a simple collapse-able chicken tractor plans :>

[elmo]

Quote:
Careful about using a tractor like this to house your chickens at night, especially if you know you have dogs and coyotes to deal with. First of all, a tractor is vulnerable to digging under the edge unless you attach a wire apron or skirt and tack it down temporarily with blocks or something like that. Secondly, if the wire openings are larger than 1/2" by 1/2" you have the problem of critters like raccoons reaching in to grab your birds and pull pieces of them out through the wire.

If the tractor is made from PVC, you do have to make sure it's not so light that a couple of dogs could knock it over to get at the chickens inside.

Even though our yard has a six foot solid board fence (so we don't have to contend with roaming neighborhood dogs), I only use our tractors for the daytime. At night, when predator risk is higher, I lock my chickens inside a stout, solid walled coop.

The other problem with a tractor for nighttime use is that there really is no place for the chickens to roost at any appreciable height (unless it's a really tall tractor). Unless you have heavy breeds or Silkies that wouldn't roost high even if they could, I suspect it's stressful to force adult chickens to roost down low at only 2 feet high or so at night.

 

[Egg Rookie 2010]

Elmo thank you for your good words of advice. I am building a coop as well. Will be done on interior this weekend

but I sure would like them to get onto all that nice green grass full of bugs too! I will have an enclosed run but they might feel COOPED UP. Yeah..that was corny! LOL! I would only plan to use the tractor in the daytime when I am HOME...I own a bird killer.

 

[mudpaw]

I'm so glad so many people seem to like this...Thanks! I should have put it somewhere on my initial post- this is light weight, part-time design (just say you want to let your chickies spend part of the day out in it)...not really for living in 24/7. I wouldn't really consider is predator proof at all (though, it could be made predator proof, though that would essentially be an Ark tractor). I'm using it to rotate and let them work over some of my garden areas -which are in my front yard-my coop is in the back-also my back yard is very small and apparently full of only the tastiest shrubs LOL, oh and the best places to dig massive holes for dust bathing-plus they ate all the grass already >_<. I love the idea of using something like redwood-it would be so pretty! I used pvc because I already had some :> I hope to have one of these completely built soon for some photos too!

 

[BWKatz]

When U use the PVC u really don't need wheels to move it. It is pretty predator proof for daytime use only ..with the apron secured . As for flying and roosts. please see my BYC page. Keep in mind it can blow away in high winds or if u do like I did and cover it completely with tarp, it can flatten it. Winter cold can make joints crack. Just so u know going in , it is for summer use only. Luckily I had an unused dog kennel that I converted for temporary use. All this said, my chickens thoroughly enjoyed it all summer and will be back in one next summer even though they will have their permanent coop & run by then. I really like the way urs folds up.Mine is 6Hx8wx10L and can easily slide into a garage or under a deck.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Best of both worlds! Days in the tractor, nights in the coop. That's exactly what I do with my flock, too.

Nice looking start on your coop! What's your climate like? Those two large hardware cloth windows are good ventilation for warmer weather but you may not be able to leave them open all winter because of drafts.

 

[Cargo]

Careful about using a tractor like this to house your chickens at night

Elmo is right! A tractor like this is only for day time use!
A safe night time tractor needs to be much more stoutly built.
Just imagine a big dog crushing your little girls.​

 

[Egg Rookie 2010]

I will also have an enclosed run but would really like them to get around the property in a tractor when Im home. Do I HAVE to make a nesting box on a tractor? The opposite side of the coop has a 3 x 8 screened wall portion and the south side top quarter has flaps that open and close. It gets VERY hot...between 95 and 110 for about 4 months of the year here. The two sides you can see that are large screen areas are north facing and here is my big idea...what do you guys think (IM SORRY I HIJACKED THIS THREAD DIDNT MEAN TO) I am going to mount plexiglass panels about 5 inches out from the exterior walls covering the windows (this is where the prevailing wind comes from) so no direct rain or wind will get in there but I still have light and ventilation.

 

[mudpaw]

Quote:
If the hens in it are laying age, I'd recommend it. They aren't going to hold it all day long until they return to the coop for the night (also, don't think they'll lay eggs when you'd expect LOL...that "eggs first thing in the morning" ideal is not always the case-my girls rarely lay before 8 am and can lay as late as 5 or 6 pm) . Otherwise you will have eggs laid on the ground...most likely poppy and dirty :C

 

[ninny]

Could you slide a floor under it? Im thinking of this for meat birds or rabbits.

 

[Egg Rookie 2010]

Hmmmm...this makes me very thoughtful on the subject. I just came in from laying linoleum in the coop floor before the boxes and roosts are built tomorrow. If I were to make a tractor rectangular just how tall do you think it would have to be? Like 2 feet? Im thinking out of pvc and lightweight wire....I can make one 2hx6wx8l? 2 nest boxes on end with short wheels and an old wheel barrow handle on the other....brainstorming here. I havent seen one quite like that. Is there a reason most are triangular? I would make the side with the handles on hinges so chickies can run under like a garage door. How many birds can go in something like that for lets say 3 hours?