Chicken Tractors: Everything You Need to Know

Chicken tractors are a simple chicken farming setup that allow you to raise chickens in a safe mobile environment and enables your chickens to rotational graze and forage. In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about chicken tractors, from the benefits and design features of these portable coops, to DIY chicken coop plans that will show you how to build a chicken tractor, and finally maintenance tips for your chicken tractor. No matter if you’re a small-scale farmer, a homesteader, a backyard poultry enthusiast, or just someone who likes chickens and wants the best for their feathered friends, this guide will show you how to make a chicken tractor that will work for you.

What is a Chicken Tractor?

A chicken tractor is a chicken coop that is movable on wheels, allowing chickens to graze on fresh pasture while being protected from predators and the elements. The ‘tractor’ name comes from the way the chickens till the soil with their scratching and pecking, and seek out bugs and seeds. Typically, chicken tractors are floorless, allowing the chickens to have direct contact with the earth and be easily moved, thus ‘tractor’ also refers to the way the chicken coop can be moved.

Benefits of Using a Chicken Tractor

1. Constant Rotational Grazing: Moving the chicken tractor daily or every other day means the chickens get lots of fresh grass and bugs and other natural foods, which also means they produce healthier, more nutrient-rich eggs and meat.
2. Predator Proof: Your chickens are safe and secure in a chicken tractor, protected from hawks, foxes and other predators that roam the surface of the soil.
3. Fertilisation of soil: chicken dung is deposited by the chickens, which provides a natural fertiliser to enhance soil fertility and plant growth. 
4. Healthier chickens: increased access to fresh air, sunlight, and a variety of food reduces stress and encourages natural behaviours, resulting in healthier, happier chickens.
5. Promoting sustainable Land Management: Soil degradation is avoided by using chicken tractors, and organic fertiliser and pest control both support soil fertility.

Key Features of a Chicken Tractor

For the uninitiated, a chicken tractor is a movable chicken coop without a floor, used as an ethical solution to free-ranging poultry, often access to wild vegetation often prohibited. It is a system that consists of a frame that is typically made out of wood or metal and can be easily dismantled and moved. Typically mounted on wheels or skids to move around the yard or pasture. Sturdy, weather-resistant material like wire mesh or netting and the chickens cannot get out, but it allows good ventilation and keeps them safe from predators The inside of the tractor is home to nesting boxes for the purpose of laying eggs, roosting bars for sleep and sometimes a smaller feeder and waterer. The bottom is completely open, which allows the chickens to forage for insects, bugs and plants, followed by a natural fertilization of the soil thanks to the dropping. This design supports the health of the birds, mitigates disease, and builds soil health through a more natural means of fertilization.

Types of Chicken Tractors

Chicken tractors come in various designs, each tailored to different needs and environments. Here are some common types:

1. A-Frame Chicken Tractor: Usually designed as a light triangular device with a small roost and foraging bottom, inexpensive and easy.
2. Hoop Style Chicken Tractor: Built of flexible materials such as PVC pipes, this dome-shaped coop comes together easily and can be crawled into and dragged for movement. Plenty of room for roosting and air conditions.
3. Traditional Rectangular Chicken Tractor: Old-school design with a rectangular frame with a small roost area at one end, two Cowenbal‘s-inspired nesting boxes with the open bottom, and hence the name chicken tractor.
4. Upcycled Chicken Tractor: Made from repurposed materials, this design is cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

How to Build a Chicken Tractor: Step-by-Step Guide

Building a chicken tractor can be a fun and rewarding DIY project. Here’s an easy step-by-step guide to help you make a simple A-frame chicken tractor:

Materials Needed

• Lumber (2x4s or similar)
• Chicken wire or hardware cloth
• Roofing material (corrugated metal or plastic)
• Wheels or skids
• Screws and nails
• Hinges and latches
• Tarp or other weatherproof material
• Feed and water containers

Tools Required

• Saw
• Drill
• Hammer
• Measuring tape
• Screwdriver
• Pliers
• Wire cutters

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Planning and Design: Based on the number of chickens and the space available, design your chicken tractor. Draw a plan and gather all of the needed materials.
2. Build the Base: Create the body frame out of wood (2×4s are recommended), securely and squarely. Add wheel or skid to the base to make it mobile.
3. Assemble the Frame: Build the poles that make up the vertical supports and the roof beam. In an A-frame house, build triangular poles and attach them to the bottom strut. For a rectangular design, build vertical poles and connect them with horizontal beams.
4. Fasten the Wire: Line the inside of the tunnel and the top of the frame with chicken wire or hardware cloth. Secure it well and make sure there are no gaps for predators to enter.
5. Hang the roof: Allow enough extra material to cover the sides in case of rain. Put in a tarp or other weather protection if needed.
6. Install Doors and Latches: Install access doors for feeding and cleaning, and to secure the enclosure with a latch device alongside a hinge.
7. Fourthfeart forestry To put in roosting bars for the chickens to perch on inside the tractor. To put in nesting boxes for laying hens.
8. Feed and Water: Attach durable feed and water containers inside the tractor. Make sure they are easily accessible and will not tip over.
9. Test and adjust: Move the chicken tractor so it’s easier to move. Adjust it to make it easier to move – or keep it still.

Maintenance and Care

Moving the chicken tractor every day to every three to four days gives your chickens fresh grazing areas and prevents overgrazing in one spot. Ensure cleanliness to avoid disease and pesky bugs and remember that they are beings of comfort, so they will need a clean cage to be where they call home. These inspections are critical to locate any damage or wear that will need maintenance and repair to keep your chickens safe and secure. Provide fresh food and water throughout the day, refilling containers when empty, and keeping them clean to prevent infestations of molds and mites. Go ahead and move it back in the barn, or tarp it with a windbreak during severe weather.

Common Challenges and Solutions

1. Protect the Prey: Fasten the chicken wire or hardware cloth and plug any open gaps; if you’ve got real predators, pile on an extra layer of hardware cloth or the same electric fencing. 
2. A mobility problem: more weight (or length) than the garage can easily lift and manoeuvre moving the tractor seems to be a common issue. Large wheels or skids might be the solution here, if it’s too large and heavy to handle any other way.
3. Weather: This could be as simple as adequate sun, wind and rain protection. The material you use to provide these protections should be weatherproof and, on windy or chillier days, you might need to provide extra windbreaks or tarps.
4. Overheating: Ventilate well and keep chickens from overheating by moving the tractor to shaded areas on hot days, and supplying additional water to keep an even temperature.
5. Health and Hygiene: Keep the tractor clean and dry to prevent disease and pests. Check chickens periodically and provide treatment for illness as needed.

Tips for Success

1. Begin Small: If this is your first chicken tractor, start small with a single chicken. Scale up strategically after you’ve worked out the bugs.
2. Research and plan: Spend some time researching different coop designs and material choices. Polish your coop-building plan.It should provide plenty of space for your birds, basically allowing them all to comfortably flap their wings simultaneously.
3. Get the Family Involved: The entire family can get involved, both in the initial construction of the chicken tractor and in the daily chores of maintaining one. This can be an excellent opportunity to teach younger generations about animal husbandry and sustainable food production.
4. Stay Nimble: When your design isn’t working as you expected, be prepared to modify it or alter management practices. Different flocks in different environments will require different approaches.
5. Please Do Enjoy the Experience: In addition to being a highly productive method of raising meat and eggs, a good tractor-based system is also a joy to see in action. Watching the chickens’ natural behaviours is part of the process, as is seeing the outcomes of their valuable work in your garden or pasture.

Conclusion

Chicken tractors provide a safe living space for chickens that is mobile, affordable and allows them to enjoy a more natural lifestyle. This guide details how to build a chicken tractor that maximises safety and mobility for your flock, while also fertilising your soil and enhancing your farming or gardening efforts. It can help farmers and backyard poultry keepers alike raise exactly the flock they want, with happy, healthy chickens who thrive because they’re provided with the best care, and can enjoy more of the natural behaviours they love.