Our Chicken Tractor - Kids Help
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- čas přidán 5. 08. 2022
- Today we are building a chicken tractor from scratch. Most of the materials are things we had to buy which is not normally the case with our farm. We love to re-use things. And we've built a couple of these over the years with scrap project materials. In this case, we decided to use 2x3's vs 2x4's because one, we were out of 2x4's and two, our friend built one out of 2x3's. It works really well. Much lighter too.
Here is a link to our website with the materials list.
www.millgapfarms.com/chicken-...
Thanks for watching our videos! If you want to visit our farm and stay in the b&b, go to www.millgapfarms.com. We also have Virginia’s only USDA Organic Maple Syrup available for you to enjoy too!
Our videos are for entertainment purposes only. Do not try any stunts like these unless you have your own channel and plenty of insurance. No animals were harmed in the making of these videos, except for maybe Kevin.
I like the design I may make one but slightly smaller maybe 4 X 8. Some one asked about raccoon digging underneath of the tractor. I was watching another video and I can't remember where or who did it that added a strand of hot wirer around the coop. And he used a solar energizer to energize the fence.
We have not had any racoons dig underneath ours. We had something chew the wire though. We haven't lost a chicken that I can recall to predators once the birds are in the boxes. The idea of a skirt is neat but it seems that it would make it more difficult for the tractor to be moved. Instead, I would add a couple lights like this... amzn.to/3K26lYe Once something trips it, it will run off. Predators do not like light! We are adding these to our tractors this year. Thanks for watching and leaving your thoughts.
From the experience that I have had with the 2 foot chicken wire is that you probably could have used it - it stretches quite a bit. I would have put it on each side before attaching the sides together though.
Mr. Mickey, Thanks for the idea. I never thought of that. It would certainly make the material go farther. Do you think by pulling it tight, the metal in the fence would be more brittle? We had something like a mink cut a hole into the wire this past year and get a chicken. Great comment! Thanks for watching Kevin
Had something similar in mind but going to add a coop on top for eggs, and resting.
Lem, Thanks for watching. If you add the waterer like ours, be sure to secure it well. that will become a roost. At least on the lower side. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! If you have any questions, email me through our website www.millgapfarms.com. Thanks Kevin
Love your idea.
Thank you! 😊Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts! Kevin
Hello, did you say where you got the plastic? Im having trouble finding it.
This came from a chicken supply house called Farmer Boy. Here is a link to it. You could also use tyvek and there is a link for that too. Farmer boy link = farmerboyag.com/tri-ply-canvex-ceiling-material-500-ft-x-52-in-1/ Lowes tyvek link = www.lowes.com/pd/Lowe-s-3-ft-x-100-ft-TYVEK-House-Wrap/5013505267 I have some of the farmer boy product in the barn. We are using it for the underside of the back of the barn. If you want some I can cut what you need and ship it to you. I think mine is the wider option and is probably a little more expensive. It is paper thing and holds up well. Email me through our website if you want some of it. Thanks for watching ! Kevin
I didn't think about this but an inexpensive tarp would work too. Tractor supply and Lowes has them. Thanks Kevin
What length did you cut your metal? Awesome project building now
Mr. Taylor, I built the tractor then laid the metal on the roof and cut it to fit. There is no magic number for this. Do what works best for you. If you are not going to put tyvek on the inside, make the supports a little wider and hang the metal over the outside so the birds have a way out of the weather! Here is another video i did recently that may help you with your version. czcams.com/video/nEyp37y6Aoo/video.html I'm also working on a video for the waterer. I had it all done and my dog ate it... or my computer. I need to reshoot the entire video and edit it. Thanks for watching! And sharing your thoughts. Kevin
Any thoughts on how you would go about adding nesting boxes for laying hens?
I like the idea of nesting boxes Ms. Slabach. If I added them, I would most likely do it at the back where the wheels are located. There would be a need for a hinged door for access. Not at all too difficult. The boxes would need to be hung or tied to the ceiling supports so that it is not dragging the ground. I would also make the boxes out of something very light such as luan for the sides or even more of the tyvek material. I would make the bottom of the box out of a thing called hardware cloth. You will want to put in some dried grass or hay for the birds to lay their eggs in and having hardware cloth (which is small galvanized mesh) any debris will fall onto the ground. This tractor was designed for meat birds but it will work well for layers too. I've kept our ducks in one for the last 6 months. They won't lay in a box...only on the ground. Thanks for watching and asking your question. Kevin
Nice video. What is the length of the cut boards that you are using in the sidewalls?
Eddie V, thanks for watching. The height I used was 22". I will change that on the next one so that I can staple the chicken wire on it's outer most edge. The length is a full board length. I have a video coming out soon about what this looks like a year later and what I would do differently. Also measurements will be discussed too. Thanks for asking the question! I hope this helps. If you have more questions, pleas put them in the comments or email me through our website www.millgapfarms.com Kevin
any issues with racoons and such trying to burrow under since there is no floor wire, etc?
T Martin, Once I had something chew through the chicken wire. Didn't kill a bird but did hurt it. She still made it to processing day. I think it is possible for something to dig under but on our farm not likely. I also think having a wire underneath will cause some challenges when it comes to moving the birds. One thing you can do is put this light on each side of your tractor. I don't talk about this too often in the videos because I'm not using them currently. This is a solar motion light. One thing is for sure, predators do not like light. as soon as they come up to it, it shines on them and scares them off. Will this work 100% of the time. No. Nothing really do that but it's the sum of the parts that make it work. This is simply another part to help out. Thanks for watching and posting your comment. I've been sick for the last couple days and in bed. Sorry about the delay in getting back to you. Here is the link to the light. It is an affiliate link which means when you use it, my kids get to go to college for free... ! Ok I'm kidding. I think how the program works is that you don't pay any extra and we get a little commission on what you buy if use this and purchase something. It's a great way to support our farm and not cost you anything. Odd right? amzn.to/3zt2TR8 If you have any more questions, let me know. Kevin
Hello there, how is it holding up? Would you change something?
I think we are on year 2 with this design. The tyvek type material has help up well. It came from a chicken supply house and it's used for the ceilings inside them. Very much like tyvek. I like the 2x3's because it's much lighter than my other tractors. It has held up very well. It doesn't look like it did in the video. I did not treat it with anything like a water seal so the wood has aged and become grey. it's still solid. We'll raise 50-100 birds in it this summer. I don't know what I would change. If there was a way to have it off the ground more so that when I pull it around, that would be nice but, that would also give an entry point for a mink or other predator. When I run it in the pasture vs my lawn, it can get hung up on uneven ground. But not enough to prevent me from putting the birds on pasture vs my lawn. Thanks for watching and posing your question. If you can see some improvements, let me know. I'm always looking to refine the design. Kevin
@@MillGapFarms hello. Thank you for your response. I'm building one right now based on your design, but it's bigger, 4x2.5 meters. I burnt the wood, so it should last a lot longer. I've done this with my chicken coop and rabbit hutch and they look brand new one year later. You should look into it, for future projects. If you want, I'll send you a picture when it's done.
How has yours turned out? I may need to build another one. We have rabbits in one, a small chicken layer flock in another and ducks in yet another... Thanks Kevin
@@MillGapFarms i think i made it a bit too large for my uneven terrain. If I had nice flat land, it would be great. I now have my second batch of chickens in it. Do you want me to send you some pictures? Maybe it will inspire you for your next build.
Definitely send some photos. Go to www.millgapfarms.com and after you send the first email I'll respond and you can send the directly. Look forward to seeing what you made! Kevin