Chickens Go Mobile: wooden chicken tractors

…And it begins…

It has felt like a lifetime to get to this point! This is all I wanted to run towards ever since we stepped foot in here KY four months ago. My dream of folks being able to walk onto this regenerative homestead and pick up their orders of raw milk, eggs or meat felt like it was one step closer in this moment yesterday watching my son and husband knock out the framing to the first of our chicken tractors. (We’ll need 3 or 4 in total) It incited a feeling of not only immense gratitude, but of overwhelming excitement for the future. It sounds completely dramatic, but I was watching the future of our little business and farm come to life. Watching the ability to use our animals to care for and build up our earth take transform from thought to tangibility. That little shop on main seemed like maybe it wasn’t just a silly fancy, but that perhaps it was a calling God put upon my heart.

There are SO many chicken tractor designs on the market out there. And I mean so many. Especially if you visit Pinterest, it seems that every person on the platform set out to sell some sort of design claiming that it’s the best version and takes care of every need. Most are a metal frame and use corrugated metal for siding or roofing and the rest is chain link or wire. The idea is that the tractor should be light enough to pick up and move yourself. Here’s the thing though; most folks using tractors are raising meat birds during the spring and summer. If they happen to be raising egg layers, they have a smaller flock and the metal designs work great. Or if they do make a design large enough for as many birds as we have, the cost is just something I couldn’t come to spend with the number of tractors I would need to purchase. Basically, what I’m trying to say is that just like most of life, you design what you need to fit your circumstances, and that’s what we are doing.

THE IDEA

Every part of this tractor (almost) is designed to open up or slide out somehow. The back and roof to the coop, the tops of the flight pen and the sides to the nesting boxes. The coop will have NO floor which will give the flock the entire length of the tractor to forage. I know what you’re thinking. How will they stay warm in the winter? Good news is that heat rises, and they will have a heat lamp in the center and more than likely near the nesting boxes. Nesting boxes will only be several inches from the ground, which is how chickens prefer them to be- and they will be able to slide out (like a drawer) for easy collection. Roosting bars will be on brackets for easy removal for cleaning and will run the width of the coop portion which will allow birds to spread out without being to cramped, reducing the likely hood of bullying or feather picking.

Maximum birds per tractor = 20. Two roosters and 18 hens.

Tractor size = 12x6

Breaking down the cost, each tractor comes out to a total of $300.00 which from what I’ve seen, is drastically cheaper than purchasing, especially with the amount of birds we have. To be realistic it may be a little more as I have design preferences.

We wanted to go with a wooden frame instead of the metal tubing mainly for the weight and stability. I know most folks want the lightest frame possible for easy transportation, however in KY the winds can get slightly wild! Where our property is located is a bit down in a holler, so we’ll get a good gust going. The appeal of a wooden tractor is also radically more appealing and has more options to make visually attractive VS the look of the basic metal coop, which is what I’m going for not only for my own personal agenda, but also if the farm is open for business and more eyes are beholding her. Heavy duty tires will be placed at the rear, and two D loops on either side at the front. A heavy rope will be strung between the loops and gives you an option to hook the rope on the hitch to the truck for dragging.

I am so very excited to show you the progression over the next coming weeks.

Xoxo Deandra