Our best chicken tractor design
Updated: Jan 16, 2021
We use chicken tractors during Spring, Summer and Fall so the breeding groups can be separated, but also enjoy being on fresh grass 24/7. Several customers have asked about my best chicken tractor design.
Start with a base of pressure treated 2X4's turned on end and drilled into each other. That creates an 8' X 8' base which will hold your doors and pig wire arch.
I take 20' pig panels and cut off about 4 feet, then bend them into an arch and attach them to the INSIDE of the base with electrical conduit holders. The wood base holds the panel, the metal bends enough to keep the arch, the conduit holders are only there to keep the panel ends from dropping into the grass- making it harder to move the tractor.
You then put two vertical 1" X 6" boards on either end, screw them into the base and wire them to the edge of the arch. Your door will hang on these two boards, and on the backside, your nesting box and roost base will rest on these boards.
Take the extra pig panel pieces and cut them on either side of the door- I used to use wood on both ends, but found that added more weight.
Build a door and mount it to the vertical 1" X 6" frame (add a latch)
Rip TWO 2"X 6" X 8' lengthwise to get 2 base poles 8' long and two roosting bars 8' long. Run the two square base poles between the sides of the arch at about 2 feet off the ground and about 2 feet between them- the back on is all the way at the back of the coop and attached tot eh vertical 1" X 6" boards. These base poles will be the base for your nesting box/roost. Wire them to the arch.
Cut a thin piece of plywood straight at the bottom and arched at the top. Slide that in the coop through the door and screw it to front base pole, wire it along the top arch. This is really just a wind breaker if the chickens want to roost in a protected areas.
I then cut 1" X 4" slats about 2' long- you will need 6 of these- 4 for the base, two to hold the roosting bar. Attach these perpendicular to the 8' base poles to make a grid to support your 3 pieces of base plywood.
I then cut 1" X 4" slats about 2' long- you will need 4 of these. Attach these perpendicular to the 8' base poles to make a grid.
Cut three pieces of thin plywood as bases. The two smaller ones will go toward the arches and be the base for your nesting boxes. The middle one will slide in and out and will collect poop under the roosting bar.
mount the remaining two 1" X 4" X 2' boards on end inside the roosting area. These will separate the nesting boxes from the roosting area (and hold in the hay from the nesting boxes.
Take the two roosting bars and round the squared corners using either a router or a table say with the blade angled. Sand them smooth.
Cut one of the roosting bars long enough to fit on the 1" X 4" boards in the roosting area (about 3'). Attach it to the boards mid way between the door and the inside wall.
For the back wall, cut pig wire for the 2' X 8' area under the roosting box. Wire it to the arch, screw it to the base and the vertical 1" X 6" boards.
Cut three plywood doors for the back, two curved doors for the nesting boxes and one square door for the roosting area. hang the two curved nesting box doors on the vertical 1" X 6" boards, hand the square roosting box door to the base pole that holds the bottom of the roosting box together.
Cut three plywood doors for the back, two curved doors for the nesting boxes and one square door for the roosting area. hang the two curved nesting box doors on the vertical 1" X 6" boards, hand the square roosting box door to the base pole that holds the bottom of the roosting box together.
Cover the whole coop with hardware cloth.
Mount wheels on the back base, and a chain on the front base that you can lift and pull the tractor on the wheels.
That's it!