About 6 months ago we decided to to take the plunge and get a small flock of chickens for the backyard. I joined this website after lurking for some time and began building our A-Frame chicken tractor last spring. There are alot of cons that I was advised of before/during the build and not really so many pros. That said it is visually similar to our home and pleasant to look at.
I decided on 8 ft wide by 12 long with a height at the peak of about 7 ft.
The angles cuts are 60 and 30.
I used Pt lumber for the base, 2x4 framing for the base and the "A" but 2x3 lumber for the coop framing.
Pre primed shiplap for the coop siding.
Auto door from Run-chicken that has been flawless.
Old metal roofing I had laying around
Used vyinl baseboard molding for the valley flashing where the side roofs are hinged.
Mix of painted fender washers and 3/4 fence staples to hold the hardware cloth on
After a racoon killed our 1st flock I added the side skirts that are framed and hinged. They work great on flat or sloping away from the run grades but not so good if they are laying pitched up, might try to raise the hinges to correct for this.
2 harbor freight trailer jacks that have been modified to accept 2 10 inch pnuematic wheels. I'm having trouble with excessive flexing of the 2x4 cross member that these are attached to, going to try to either use a notched 4x4 or switch to metal of some kind very soon, what I have now isn't going to hold up.
Most of the hardware came from Amazon.
I decided on 8 ft wide by 12 long with a height at the peak of about 7 ft.
The angles cuts are 60 and 30.
I used Pt lumber for the base, 2x4 framing for the base and the "A" but 2x3 lumber for the coop framing.
Pre primed shiplap for the coop siding.
Auto door from Run-chicken that has been flawless.
Old metal roofing I had laying around
Used vyinl baseboard molding for the valley flashing where the side roofs are hinged.
Mix of painted fender washers and 3/4 fence staples to hold the hardware cloth on
After a racoon killed our 1st flock I added the side skirts that are framed and hinged. They work great on flat or sloping away from the run grades but not so good if they are laying pitched up, might try to raise the hinges to correct for this.
2 harbor freight trailer jacks that have been modified to accept 2 10 inch pnuematic wheels. I'm having trouble with excessive flexing of the 2x4 cross member that these are attached to, going to try to either use a notched 4x4 or switch to metal of some kind very soon, what I have now isn't going to hold up.
Most of the hardware came from Amazon.
