Ok, this is my second tractor built to sit on top of my raised beds. This one is bigger than the last one. It is 4'x8' and is 24" tall but when it is sitting on the raised bed it has another 10" in height added. It took me about 9 hours to built it by myself. Now that I am getting the hang of it I think if I had a helper I could get it done much faster. I need to build one more smaller one for my bantams. I have 3 raised beds for each tractor so that I can rotate them.
Laura
A view inside. I have 10 birds in this one. 3 Orpington's, 3 Leghorns, 3 Australorps and 1 Rhode Island Red. These girls are almost 1 year old.
Those are exactly the dimensions of my raised beds. How many chickens do you have in one? And for how long? Is it built with 1X4s or 2X4s? And are you using a cover crop for them to scratch in? I have been dumping and turning my rabbit and chicken litter into two of my beds--I'm thinking of putting on a cover crop and letting the chickens scratch it in. I love the way you have designed it.
I just saw that you have 10 standards in. Perfect!
This message was edited Feb 24, 2008 11:48 PM
Are you using a plastic kitchen (catch-all) bin as a "nest"?
Do they girls live in these tractors, or is this "day care"?
What are you going to be growing or are growing in your raised beds?
I have to know EVERYTHING!!! ;-)
Fran
Hi Catscan,
This is my first attempt at the raised bed chicken tractors. The plan is to do what is described in as the Deep Mulch System in the Chicken Tractor book. I will let them peck and scratch at the grass that is there right now. Then each day I will add a thin layer of fresh bedding (I alternate between hay and horse bedding). They scratch it around and arrange it the way they like it. I will fill the feeders and empty the 'chicken bucket' (all our kitchen scraps) in there. I have been sprouting for them too but I would like to do a cover crop. There is one available through Seeds of Change that is a Omega 3 mix. It is suppose to raise the Omega 3s in the yolks. I can't remember what is in it.
I am not sure how often I will move them. I will have to experiment with that. I would like to be able to plant one bed, let one 'cook' and have one with chickens living on top of it. Then when the planted one is done the chickens will move to that one, I will plant the one that was cooking and the other one will begin cooking. Does that make sense?
I used 2x4s for the frame and strapping which I think is like 1/2" by 2" to add stability without adding too much weight. There are two doors. One on each end and I am going to add a liftable hinged door on top so I can get to the waterer easier. I can reach the feeders from the doors.
Laura
Hi Fran,
I used to let my chickens run around the backyard all day but since I have a regular city lot, not a ranch I was getting tired of chicken poo on everything! So now they get to run around the yard for an hour or two each day. The rest of the time they will be in their tractor. That is one of the reasons I started sprouting for them. To give them some fresh greens to play with. You should see them play chase with them.
The nest box is a kitchen cubby ;) I had it screwed to a platform in the old chicken house so it is what they are used to. I plan to make something more covered for privacy, they get grumpy when you look at them when they are laying eggs! I will not attach it to the tractor as that will add more weight. This is their first night in the new tractor so I don't know how the egg laying will go.
I will be growing veggies and fruits. I have roses in my other raised beds but I won't put the tractors on those. The girls like to take their dust baths there.
Laura
Ok, so If I am getting this right.. your raised beds are being "prepped" by your girls, as in I might be doing a lasagna bed over a season or two, you are doing the same but using a cover crop and chickens to help dig and work your soil?
What do you do for winter or is this their part time spring/summer job?
I am taking notes in case noone noticed.
Fran
Ps, I like the nest box, I had read somewhere, someone was using the 5gal square kitty litter pails, I thought that was a great idea, if you had enough of them around..
Fran,
Yes, you have it right. I have prepared all my garden beds lasagna style. Not I have just added chickens to the mix! They really like to dig into all those layers too. Instead of doing my lasgna layer in one day I am adding the layers a day at a time and letting the girls mix it up and scratch it in for me.
Winter here is really very mild, I am zone 9. We get a few weeks of mid to high 30s at night and I put a heat lamp out there but that is about it. Not much changes. They don't lay as much but they still do all their chicky scratchy stuff. This is my first winter with chickens and I just started the chicken tractor/raised bed thing. It was 81 degrees today! Next year I will probably do what I do with all my lasgna gardens in the winter, cover it with compost and a thick layer of hay if there aren't chickens living on it.
Thanks for checkin out my handy work I am pretty proud of myself!
Laura
I don't know if I am more jealous of your common sense idea or your green grass! All we see is snow out our windows. Excellent job on building those tractors and nice chix too. Here is a pic of a tractor that I built for some of my mad hatter X ameraucana bantam roos that I was given.
maineiec,
Your chicken tractor is great! That is what I wanted but I am angle/miter challenged. I thought it would look pretty to have a bunch of A frames sitting on top of my raised beds. Like a chicken resort :)
Those Roos have beautiful tail feathers.
Laura
OK, Now I'm not saying one is better than the other.. I am truly asking a question..
Why would an A frame be a better design..? Isn't there more utlizable space in the squared off one?
LOL, I dunno, I just think the A frame looks like the cabins in the mountain town I grew up in. I suppose if it had a roof it would encourage rain to drain off better. It doesn't have the space up higher though so I don't think all 10 of my girls could roost in it.
That is so cute and homey... how about a drawing of what the inside looks like (still taking notes here)
Do you have an egg door in the back?
Hi frans530, having tried to move my own 10X4 chicken tractor only to have it rack, I'm thinking that, usable space aside, the A-frame might be more stable and easier to move. But having said that, I am angle/miter challenged myself and unless I can get my DH to help (5 months and going on a promised coop) I will go for the box style for my raised beds. Gotalove maineiac's design however!
Don't throw things at me....
There are little lines on the saw tables for mitering correctly... sorry, couldn't help myself..
If I made the square ones, I would have to cheat and use the metal squares to make sure I am all squared up.. lol
I like the A frame look too.. now one more question.. one the square do you use all that air space?
I also just read where the hens will argue over who gets top rung on a perch so you shouldn't have different levels, but I keep seeing multi level perches... thoughts?
Hi, fran, I don't know about the hens arguing about the top roost, but I do know that my main man (Rocky) is the one who roosts on the top roost. The other roosters are less dominant and therefore are relegated to the lower perches. I guess it would make sense that the more dominant hens would roost on the top, but we let them argue it out among themselves.
And, I really like the looks of that a-frame.
Laura,
Your "girls" are beautiful and I'm totally impressed with your handiwork.
((hugs))
Mom
Nice job with the tractor, I am impressed. My videos on how to build this design can be found at www.youtube.com/gardengirltv
Great Job Tex!
Patti
www.gardengirltv.com
www.farmersalmanac.com
Definetly check out Patti's videos. They are very informative and watching them is how I made the tractors. I have no building or wood working experience and I was able to figure it all out after watching her videos. I did watch them a few times and take notes but she makes it sooo easy!
Now if I could talk my husband into angora rabbits I could really have some fun! Wonder what my neighbors would think of goats ;-)
Laura
welcome to Dave's Patti! love your show, wish we could get it here, mayb esoon. meanwhile your sites are fabulous, glad you could join us.
another thought on the a-frames [very nice Scott!] , it takes less lumber and is easier access for the person to get in/out...
my DH has a miter saw, so i will see if he can put it to use making the runs a frame instead of square...
Laura, how are the chickens holding up in our Texas heat?
