Welcome to BYC - there is a wealth of information to be found here. I did ALOT of research before getting our
3 girls back in October. We started with 4 and lost one within days. They started out in a cat carrier for a
VERY short period of time, then onto a big plastic storage tote -both of which stayed in our family room
and had to be protected from our cat and dog. Then they moved into temp quarters which was our
dog cage with cardboard, then outside to another temp quarters until the tractor was built.
The reason I tell you this is because I just had to have my fuzzy butts and did not realize how
fast they would grow. It was tiring constantly chick proofing all of their temporary homes, not to
mention the creative thinking required so as not to spend too much money. my other half was
less than thrilled that WE were now going to have chickens.
We (He) finally built their tractor by their 2 month mark and they were ready to be outside at that point.
Prior to that, I had changed my mind so many times on the type of space I wanted them to be in.
We agreed on the tractor until we were sure we were going to be All in with our girls. The tractor
specs were found on multiple sites and we adjusted it to our liking and my husbands carpentry
skills. We have coyotes and hawks that we need to beware of.
So far, we have not had any problem with digging critters but we are just now warming up again.
Our tractor is 8 feet long and about 2 1/2 feet wide on the upper level and 8 feet long by 5 feet wide
on the lower level. It is an A-frame style. Our 3 girls have plenty of room but I wouldn't want to put
any more girls in there (even though I want more). After you put in the necessities and anything else you want
(such as dusting area, roost, the ladder takes up some space downstairs) the square footage really starts to shrink.
Sorry for the long winded message, but hoping you will learn from some of my mistakes. I agree
with your other half to have the coop design solidified. We were able to get our tractor done in
two weekends but we didn't have any weather to contend with. We used as many reclaimed,
recycled items as possible. The cost was approx 150.00. Now that we've had our girls for
almost 6 months, I am already taking notes for my permanent coop design. We move our
tractor every week or two but will have to start moving it much more frequently now that the
spring season has arrived in our area.
Best of luck to you and have fun. Oh, by the way, my husband who wanted nothing to do with
chickens actually enjoys them and we have funny conversations about them. They have brought
a light heartedness to our home.
3 girls back in October. We started with 4 and lost one within days. They started out in a cat carrier for a
VERY short period of time, then onto a big plastic storage tote -both of which stayed in our family room
and had to be protected from our cat and dog. Then they moved into temp quarters which was our
dog cage with cardboard, then outside to another temp quarters until the tractor was built.
The reason I tell you this is because I just had to have my fuzzy butts and did not realize how
fast they would grow. It was tiring constantly chick proofing all of their temporary homes, not to
mention the creative thinking required so as not to spend too much money. my other half was
less than thrilled that WE were now going to have chickens.
We (He) finally built their tractor by their 2 month mark and they were ready to be outside at that point.
Prior to that, I had changed my mind so many times on the type of space I wanted them to be in.
We agreed on the tractor until we were sure we were going to be All in with our girls. The tractor
specs were found on multiple sites and we adjusted it to our liking and my husbands carpentry
skills. We have coyotes and hawks that we need to beware of.
So far, we have not had any problem with digging critters but we are just now warming up again.
Our tractor is 8 feet long and about 2 1/2 feet wide on the upper level and 8 feet long by 5 feet wide
on the lower level. It is an A-frame style. Our 3 girls have plenty of room but I wouldn't want to put
any more girls in there (even though I want more). After you put in the necessities and anything else you want
(such as dusting area, roost, the ladder takes up some space downstairs) the square footage really starts to shrink.
Sorry for the long winded message, but hoping you will learn from some of my mistakes. I agree
with your other half to have the coop design solidified. We were able to get our tractor done in
two weekends but we didn't have any weather to contend with. We used as many reclaimed,
recycled items as possible. The cost was approx 150.00. Now that we've had our girls for
almost 6 months, I am already taking notes for my permanent coop design. We move our
tractor every week or two but will have to start moving it much more frequently now that the
spring season has arrived in our area.
Best of luck to you and have fun. Oh, by the way, my husband who wanted nothing to do with
chickens actually enjoys them and we have funny conversations about them. They have brought
a light heartedness to our home.
