover and alfalfa which are plentiful in our pasture ...

That's why I lobby against grass for forage.

 

[21hens-incharge]

The crappy thing about mowing is that the turkeys go crazy for clover and alfalfa which are plentiful in our pasture (about 40% or more). There are other weeds that they love as well. If I mow they won't be able to eat it. They need it attached to the roots so they can rip the leaves off. When I pick clover and put it in with them they are unable to eat it because it isn't attached. They just pick them up and drop them. If I hold it for them they go nuts ripping it apart. The main reason I was thinking about tractors is so they could graze and eat these plants. If I mow I don't see the point of moving the structure at all since I will be stripping the food out of it beforehand. I wonder if people using these tractors are just dragging them around on their lawn vs an actual pasture.

Perhaps just mow where the predator apron needs to lay?

 

[Big Doggie]

I do need it to be portable which is why I'm asking people who have experience with moving them and whether or not their design holds together when moving it. I saw one on here that I love the look of but it was made out of 2 by 2 lumber and I'm afraid that would just crack apart when it's getting dragged over bumpy ground.

The problem with weed whacking where the skirts go is if I have a few tractors and they are 20 by 10 that's a lot of weed whacking to do every single day. Not practical at all. There must be someone using these aprons/skirts who has experience with moving it through long grass

I made a 2x4 frame measuring 6’ x 8’ and used 3/4” PVC to arch the 6’ side. This is covered with 1/2” hardware cloth. I made doors at each end of this tractor as well. So here’s the point. This is HEAVY. I am a guy 6’4” weighing 210lbs and in decent shape. It’s hard to move. A 10’x20’ coop will weigh hundreds of pounds and probably impossible to move without a machine. The weight builds up faster than you may think.

 

[aart]

Yes... Here it is:

https://www.atomiczombie.com/porta-pen-poultry-tractor-diy-plan/

That's a fantastic design, big wheels would make a huge difference, tho it's all beyond most DIY'ers.....and, yeah, nice smooth 'pasture' for the demo.
I built a similar design with the fold up aprons, was too fussy for the customer, who didn't want to mow the way long vegetation. They did use it for growing out slaughter turkeys in conjunction with electric poultry netting.
Some mowing would be essential and is well explained by @iwltfum .

 

[Edgars Mom]

First of all I want to thank everyone for helping me with this. I really appreciate your taking the time to respond and it's been very helpful.

After all of your input I'm not sure about using a tractor in the pasture at all. We get heatwaves and droughts and if I mow there won't be much for them to eat anyway (the short vegetation dries out and stops growing) and it makes me wonder if it's worth the pain of moving them and keeping them supplied with food and water.

I'm considering building a large stationary one in my barnyard as a grow out pen for our meat turkeys. The disadvantage of this is that they would be kept in a pen that would end up having a dirt floor, but it would be closer to the barn so I sprinkle them with water during heatwaves and easier to change water and add food. Another disadvantage is they wouldn't have the same stimulation for enrichment that they would have on the pasture. I have to do some more thinking...

Our goal is to raise 12-18 a year for meat and I want them to have good lives and be well looked after. I want them to be content. One thing I do for the penned turkeys we have now (BBW) is I pick clover and also turnip greens from our garden and hold it for them so they get their fill of fresh greens every day.

I would love to let them free range but I have a close neighbour who has a manicured lawn (they wouldn't appreciate feathers and poo) and they also have eventing horses and I can't have turkeys popping out of bushes while someone is going over a jump and gets badly injured. Although we are currently growing out the BBW turkeys, our ultimate goal is to raise heritage birds and I've read that they are almost impossible to contain without a "roof".

If I do go with the portable tractor I will buy the plans for the large one I linked to and hope we can build it. If I do this I will use Aarts ingenious idea of the landscape staples to help pin them down.

One determining factor will be how well the aprons work for predators. I don't want to waste all of the time and effort to build tractors only to have my birds slaughtered out there. The fisher is a big concern as well as foxes, coyotes and racoons. We are far enough away from water that I doubt we would have mink but there could be weasels.

@BigDoggie thanks for your input about the weight. It's very helpful to hear first hand experience.

@aart your post was awesome about how you built your tractor... Very helpful. I think this design is too small for what I'm looking for but I may scale it up if I build a stationary tractor/pen.

Once again thank you all for your input. Before I make a final decision I need to hear from some people with first hand experience about how predator proof those aprons make the tractor.

 

[aart]

If I do this I will use Aarts ingenious idea of the landscape staples to help pin them down.

You might need something larger than landscape staples if the grass is long.
Take a look at Omlet apron screw pegs.
One thing I noticed looking later at the design you linked, those aprons are large, look to be at least 3 feet.