Chicken Tractor Materials
- 10’x 12’x 2’
- Lumber is 95% recycled, 2%SFC certified 3% new and donated
- Hardware cloth
- Chicken wire
- Recycled content corrugated plastic roofing
- Miscellaneous hardware (hinges, braces, etc.)
- Half of the tractor is enclosed in wire and the other half is enclosed in plastic roofing material to protect chickens from the weather and keep the chicken feed dry.
- The CT is moved by sliding a dolly under one end and pulling with a handle on the other end. We are in the process of getting a custom-made 4 foot wide dolly for easier mobility. We still need to install a handle on the dolly side of the CT to make it easier to get the dolly under the CT, and to make it possible to put the dolly on either side and pull the CT in either direction.
- During our first trial with the CT we simply watered the chickens with a 4 gallon waterer that sits on the ground. However for more efficient moving we purchased a Bell Drinker which hangs from the roof, and is gravity fed from a bucket that sits on top of the CT. We still need to work on ballasting the bell drinker to have it be fully functional.
- At first we fed the chicks in the CT with a bamboo trough, but it didn't hold enough food. We now use a bucket feeder, but we are still working on refining the feeding system and are considering larger bamboo feeders.
- Cost: $400
- Capacity: 40 adult layers or 85 juvenile meat chickens