Anybody wanna see my new chicken tractor?

kat51415 4/17/2013, 8:15 pm

I can't help it. I gotta brag on hubby. Even though he almost cut off his pinky finger being careless with his skilsaw, he and my #1 son built the most awesome chicken tractor in the world. Looky here:

Anybody wanna see my new chicken tractor? 559902_10201003362354158_178600393_n

Anybody wanna see my new chicken tractor? 559902_10201003362354158_178600393_n

The Taj Mahal of chicken tractors during the build.

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The inside from the outside.

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Close up of the nesting boxes and the roost on the inside.

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The back of the nesting box...easy egg gathering access.

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See how easy? Even a 6 yr old can do it.

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The view from the rear. I am not responsible for the condition of the shop, just sayin'...

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Anybody wanna see my new chicken tractor? 67988_10201003368794319_1307665210_n

The gang plank is so neat.

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My grandchicken!

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The finished product. The top of the run is held up with a folding pipe support for access to the run. It would normally be closed. Now all I need are the chickens!

**RoOsTeR** 4/17/2013, 8:23 pm

WoW! That's a nice tractor Anybody wanna see my new chicken tractor? 3170584802

You've some handy skilled labor there Very Happy

kat51415 4/17/2013, 8:50 pm

Thank you Rooster. Not bad for no plans! All he had was a picture of one from the internet but, of course, it had to be modified. Next is the bunny tractor!

jazzycat 4/17/2013, 8:59 pm

That rocks! Congrats! Anybody wanna see my new chicken tractor? 3170584802

bnoles 4/17/2013, 9:23 pm

WOW! Kat, that is one awesome tractor. I am getting my pullets (3 buff oppies) this weekend and can't wait. What kind and how many are you getting?

kat51415 4/17/2013, 9:31 pm

I want Rhode Island Reds. It was a toss up between them and buff orps but they seem to be the better all-purpose meat/egger. They don't have as sweet a disposition as the buffs but they'll make up for that with eggs. The tractor is designed for 4-6 full grown birds. I think I'll start with 4 hens. The DIL does not want to deal with a rooster so no babies for now. Just eggs.

**RoOsTeR** 4/17/2013, 9:46 pm

Ain't nothin wrong with a Rooster Very Happy

Son #1 has once again neglected his egg gathering responsibilities. Wife has informed me there are some little chirpings going on in one of his coops.....

Nicola 4/18/2013, 12:47 am

kat51415 wrote: Not bad for no plans! All he had was a picture of one from the internet but, of course, it had to be modified.

Dab-nabbit! I was just about to ask for plans when I read that. It looks great! (Do you have the original source of the 'net picture? maybe there are plans there.)

quiltbea 4/18/2013, 11:22 am

Kat.....Thanks for the walk-thru with building that fine chicken tractor. Marvelous job done especially when DH had no plans to follow. You're a lucky gal.
Hope to see pics of the ladies when you get them, too.

smriti 4/18/2013, 1:16 pm

Wow that is so cool!

plantoid 4/18/2013, 2:38 pm

RoOsTeR wrote:Ain't nothin wrong with a Rooster

Son #1 has once again neglected his egg gathering responsibilities. Wife has informed me there are some little chirpings going on in one of his coops.....

Will you be selling them later on as point of lay chickens or stud roosters as may be the case ..

They make reasonable prices here in the UK especially if they are true to type fancy breeds and no commercial stock

kat51415 4/19/2013, 8:35 am

He can build anything from nothing. He built all of my SFG boxes and circles. He said that building the boxes and the first tilling of the garden was his part. The rest was up to me and the kids LOL! Here is the link to the picture of what we started with. As you will see, he did modify it to add the egg box on the back, the top of the run opens up and the door to the coop slides from left to right. He built it "Tim the Toolman Taylor" style (he overbuilds everything, but nothing ever falls apart that way).

http://roosterhillfarms.net/our_henpens_chicken_tractors/henpen_photos

Anybody wanna see my new chicken tractor? Chicken_tractor_b1.254104950_large

Anybody wanna see my new chicken tractor? Chicken_tractor_b1.254104950_large

quiltbea 4/19/2013, 9:42 am

kat.....Adding the next boxes along the outer side is a good idea so you don't have to go inside for gathering the eggs. Its so much easier lifting a lid to check the hens sitting and scoop out the eggs.
Your husband is a keeper, that's for sure.

TejasTerry 4/19/2013, 9:57 am

That is one BEAUTIFUL chicken tractor. I'm jealous.... thinking

Kate888 4/19/2013, 12:56 pm

Very impressive! Have fun with the chickens. I just got a batch of 27 chicks yesterday (we've been doing chickens for a while now).

Triciasgarden 4/19/2013, 11:16 pm

He did one amazing job with that tractor! I have liked my Rhode Island Reds. We lost two from old age and the last two have not been laying eggs. My daughter is always great at taming any pet we have had. She held our chickens quite a bit while they were chicks and as they grew. They would let us pick them up all the time. We did have one that was more aggressive than the other three and had to keep an eye on her and sometimes some protection like a leaf rake or fly swatter. Once she was in our arms though, she was docile.

kat51415 4/21/2013, 9:33 am

I hope the kids will handle them enough that they won't be mean. I was hoping to find some to buy that were close enough to home to just go pick them up but I'm beginning to think that I'll have to order some pullets from Murray McMurray. Anybody else have any better suggestion?

**RoOsTeR** 4/21/2013, 9:58 am

plantoid wrote:
RoOsTeR wrote:Ain't nothin wrong with a Rooster

Son #1 has once again neglected his egg gathering responsibilities. Wife has informed me there are some little chirpings going on in one of his coops.....

Will you be selling them later on as point of lay chickens or stud roosters as may be the case ..

They make reasonable prices here in the UK especially if they are true to type fancy breeds and no commercial stock

David, I don't want to totally derail kat's thread, but all of our chickens (and ducks) are true to type (heritage as they call them here).

Anybody wanna see my new chicken tractor? IMG_20110809_173754

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Kat, have you checked on Craigslist?

kat51415 4/21/2013, 10:14 am

Even the local FB swap shop page. Of course, I do live in the wilderness (kind of) so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. FedEx and UPS know where I live really well LOL as I do most of my shopping online, partly because of location, mostly because I'm always on the road.

**RoOsTeR** 4/21/2013, 10:33 am

kat, if it makes you feel any better, we've done lot's of chicken and duck swapping through the USPS, with great results. They make special fowl shipping boxes just for these purposes. There is a process to it and you will need to pick the birds up at your local USPS. If I'm expecting birds, I typically call the PO and let them know I'm expecting a live shipment.

kat51415 4/21/2013, 10:38 am

Was really concerned about the birds having to deal with all the "tender care" that "fragile" shipments seem to have gotten in the past. Have you ever ordered from Murray, Rooster? Their RIR started pullets are like $18 each. Is that reasonable? I only want 4-6 hens.

**RoOsTeR** 4/21/2013, 11:08 am

Shipping chicks is their business. We've gotten meat birds and turkeys from them in the past with no issues. There is generally a minimum amount of birds that need to be ordered to ship. There is typically a price per bird. A cost for shipping live birds. And the cost of the live shipping box. It's generally not cheap. That's why I would try to find local if possible. Unless your looking for top of the line stock, you can typically find chicks for under $4-5 each and no minimum to meet.

Also, factor in loss's. They are inevitable. Wink

plantoid 4/21/2013, 1:00 pm

I've been looking into the possibilities of hatching chicks for a friends small static hen house set up .

His son would like to move them to a small chicken tractor when they get big enough .
It looks like it will be a 6 x 8 foot shed & same sized fully enclosed day run on an articulated wheel set that can be towed around their 19 acres at the back of their massive 4 whl drive quad bike .

In researching things I was amazed to discover that fertilized eggs can be sent if well packed by post so long as they are not overheated or too get cold apparently a seven day old egg is a viable thing for hatching out.

Now all I have to do is see if I can use / easily modify the heated propagation bed in the office into an incubator .

Do any of you guys & gals have any pictures of the bigger types of chicken tractors ? If so what was good or bad about them .

kat51415 4/21/2013, 1:26 pm

Plantoid, unless you have something motorized to move it with, I don't think you'd want one any bigger than mine. It's quite heavy but because of where hubby placed the axle (centered under the heaviest part) it moves kind of easily. It is the ground clearance that causes problems. We are experimenting with how high the wheel/axle assembly is mounted to balance out clearance with ground security of the bottom rail when the tractor is at rest.

**RoOsTeR** 4/21/2013, 2:21 pm

I know how it goes kat. Wheels and size and wheel size Ugh! I've gotten to the point that when it comes to coop relocation time, I fire up the real tractor and move it with that and even that can be a challenge. (usually more between husband and wife, than coop and man)

Here was the first moving day for this coop. I hadn't finished painting or putting the wire on. My axles failed on this version as you can see by the rear wheel What a Face

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painted and wired:

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roosts:

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nesting

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also, according to that photo, I grew corn with my sunflowers that year tongue

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