Building The New Chicken Tractor (Part II)

In Building The New Chicken Tractor (Part I) we showed you the progress on our new chicken tractor, the design, and how we started constructing it.  Tonight we'll continue.  Last night we built the basic skeleton and added some bracing to make it stronger.  We took two rolls of 3 foot tall welded wire fencing, stapled it to one of the 2x4's on the bottom and rolled it over the top, cutting it off with cutting pliers and stapling to the 2x4 on the other side.  Then we used zip ties to fasten it to the pvc. This process was repeated all the way across until we had the entire curved structure enclosed in fencing.  Fastening the fencing to the two ends took a bit more time.  The bottom was easy as it is a straight cut.  The top required cutting and then using wire to fasten to the pvc hoop. Once done, it enclosed the end nicely.

I wanted to show a few shots to show the bracing supports that added a lot of strength to the chicken tractor.  First some metal conduit with wooden dowels tightly wedged in each end allowed us to run a screw through the pvc hoop and into the wood in the conduit, tightening it down.  Then a 2x2 was attached vertically with a hole drilled to allow us to run the conduit through it.

The very top of the 2x4 had a notch that accepted the 1x4 top brace, supporting the frame securely.  This was screwed in to keep it from moving.

On the other side, a door frame with bracing was added.  Everything but the doorway was shrouded with welded wire fencing.  This discourages predators.

A door with a latch was installed and this enables us to walk into the chicken tractor without bending over. The door is covered with chicken wire and has adequate bracing to make it sturdy and strong.  Notice the trap door at the bottom.  Once the birds are trained to roost in the new chicken tractor, I'll only open the trap door during the day, allowing the chickens to come and go as they please and I'll close it after they are all inside at night.

I am very pleased with the design of the new tractor and how it turned out.  Tune in on Thursday where we will finish things up. A couple of quick comments is that the tractor is tall enough to not have to bend over when walking inside, and that is nice! Instead of pushing this tractor, we will pull it. Notice the rope draped over the top on both sides.  It runs through the 6 foot 2x4s with a knot tied in the rope on the backside.

Tomorrow we will weigh the meat birds at 3 weeks old and then perhaps finish this series up on Thursday.

Building The New Chicken Tractor (Part 1)

In This Post I talked about the dilapidated condition of our chicken tractors and my quest to build a new one.  In the post I linked above, I explained three things that I was looking for in a new chicken tractor design.  I scoured the Internet for a design that I could build upon, making a few changes.  I found exactly what I was looking for HERE. That unique design met my criteria of being economical to build, durable, and lighter. We'll build one as a prototype and make any changes necessary to the second tractor.

I did alter the plans a bit to make it taller, so that I could walk inside it without bending over.  I added more hoops and a few other amenities that I'll discuss in this post and maybe one or two more posts to follow.  I discussed my project with a real good friend at church.  He is a master craftsman who I admire greatly.  His attention to detail and ingenuity in figuring out different ways to do things never cease to amaze me.  When he asked if he could help with the chicken tractor project, I was ecstatic.

On what might have been the most perfect day of the year, we assembled our building materials:

• Three 12 foot treated 2x4s
• One 12 foot 1x4
• Five joints of 1/2 inch schedule 40 pvc pipe
• Screws
• Cordless drill
• 7/8" spade bit
• Two 50 foot rolls of welded wire fencing, 3 ft high
• Cable ties

Since we determined that we wanted five hoops for stability, we marked out and drilled five holes, evenly spaced, in two of the three 2x4s, drilling perhaps an inch and a half deep.  For the third 2x4, we cut it in half.  The length of our chicken tractor will be roughly 12 feet long, while the width will be approximately 6 feet wide.

Then with heavy screws with a 'star' bit, we formed up the base of the tractor, putting two screws in each side.  By screwing the 6 foot 2x4's on the inside of the 12 foot 2x4's, we gained an extra foot and a half of interior area.  I was unaware of this, but now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense.

Once the base was together, we simply began inserting the pvc pipe just to ensure it fit properly. Yes!  Things are taking shape.  We continued putting all five joints of pipe in the base.

Prior to doing this we put the 1x4 alongside the 12 foot 2x4s and marked where the holes were drilled on the 1x4 and drilled corresponding holes.  We took off one side of the pvc and threaded the pipe through the 1x4 and back into the base on the other side as you can see below.  The 1x4 gave the chicken tractor strength and stability AND will allow us to hang a waterer, and heat lamps from the hoops.  The "boss lady" came and inspected our progress and was pleased.

We added some bracing to each side with pvc pipe screwed into the skeleton of the tractor at 45 degree angles.  We also used 10 smaller screws to anchor the pvc into each of the 10 holes in the 2x4's so that they wouldn't pull out.

This is turning out mighty fine.  It was time for a break and we decided to start up again tomorrow, so I think that is what we'll do now.  Please join us tomorrow for Building The New Chicken Tractor (Part II).  I can't wait to show you how it turned out!