Love it!! I've been wanting to get a few chickens and I've been talking to DH about a chicken tractor. Now I have a good idea of what I want. Thanks for sharing!
Nice job. The only thing I would change is the latch on the nest box. A racoon can open that little latch. I would put something a little more complicated like maybe a lock hasp and a small padlock.
It looks awesome....
What about winter? Ya'all have similar winters as I, and will this be warm enough for them in the winter?
I want to start my own flock asap, but I don't want to freeze my birds to death out here in the windy frozen tundra!! (zone 5, central indiana)
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Very nice design. I keep hemming and hawing about getting chickens again, but this would work perfectly in my small orchard. I went to the website listed in the video and was disappointed to find the plans are not there. A square one is, but not this one. But I think I'll do some more research as I'm sure someone has the plans for the A-frame.
Yeah, I have not had time to get the plans up. I'll get them there soon. I've got all the pictures uploaded now. (That dog gone, medium speed internet has been hampering me again.)
It looks awesome....
What about winter? Ya'all have similar winters as I, and will this be warm enough for them in the winter?
I want to start my own flock asap, but I don't want to freeze my birds to death out here in the windy frozen tundra!! (zone 5, central indiana)
Trust me Laura, my winters are pretty severe. And I had chickens free ranging here. They will keep in the coop, but due to the fact that we get feet of snow regularly, I'll park it in one location for the winter and may do a few special things. I'll post pictures and let you now. Winter at my house, EVERY year is like this:
Nice job. The only thing I would change is the latch on the nest box. A racoon can open that little latch. I would put something a little more complicated like maybe a lock hasp and a small padlock.
I plan to struggle through the rest of this season with our old chicken tractor, winter the chickens in the hoop house as we've done since '98, then build a new tractor according to your plans next spring. We'll try for larger tires so it will roll more easily over our rough ground--it wasn't rough before the chickens started scratching in it but it certainly is now
Have you had any problems with skunks or 'coons digging in under it? That has been the only thing stopping me from making a chicken tractor all these years. The skunks, in particular can get under a very small opening. The 'coons just pull the wire off and break through.
LOL, I used hardware cloth... I'd hate to see the coon that can pull that off.
If I were real worried about a skunk getting in, I'd close the door on the coop when they were in.
Another thing, if someone were so inclined, you can make 12 inch fence layouts that would lay flat outside of each of the sides flat on the ground to keep them from digging.
But honestly, I've not experienced a predator digging in a single night to get under the tractor daily. Not that they can't. I've just never lived in a place I've seen it. From Ohio or Pa. Most predators work to get to chickens over a period of time.
I am not saying it's perfect, but I built it to withstand all the simple predators and even a casual engagement with a bear. Not a determined bear, but I made it strong enough that a simple push of the bear paw wasn't going to pull off the wire.
The wire is hardware cloth, attached with roofing nails that have 5/16" washers covering the cloth to get a greater surface area of coverage.
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Love the outside access to the next box!
