Using a Cotton Wagon for a Chicken Tractor

[newbyduckmom]

Just watched an interesting episode of P. Allen Smith's Garden Home on the Create Channel. In the spirit of recycle they used a cotton wagon (looked like a big flatbed trailer with grated panel sides) and converted it to a chicken tractor. They painted the wagons and stalled welded wire flooring so the droppings would fall through. They tow the tractor to different locations every few weeks. Now granted, it was a much larger scale chicken tractor than most of us need, but thought it was interesting since my husband used an old trailer to build our drake house.

The episode will be on again as follows if anyone is interested in watching. As usual, it is a brief story but interesting.

SUN, DEC 18
Recasting Roles •07:00 AM •1:00 PM •7:00 PM

MON, DEC 19
Recasting Roles •01:00 AM

Started with wagon such as this, wish I could find a completed picture. It was pretty cool.
http://www.fastline.com/v100/Peerle...ail-04185cd5-1745-41db-9e74-059db5d0622f.aspx

 

[beach livin']

thats interesting. i wish i had that channel, because i would watch it

 

[TDM]

People do that here out of old hay wagons too.

 

[Down Home Jerry]

Hi! I'm the founder and director of a 340 acre farm and ranch for people with "Down syndrome and other disabilities. We're in Central Texas and raise greenhouse poinsettias, cattle, pigs, donkeys and horses. We have a couple of chicken coops but I want to build a BIG Chicken Tractor for the hens can roam a lot, scratch and spread cattle and horse manure, fertilize our soil and give us a lot of free-range eggs.

I'm looking for a good design. We can get an old metal cotton wagon to put the thing on but need some construction ideas.

Here's our website: www.downhomeranch.org

Thanks for any help y'all can send out way.

Best wishes,

Jerry Horton