Circular Chicken Tractor - Just a Thought

[gardendufus]

I have spent quite a while researching coops and actually I've already built mine. Most of the tractors I've seen with attached runs have a fixed position run that then required moving both the coop and the run in order to get to new 'foraging' areas.

Would a circular coop, with a run attached to some kind of a hoop, thus allowing you to just rotate the run around the coop, allowing for 360 degree rotation be feasible I've seen fixed coops with multiple attached run areas allowing access at different times of year. But I'm thinking of something much smaller in scale that would be movable.

Just a thought for you engineering types. Hope this is a little clearer than mud.

 

[Blaineiac]

I used an old trampoline wrapped in snow fence as a tractor for meaties. Worked pretty good.

 

[wilbilt]

That's an interesting thought. How about a central coop, with a rotating run similar to a center-pivot irrigation system? It could operate all the time (very slow speed of course) during daylight hours.

 

[Sunflowergirl]

I am not an engineer. However, I do like that idea! I wonder if you could cover a hay bale ring to use. I don't know how heavy those things are though!




Ok, I see I totally misread your post! I was thinking of the run being circular and you could turn it on its side and roll it to wherever you wanted it.

 

[gardendufus]

Wilbilt I hadn't even considered mechanizing the movement of the run, but that's a great idea. I was only thinking how much easier it would be to move the lightweight (comparatively) run around a stationary coop, allowing for some regrowth as you moved on to a new portion of the field surrounding the coop. A mechanized movement would be much easier, but I wasn't thinking of continuous movement, only periodic, say every day or so, or however long it takes the chickens to fully forage an area. I have no idea how long that would be as my run is completely stationary.

 

[wilbilt]

Wilbilt I hadn't even considered mechanizing the movement of the run, but that's a great idea. I was only thinking how much easier it would be to move the lightweight (comparatively) run around a stationary coop, allowing for some regrowth as you moved on to a new portion of the field surrounding the coop. A mechanized movement would be much easier, but I wasn't thinking of continuous movement, only periodic, say every day or so, or however long it takes the chickens to fully forage an area. I have no idea how long that would be as my run is completely stationary.

It is an interesting concept. I really don't know much about the pivot irrigation systems, except that they cover areas acres in size. I assume the time used to cover an area is adjustable based on the water requirements of the crop. Do they take hours - or days - to complete the circle?

It could be scaled down to accommodate a small flock. A coop of adequate size mounted on a bearing, with a permanently attached run could rotate around to cover an area. Assuming the size is small enough, it would not even have to be motorized. You could just go out and drag the far end 3 paces in the morning and evening or whatever. Just thinking out loud.