How often do you move a chicken tractor?

[bnjrob]

If I can find someone that has the chicks I want (rare breed) then I am planning on getting a small flock going this yeare. We are going to build a chicken tractor so we can move them around the property. Does anyone have a rough guestimate on how often a chicken tractor should be moved?

 

[claudicles]

It depends on what you want to acheive. Some people will leave it in one place for ages to allow the poop to accumulate then let it age and use it as a vegetable patch. I move mine daily so the chickens get fresh greens each day and the ground they have been on gets to recover. I am on 2.5 acres so I have plenty of land to mave them around. The longer you leave it in one place the more damage they will do. You can't specify exactly how long though as it will depend on how many chickens, how big a tractor and what they are grazing on and whether it is actively growing or not. My brother has one he has left in place for couple of months but he has a fenced area around it they graze too. Mine are in the tractor all the time due to predators so I like to move it a lot for them.

Hope this helps.

 

[jamband]

Its a game of so many things. Tractor size. # of chickens, activity level of your chickens, the quality of your soil/grasses etc......It will take some time for it to recover if you allow them to destroy all the grass etc and they wont eat as well. The fresh pasture is enjoyable for them, good for us eating their eggs, and moving more often will ensure faster recovery.....Its a personal choice but I say the more often the better.

 

[galanie]

You move it when you want to basically. Every day is usually best.

 

[bnjrob]

Thanks so much for the responses!

We have 5 acres of pasture, so there is plenty of room. And when there isn't a horrible drought like this past year, we have grass with some hay growing enough that we have to mow every month or so. They will have to be in the tractor all of the time because of the risk of predators from the ground and the sky. We're planning on building a good size tractor to avoid crowding problems. For now my goal is to let them eat whatever bugs and grasses they want and am not worried about getting manure for composting/garden use.

I am trying to get some heritage breed Javas, since they are still known for being able to forage.

 

[galanie]

Sounds like a great plan! Wish I had 5 acres to use, Oh the chicken math I'd be working then LOL.

 

[Cargo]

I moved mine every morning. and it worked out well.

 

[bnjrob]

5 acres IS great, although we've been here 5 years and have discovered that it just isn't enough room Before this we had an acre and that got to be too small with all the dogs and cats we have.

I found a breeder that is going to have more Javas, so got my first chicken order in this morning - looks like hubby will be building a second chicken tractor for the "extras" I am getting.

I guess I will have to see what kind of damage the chickens will do, to be able to decide how often to move the chicken tractor.

 

[jamband]

with that much room you can just observe...you will see when its time and get a hang of it... Just move sooner than later if you dont want bald spots after the move. Have you ever read pastured poultry profits? great details

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Unless I don't get home until after dark I move all of mine every day.