Chicken tractor for Raised Bed

[hangin'witthepeeps]

I have been entertaining the idea of a tractor that will fit over the top of my 4x8 beds. I have two so could alternate it for example, monthly.

Well after cutting some plywood for my shed to finish the top I have a couple of odd shaped triangular pieces of plywood left. They reminded me of a chicken ark. I could build a ark to fit over my beds during winter and put a couple of my hens in there to work for me. Then I thought of moving it. It would be extremely heavy right? What should I consider before building in order to make it lighter. I can use the chicken wire since it is already enclosed in my garden fence. Any suggestions or pictures? Thanks, Melissa

 

[lesa]

I really love that idea. I know many have done it successfully. How about using the wood you have to make two- thus not as heavy? I think you just need a small area for them to take cover. I was always stumped by the nesting box problem. What if they want to lay an egg?? If your area is safe, I bet you could just use chicken wire and a framework. You really only need them out there for a short time. On nice days you could put a couple birds out there for an hour or two.. Let us know how you do with this. I think it is a very good idea!

 

[AmyRey]

My plan is to build one out of PVC, covered with some type of netting and use it more like a "day pen" than a full blown coop. With a 4x8 bed, you couldn't put more than two or three birds in it anyway.

 

[i_am2bz]

FWIW, I have a hen who lays while she's in the tractor...I just find the eggs sitting in the grass. They are only in the tractor during the day, & go into the coop at night.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I built a tractor that size. It got heavy. You are in NE Georgia, so your winters are not that severe. I'd still expect you to occasionally see nights around zero degrees Fahrenheit though. I'm thinking you want to put the two chickens out there and leave them day and night. If you are just using it as a day pen, all you need is a nest box and maybe box off a corner where they can get out of the wind. Mine don't like wind.

Raccoons and such can climb garden fences, so I would still consider hardwire cloth instead of chicken wire.

Some thoughts on making it lighter. For the skids, try ripping a 2x4 so you have something close to a 2x2. I don't like the 2x2's I see at the lumber places. They seem to all be warped pretty badly and they usually cost more than a 2x4 anyway. Plan on attaching the tractor/ark to the top of your raised bed to keep the wind from blowing it off. Maybe clamps, bolts, whatever.

For the run frame, instead of wood, build it out of PVC.

For two hens, one nest box is plenty. I don't have any great ideas on how to lighten up the nest box/coop end. You will need a dry place for the feed, a nest box, and a roost. Even for just two hens, that becomes a pain for me to lay out. You need some height for the roost and a place to put the feed so it does not get pooped in. It may be a lot simpler to make a protected area for the feeder in one corner away from the end the nest box/roost is on.

Not much help, I know. Good luck!

 

[hangin'witthepeeps]

So if I built the day pen out of PVC with some light weight wire and then built a little house with nest box/roost/food/water and locked them up at night it would be okay?

Then we would have two structures to move, but it definitely would be lighter. Should I build the PVC to fit inside the bed or outside. I would have to anchor it to the ground with some "U" clamps hammered in, it does get windy here. We do have near 0 temps here for brief periods and some years we get a nice amount of snow for a few days.

Keep the ideas and suggestions coming.

 

[journey11]

I've been all over BYC and some other places trying to nail down a design for a chicken tractor coop too. I'm wanting to build a summer breeding coop that is portable. I have a PVC tractor that I use for my broilers, but it is not at all what I am going for on this other coop, which I want to be a more permanent and predator-proof living arrangement.

Are yours going to live in there all winter or just go out in it during the day? Your winters are probably pretty easy there in GA, so you wouldn't have to build it as heavy duty as I would here.

How are your raised beds constructed? Are they enclosed with wooden boards, cinderblock, rocks, no sides, etc? I wouldn't think a bed made out of boards would be able to support much weight on top. Wheels probably wouldn't be needed either. I've seen some chicken tractors that are like an ark, that have a pair of handles coming out of either side more toward the top and those are moved by two people, one on either end.

I am leaning more toward an A-frame on mine. It seems to make better use of the space and not be so cumbersome to drag around, also less likely to blow over as the weight is distributed to the bottom sides.

 

[hangin'witthepeeps]

Here are my beds

and yes I want to overwinter them there. A few hens, like 3 who are older and I don't want with the rooster. An ark with handles that two people would pick up is what I wanted too. I like the design, I'm just worried about my bed "frame" and portability. It needs to come out in the spring and I could put a breeding trio in there and "tractor" them through the summer.

I'm also considering a ark for the smallish plowed plot I have and "tractoring" it in the winter with my old hens and building the mini coop with day pen over my beds for my three silkies.

Just random thoughts one has while trying to work and dreaming of farming at the same time. I know you guys totally understand.