Why do they call it a chicken tractor...

[off-grid hen]

...when it's clearly a chicken TRAILER?!.

We start building the Woods style/window-front chicken TRAILER this weekend.

 

[TN_BIRD]

Here's a guess:

A tractor is a farm tool.

I've seen folks with gardens that had nice wide rows (cornfield, etc.). They'd build the "tractor" to fit between the rows and put the chickens in the tractor to eat the weeds n bugs. Periodically moving it up and down the rows of the garden/farm.

Practical farmers make them farm animals pull their weight (not a lot of room for pets on a farm...even the cats n dogs got jobs to do)

 

[patandchickens]

AFAIK the term was coined by Andy Lee in his book, I wanna say circa 1990?, of the same name. His rationale for the gimmicky name is that you are using the chickens to plow your land (get it, like a tractor? yeah, I think it's lame too

but it DOES make an eye-grabbing cover illustration for the book)

In Britain they are called "arks", which term is, if anything, even more mysterious and unlikely than 'tractor' IMHO

Pat

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Yes, Andy Lee's book is the first place I heard the phrase "chicken tractor." And the way he was using them to till his raised beds it made sense. A better phrase than "portable bottomless chicken coop" anyway even if it does cause no end of confusion with folks new to the idea.

 

[Lostranger]

Tractors do not plow land. Plows plow land. Tractors provide traction for pulling implements like plows. “Chicken tractor” is an absurd misuse of the language.