Chicken Tractor

[cmhyland]

Thanks for the pics Triguy1,

I saw these online as well.... They look pretty good.

View attachment 307640View attachment 307641View attachment 307642

Regards,
Chris

I'm thinking if I do one of these I'll add a solar panel, deep cycle battery and inverter to run a compact florescent bulb for light.
I like the idea of the mobile coop as I can move it around with the tractor and bring in up close to the house during the worst part of the winter.
We have years when we get 140' to 160' of snow. These are big enough to be able to insulate them as you build them.

We're not looking to have a lot of birds, most likley 6 or 8, but I know how that grows.... when we used to have chickens we started with a dozen and at one point had over 40.
The single window unit is nice and compact and I could even roll that into the barn for a bad winter storm.

Regards,
Chris

 

[MossRoad]

I hope you meant inches of snow and not feet of snow or those chickens are doomed! :laughing:

 

[cmhyland]

I hope you meant inches of snow and not feet of snow or those chickens are doomed! :laughing:

LOL... 140" to 160"....

 

[dmccarty]

This my Chicken Tank, http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/240214-chicken-tractor-chicken-tank.html.

So far we have not lost any chickens to other critters. The Chicken Tank is ugly and hard to move but it protects the chickens. I know that on at least three occasions there has been a pack of coyotes within a few yards of the Chicken Tank. We bout a board along the base of the Chicken tank and the lay down a line of concrete edgers. Anything wishing to dig under the Chicken tank has their work cut out for them. So far there is no evidence any critter has tried to dig under the Chicken Tractor.

We have seen a hawk on the ground eye balling the chickens and at one point he was hanging off the wire on the Chicken Tank. :shocked:

Later,
Dan

 

[moeh1]

I saw one design i liked that used cattle panels bent into an arch shape for the pen portion. that let them put a tarp over the upper half for the snow and rainy season.

 

[cmhyland]

I saw one design i liked that used cattle panels bent into an arch shape for the pen portion. that let them put a tarp over the upper half for the snow and rainy season.

Thanks Marty,
I saw that to, and I think it's a good design but it will not hold a heavy snow load.

I think for what I want to do I need a separate mobile coop on wheels and a movable run. I'd move them in a two stage operaton...

Regards,
Chris

 

[MossRoad]

Regarding cattle panels... I have some bent into arches in my garden to grow beans on. I left them up over the winter. We had a very heavy snowfall and the weight of the snow crushed them. No tarp! It was a wet, heavy snow. It just stuck to the wire, eventually filled in the 4-5" squares, built up in top of it and crushed it to within a foot of the ground! Based on that experience, I would not recommend it for the chicken tractor in an area that gets any snow.

 

[cmhyland]

Regarding cattle panels... I have some bent into arches in my garden to grow beans on. I left them up over the winter. We had a very heavy snowfall and the weight of the snow crushed them. No tarp! It was a wet, heavy snow. It just stuck to the wire, eventually filled in the 4-5" squares, built up in top of it and crushed it to within a foot of the ground! Based on that experience, I would not recommend it for the chicken tractor in an area that gets any snow.

Mossroad,

I think that some people may have a fixed coop and then a chicken tractor for the nice weather, if that's the case the cattle panels would work well...
But based on what you've said your experience is... you'd have to disassemble them for the winter.

Regards,
Chris

 

[dmccarty]

I saw one design i liked that used cattle panels bent into an arch shape for the pen portion. that let them put a tarp over the upper half for the snow and rainy season.

Thanks Marty,
I saw that to, and I think it's a good design but it will not hold a heavy snow load.

I think for what I want to do I need a separate mobile coop on wheels and a movable run. I'd move them in a two stage operaton...

Regards,
Chris

Our Chicken Tank is built from cattle panels. We don't get much snow here thank goodness, but with a tarp over the top, I would expect the snow to slide off. Our Chicken Tank has a wall in the "back" and a wall and door in "front" which stabilize the panels. I would not think snow would collapse the panels we used given how it is built. We are due for a 24 inch snow storm but I don't think it will hit this late, maybe next year, or better yet, no year. :laughing::laughing::laughing: I will watch the Chicken Tank but the tarp really should cause the snow to slide off.

Later,
Dan

 

[moeh1]

Yeah, thats what I remembered. I haven't tried it yet. I assume with a heavy wet snowstorm I might have to help the snow off the tarp, but otherwise you have to shovel out the pen anyway.... The one I saw was built the same way, the 2 ends gave more support and the 2 panels were attched to each other in the middle, I think he welded them?