Learning to Drive a Chicken Tractor

If you are going to have ducks and chicks and neighbors...

It's good to plan on some way to confine the poultry.

Chicken Tractors to the rescue! I got a copy of a book by Andy Lee: "Chicken Tractor", ISBN 0-9624648-2-1, read it, and then proceeded to make the tractor show at the left. The door was added after I started using the coop to shelter runners at night.

The coop is 10' long, 4' wide, 3' high. Frame is 2x2 and 2x4. Sides are 1" chicken wire. Top and rear third are covered with green plastic tarp. I have roost bars and a nest box in the back. There is also a temporary nest box resting on the ground in the right rear of the coop.

I have a tow rope attached to the center of the bottom front 2x4. I can lift the rear, put skids on the back, and tow the tractor to a new location. I'm not gardening at the moment, so I don't used the tractor in the manner that Andy describes. I just use it as a movable coop and shelter.

I have the top "hinged" with four pieces of leather that I nailed to the top and to the frame. I made the prop bar with nails on both ends so that they fit in holes on the lid and on the top of the frame. I have a small rope tied around the lid at the center and a cleat on the center top of the frame below the rope. I can fasten the lid firmly when closed or when open if it's windy.

I have hung feeders and waterers from the two top cross pieces that are visible in this photo.

There is a nest box built into the upper left rear corner. And...

Here's the nest box with the red comb of Biddy just visible.

She is a mixed bantam hen that is a good brooder and mother. Biddy has hatched a couple of clutches of chicken eggs, but most recently she incubated 4 duck eggs for me...hatched three of the four. With cold weather here at that time, I put the ducklings in the greenhouse brooder, but next spring I'll let her hatch some to care for on her own.

Now things have developed so that I just let the bantams range free. The neighbors don't mind, in fact, they seem to like them scratching and getting the insects. I do have too many roosters crowing too early for my satisfaction. They will be reduced in number over the next few days...

This photo captures the essence of a chicken tractor. I have feeders and waterers suspended from the wooden cross pieces.

Some mixed bantams are on the roost bars, a pair of Japanese bantams on the ground.

The green tarp provides good wind break and shade for the fowl. I used the tractor as a chicken coop for a period of time, but more recently I've been using it as a holding space for ducklings to mature a bit before moving them to the outside fenced areas.

An additional link to books that have information on poultry...

Giles Roadnight in the U.K. has contacted me about their website which contains "Golden Cockerel Books. I visited their site and found an interesting selection of books. One in particular which deals with building poultry houses and coops appears to be very good.Giles also seems to be able to take checks in $U.S. if you order from the U.S.A.

Drop by for a visit, and if you order any of the books, let me know how you like them.

Back to home page

The views expressed on this web page are not necessarily the views of Georgia State University, Atlanta GA USA.