Tractor Users and Digging Predators?

[3KillerBs]

Tractor users, seeing that its pretty hard to bury wire that you're moving every day or two, how do you keep digging predators out of your tractors?

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

An apron of hardware cloth all around my banty dog house/coop/tractor.

For my big girls, I'm planning a cattle panel tractor with the same hardware cloth apron all around.

 

[CMV]

Same here- apron of hardware cloth 12 inches all around.
ETA- I stake mine down with metal tent pegs so it doesn't stick up.

 

[patman75]

I put down a layer of chicken wire on the bottom, keep predators out and keep the chickens from tearing out the lawn in 1 day.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

I don't peg down because I move it 8 feet every morning. The three little banties don't tear up the lawn but sure do POO a lot in one day.

I run the sprinkler in the area the run has been to wash the poo down into the soil.

 

[redbone]

I've not had or built a tractor yet, but if I did... I think I'd put some sort of welded wire in the bottom. Even something as large as concrete wire or goat fencing would be better than nothing. I would think that it would make it easier to move the chickens... just watch out and set it down slowly or you might crush a foot or leg.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

In my case, it would make it harder to move the run. As it is, the hardware cloth in the front catches the grass while I'm dragging or pulling it the 8' every morning. Especially, since we've had rain and the grass is lush and green again.

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
With my dogs.

 

[Uzuri]

Mine has an apron as well; it's put on with poultry staples, so it folds up and is clipped to the side wires with clips/caribaeners for moving or from mowing around. Gotta put a pic up of the thing some time here. I used welded wire rather than hardware cloth, with the thought that anything that can dig through the holes in the welded wire is just going to walk through the side of the run anyway

 

[possumqueen]

sweet cheeks, I'm building a tractor soon, and I've been cruising the forum and coop sites for plans. Yours is the best one I've seen yet!

I'll be making my run out of stock panel and weld wire, but I've already planned on the hardware cloth apron. Thanks for the tip to clip it up on moving days.

Thanks for the whole picture!