BantyMom
3rd August 2009, 07:47 AM
In case anyone is interested, here is another chicken tractor.
I'm afraid the measurements are all in feet/inches.
I've made about a half-dozen different kinds of pens and tractors over the years. The earlier tractors were cuter, but turned out to be too short (had to stoop or crawl to tend to them), too tall (when trying to get into them from the top instead of from the side, I couldn't reach the bottom), or while very sturdy and darn near indestructible, were too heavy for one person to move. Outside nest boxes got wet inside (though I solved that by applying a flap of vinyl flooring over the hinge area) and I would sometimes forget to move the food hopper and water container before moving the tractor, so I wanted those thing to move with the tractor.
So, now my rules for pens or tractors are this:
• No higher than 2.5 feet (the part I would have to bend over) or no shorter than 6 feet (for non-movable pens).
• Food, water, nest box up off the ground
• Food and nest box in the "house" section protected from the rain
• Roof larger than "house" to keep out the rain
• Use the smallest dimensional lumber you can get away with
So here it is:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v718/BantyMom/Chicken-Tractor-small.jpg
Overall size for the birds is 3'10" x 7' and holds 3-4 bantams. It's made of 2x2 doug fir and 1/4 ply, the roof was going to be 1/2 ply, but I used 1/2 OSB and it's been just fine for 8 years and still going strong. It isn't perfect, and it isn't cute, but it's my favorite tractor so far. It makes a really great breeding pen for a trio or quartet.
The roof can't be any larger than 4x4, so the rest of the tractor has to be more narrow so the roof will extend beyond the "house". I took it in an inch all the way around, the next one will be 2 inches instead, though this has done well for 8 years.The "runners" are only 8 feet long (any longer and it's too big), so the overall length of "house and yard" is only 7 feet to let the skids stick out some.
There is a shelf on which the food hopper sits, 18" wide and covered with 1" welded wire so it stays clean. There is a small Plexiglas window there to allow light to make sure they eat enough. Water is in an empty bleach bottle that is cable-tied to the corner 2x2.
Nest box is attached to the wall with a cleat and sits on the roost so it is secure but can be removed easily, and it faces the back so it is easily reached when the top is opened for egg collection. I was afraid that the hens would try to sleep in it (yuck!), but so far, they haven't. Sometimes they do try to sleep on the food shelf, but if I move them for a few nights to the roost, they adjust.
The tractor can be accessed from the front and from the back. Because the front is hinged 6-8" from the "house,", it can lean against the "house" when open. The roof can rest on the front structure when I open it. Because the roof is only OSB, I added a bit of 1x3 under where the screws go to keep them from pulling out.
There are ventilation holes drilled on the top edge of the back to allow moist air to escape, and there are two hand holes cut under 2x2s which allow it to be easily pulled backward. Once it gets to the far end of the yard, I get someone to help me carry it back to the front and the birds get to run and play in the yard for an afternoon.
I tried to upload the .skp file, but it's too large. Can anyone direct me to instructions for making it smaller?
I'm afraid the measurements are all in feet/inches.
I've made about a half-dozen different kinds of pens and tractors over the years. The earlier tractors were cuter, but turned out to be too short (had to stoop or crawl to tend to them), too tall (when trying to get into them from the top instead of from the side, I couldn't reach the bottom), or while very sturdy and darn near indestructible, were too heavy for one person to move. Outside nest boxes got wet inside (though I solved that by applying a flap of vinyl flooring over the hinge area) and I would sometimes forget to move the food hopper and water container before moving the tractor, so I wanted those thing to move with the tractor.
So, now my rules for pens or tractors are this:
• No higher than 2.5 feet (the part I would have to bend over) or no shorter than 6 feet (for non-movable pens).
• Food, water, nest box up off the ground
• Food and nest box in the "house" section protected from the rain
• Roof larger than "house" to keep out the rain
• Use the smallest dimensional lumber you can get away with
So here it is:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v718/BantyMom/Chicken-Tractor-small.jpg
Overall size for the birds is 3'10" x 7' and holds 3-4 bantams. It's made of 2x2 doug fir and 1/4 ply, the roof was going to be 1/2 ply, but I used 1/2 OSB and it's been just fine for 8 years and still going strong. It isn't perfect, and it isn't cute, but it's my favorite tractor so far. It makes a really great breeding pen for a trio or quartet.
The roof can't be any larger than 4x4, so the rest of the tractor has to be more narrow so the roof will extend beyond the "house". I took it in an inch all the way around, the next one will be 2 inches instead, though this has done well for 8 years.The "runners" are only 8 feet long (any longer and it's too big), so the overall length of "house and yard" is only 7 feet to let the skids stick out some.
There is a shelf on which the food hopper sits, 18" wide and covered with 1" welded wire so it stays clean. There is a small Plexiglas window there to allow light to make sure they eat enough. Water is in an empty bleach bottle that is cable-tied to the corner 2x2.
Nest box is attached to the wall with a cleat and sits on the roost so it is secure but can be removed easily, and it faces the back so it is easily reached when the top is opened for egg collection. I was afraid that the hens would try to sleep in it (yuck!), but so far, they haven't. Sometimes they do try to sleep on the food shelf, but if I move them for a few nights to the roost, they adjust.
The tractor can be accessed from the front and from the back. Because the front is hinged 6-8" from the "house,", it can lean against the "house" when open. The roof can rest on the front structure when I open it. Because the roof is only OSB, I added a bit of 1x3 under where the screws go to keep them from pulling out.
There are ventilation holes drilled on the top edge of the back to allow moist air to escape, and there are two hand holes cut under 2x2s which allow it to be easily pulled backward. Once it gets to the far end of the yard, I get someone to help me carry it back to the front and the birds get to run and play in the yard for an afternoon.
I tried to upload the .skp file, but it's too large. Can anyone direct me to instructions for making it smaller?