What exactly is a chicken tractor for? - newbie question I know...lol

[kuntrychick]

I've seen so many chicken tractors on here, but I'm still wondering exactly what they're for....to be portable around the yard when you can't free range?

I mean, I see they have a coop on them too, so I wasn't sure if that's their permanent home or if that's just an extra little coop for when they're in the tractor around the yard or what.

 

[cw]

eggsactly,
its a coop that is safe from predators, that ets them freerange and when they need a new place to peck and crap you just move it a couple of feet (leaving a nicly fertilized area) we have one we raised some meat chickens in, all of are layers when they were chicks and now our roo who wont stop attackin the kids

 

[Marlinchaser]

Quote:
Theres a better place to store(I mean keep) that one.

 

[kuntrychick]

So, hmmm...we may need a chicken tractor...lol

We have 2 small dogs that don't bother the chickens, but we have a big outside dog that I think probably would and every time we let the chickens out (we've only had them a week), we tie him up or either let him in the house.

There's also a neighbor's dog that is very sweet, but I still worry that he could harm the chickens when they're out (he only comes in our yard when he sees us all out with the other dogs), so hubby always brings a BB gun out just in case...lol

So, now I'm understanding chicken tractors a little bit more. I may just build one...or get hubby to.

Now, how do you get them from the run to the tractor...?

 

[Judy]

I'm not sure what you are picturing as a difference between run and tractor. For people who confine their chickens like this, the run IS the tractor. The coop is usually a box built onto it. The chickens live their lives in this tractor, or run, with a big box for a coop.

Obviously, I don't like this arrangement. But if you choose it, please be sure there are 4 sq ft per chicken in the coop and 10 sq ft per chicken in the run, at a minimum.

I have 4 dogs who know what "no" means, and roam freely with the chickens. Many dogs can be trained not to bother the chickens, or even to guard them. A leash and knowledge of "no" should do it. "Leave it" makes it easier.

As for the neighbor's dog, he is responsible for keeping the dog on his property. You will need to withdraw permission for his dog to be on yours, if you had given it. A bit of reading in Predators and Pests will demonstrate that dogs are one of the worst predators of chickens.

 

[kuntrychick]

Quote:
Oh, so the tractor is not just for portability, but also where they actually live...ok that makes sense.

Already, my chickens are starting to be spoiled and we let them out everyday to free range for a couple of hours and then put them back up for the night.

I just didn't realize the tractor was their permanent home.

The neighbors dog I don't think would bother the chickens. I have done some reading on the Predators and Pests. Actually, this dog was dropped off around here and has taken up at the neighbors....so I guess they're just feeding it and it keeps hanging around, but it's a sweet thing and hasn't tried to bother the chickens yet...just runs around with our dogs.

Our outside dog hasn't bothered the chickens so far, but when we let them out, we tie him up, just in case. He barks at anything....and actually we never see deer here anymore because of him (and hubby's mad about that...lol), so I think he would kind of be a protector to the chickens if anything was to try to come around.

 

[cw]

the roo is on his way to the real cold tractor that doesnt move, the one with the white lid, they are nice to have if you have a coop and they free range but you want to leave for the day,
ares is fairly large, and our dont seem to mind going in it

 

[saddina]

Here, the tractor is used for them durning the day, and they go into a coop at night, 2 seperate structures. The coop can withstand nighttime predators, and the tractor can be moved for grazing. We pick them up at first, but the figure out pretty quick that there's a feed bucket hanging in the coop, and will walk in on thier own. May not be perfect, but it's how we do it.

 

[Elwar]

Quote:
That's my setup too...a separate run that's a tractor with the fortified coop for night.

I'm still in the process of making a "tunnel" from the coop to the run.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

For my three banties, the dog house turned coop/tractor is what they live in. Out in the run area during the day that gets moved every morning so they have fresh grass and locked in the house at night.

For my eight standard layers who have a 12 x 12' horse stall turned chicken coop and dog kennel 12' x 26' x 6' run, I'm planning a 5' W x 12' L x 6' H cattle panel tractor so my girls can safely free range 4 acres in the confines of the tractor that I'll move daily.

I haven't figured out how I will get them moved from the coop to the tractor twice a day yet.