Built my first chicken tractor!

[cornball]

I built my first chicken tractor about a week ago. It took about 3 weekends to do, and I only had to buy the chicken wire - everything else was stuff I already had! This started out as an old smokehouse that blew down last year. I had a notion to make it into a playhouse for my boys, but decided it was too far gone for that. I was about to burn it up to get it out of my yard, but then decided to actually do something with it. I cut 8" off the total height, then cut the sidewalls off 2' above the ground and used the wall boards I cut off to make the floor. The wheels are old riding mower wheels and tires. It has 3 built in nesting boxes, and the chickens seem to love it. My only problem is that the chickens don't seem to want to go down the gangplank to the grass. If I put them on the grass, they will go back up the gangplank, but refuse to go down. I am thinking that maybe the angle is too shallow, making the clearance too low? I know that the chickens have to duck when they go up. How much space is usually needed for a gangplank? Here are some pictures (it needs paint and a new roof yet!) Let me know what you think.

 

[HEChicken]

It looks great to me! Maybe just give them time to get used to the ramp? I don't see anything jumping out at me to explain why they wouldn't want to use it - I think they just need time to adapt.

 

[Fluffballs]

Nice "tractor"!

 

[JackE]

A chopped and dropped smokehouse coop, awesome. Looking at the ramp, What if you added a step down out of the coop. Like nail a 2X4(On edge, if possible) to the bottom of the door entrance, then attach the ramp to that. That would give the birds more headroom as they come out of the coop. They probably don't like to duck on their way down the ramp, even though they don't seem to mind when they go up.
Chickens being particular, as they are sometimes.
Jack

 

[berniezahm]

A chopped and dropped smokehouse coop, awesome.
Jack

I like that name. Great title for a Chicken Tractor.

Congrats to the builder also.

 

[cornball]

By the way, this is a 6 x 9 coop, and I have 14 hens in it. I am looking to add some roosting areas in it, because they are currently roosting on the nesting boxes (yuck!) What would be a good way/place to build a roosting area in this small space?

 

[tyjaco]

very cute coop!

 

[rebecuna]

It's a shabby chic tractor! Very nice.