The Official Forum of the Ameraucana Breeders Club > Housing, Health & Hatching

Poultry Tractors

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Don:
I've had a request for information on "Tractors" or movable pens that we have or would like to build.  I have used a few of these for several years for small groups of birds both for breeding and grow out pens.  The nice thing is that they have access to fresh grass/ground with less mess.  The down side is that they really need to be moved often because they will destroy a patch of ground in short order.  So the tractor needs to be light enough to move easily but heavy enough for wind stability and to deter predators.  I have several that I made earlier that have become stationary pens now that my helpers have grown up and moved away.  I will try to get a few pictures of the ones that I am using as soon as our snow/mud goes away.  Anyone else have a design that they would like to build or are currently using?

This link is to Patty Pickard's website where she shared info about her farm.   Patty was a really great asset to the breeds that she raised. And her version was pretty simple and useful for the AM bantams that she bred.   Sadly I doubt that her family still offers these for sale though now.   
http://www.faithvalleywaterfowl.com/chicken_tractor.html

Don:
The mud has not gone yet but another storm is coming in.  Here are two pics of more recent tractors we've used.  I can move these with some effort using a small limb on the end opposite I am lifting.  I slide them sideways so they only move about 4-5 feet each time.  The white plastic was chosen to help keep the birds cooler in the summer heat, but obviously shows residue much more than a darker color too.  the plywood rectangular unit is 4x8'. The white plastic sided one is 5x8'. The slant wall gives more ground space but less room in the night coop.

I am sure that there are others with different schemes being used now.  Please post what you like to use. 

Birdcrazy:
Don, I could never understand why they call these poultry tractors? Don't you have to have a motor for it to be a tractor?

Sarah Meaders:
Yes, Gordon! Mine need motors for sure!

We built three coops and pens this past year, and I really like the concept of our design. We still have to make a few tweaks to the system, though.

The coops was initially going to be mobile, but the real mobility lies in the pens. They are 10X10. One side of the pen has the hatch-type door. The coops have a "run" underneath the floor enclosed by hardware cloth. On each of the four sides, there is a hatch door. The pen lines up to each door. We also have two 5 ft tunnels for each unit. Once I have moved the pen around to each side, we attach the tunnels giving them access to new ground. If I move the pens every three days or so, it is nearly a month before the pen comes back to the first location. Since I feed my chickens a whole grain feed mix, whatever had spilled has normally sprouted up, and the grass has regrown back before they come back.

This system makes moving the coop less necessary, since they get the fresh ground. The pens are light enough for me to move by myself. The trick is just getting out there to move it while they are locked in their coop, so generally after they have gone to bed.

The tweaks we are working on include ease of lining up the doors, keeping the pens lightweight, yet sturdy, yet able to handle the frequent, bumpy moving, and designing a better handle for lifting the end and steering it easier.

I do love our system, though! Some pics are on my facebook page. I can't figure out how to shrink my photos to post them here.

Birdcrazy:
Sarah, Did you see Susan's helpful post recently on reducing the size of your pictures so they will post on the Forum? It was posted under "Online, easy image resizing". Check it out and see if that will solve the problem.

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