Chicken Tractor or Chicken Tank?

[IndyIan]

Do you have any roosters? They add more excitement as well. At one time we had 3 tractors and 5 roosters and maybe 3 dozen hens that would free range and mingle during the day...
Chicken TV drama on a grand scale!, with love stories, fighting, house swapping, and the rare predation event.
We have our dogs in the pasture right beside our lawn and house so it takes a brave Coyote to scope out our place long enough to realize that the dogs are in at certain times, and hawks never seem to evade the 40 pairs of eyes watching for them, and we have enough low trees and shrubs for the chickens to always have cover near.
Once they get older, if you have a reasonably normal breed, they can do well outside if you don't have ground predators during the day. The difference between grass fed and grain fed eggs is worth it IMHO.

 

[dmccarty]

Do you have any roosters? They add more excitement as well.....

We better not have roosters!

A couple of years back I heard a rooster in the distance as I was working the garden. I heard the rooster a few more times and he seemed to get closer. Eventually I heard a strange noise in the woods that was not a four legged critter or human. Out popped the rooster. :laughing: He was pretty and the family named him Rocky. Of course.

There is a dead end road in the direction I first heard him. I think someone dumped him off. He heard me in the garden so he walked to the sound of humans. He is/was very tame.

He stayed around the house and the next morning he did his morning Rooster right off our bedroom door at Oh Gawd Early in the morning. The door is about 18 feet from my head. That rooster almost went swimming with dumplings.

Rocky headed east over the next day or so and I think he is now at another house. They have a rooster but I don't know if it is Rocky. He sure was a nice bird and very pretty but that wake up call every morning is not for me. :laughing: I don't need that kind of excitement that early in the morning!

I think he is a Rhode Island Red and he would have made a pretty husband to the Rhode Island Red hens we now have.

Later,
Dan

 

[foreman Etexas]

My took a LOT less longer than planned. I figured I had a least two months to build but them chicks where growing, and ARE growing, too fast. I need to fix the gap at the top of the door so the chicks can stay outside at night. The last two nights have been too cold even if the door was fixed.

Is that 1/2 hardware cloth you are using?

Did you bury it in the ground to prevent critters from digging into the coop?

A coworker's family member just lost 40 chickens. A critter, sounded like a weasel, got into the coop through a small hole and killed all of his chickens.

Later,
Dan

Its small metal squares I dug down around 6in. and concreted in,everywhere but the door.I was planning on doing concrete board and bury it were it sticks up cple inches and put another board on bottum of door with another hinge. The chicks are growing fast,and im not that good of a carpenter.

 

[IndyIan]

We better not have roosters!

A couple of years back I heard a rooster in the distance as I was working the garden. I heard the rooster a few more times and he seemed to get closer. Eventually I heard a strange noise in the woods that was not a four legged critter or human. Out popped the rooster. :laughing: He was pretty and the family named him Rocky. Of course.

There is a dead end road in the direction I first heard him. I think someone dumped him off. He heard me in the garden so he walked to the sound of humans. He is/was very tame.

He stayed around the house and the next morning he did his morning Rooster right off our bedroom door at Oh Gawd Early in the morning. The door is about 18 feet from my head. That rooster almost went swimming with dumplings.

Rocky headed east over the next day or so and I think he is now at another house. They have a rooster but I don't know if it is Rocky. He sure was a nice bird and very pretty but that wake up call every morning is not for me. :laughing: I don't need that kind of excitement that early in the morning!

I think he is a Rhode Island Red and he would have made a pretty husband to the Rhode Island Red hens we now have.

Later,
Dan

Yeah, I guess the roosters in the morning isn't for everyone. I can't say I even really notice them anymore but the first month or two with them was an adjustment period! Also its kind of neat to watch all the breeding genetics get mixed up over the generations. We have barred rocks, dark cornish, auracana, americana, and partridge couchin. Some still pure but many many mixes. The couchin hens are excellent mothers and hatch over 90% of the eggs we place under them so when the flock is getting bit old we cull a dozen and then hatch a dozen. I am slowly convincing the wife to place the tractors farther from the house and closer to the barn as 3 dozen chickens do a number on the lawn...

 

[dmccarty]

Its small metal squares I dug down around 6in. and concreted in,everywhere but the door.I was planning on doing concrete board and bury it were it sticks up cple inches and put another board on bottum of door with another hinge. The chicks are growing fast,and im not that good of a carpenter.

Just remember, you are building a chicken coop, not fine furniture!

That is what I kept telling myself.... :laughing::laughing::laughing:

I does not sound like anything is going to dig into the coop! I think I will have to add some armored skirts to the chicken tank.....

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

Yeah, I guess the roosters in the morning isn't for everyone. I can't say I even really notice them anymore but the first month or two with them was an adjustment period! Also its kind of neat to watch all the breeding genetics get mixed up over the generations. We have barred rocks, dark cornish, auracana, americana, and partridge couchin. Some still pure but many many mixes. The couchin hens are excellent mothers and hatch over 90% of the eggs we place under them so when the flock is getting bit old we cull a dozen and then hatch a dozen. I am slowly convincing the wife to place the tractors farther from the house and closer to the barn as 3 dozen chickens do a number on the lawn...

A neighbor that lives near the resident rooster said the same thing, you get used to them.... Not sure I could get used to them.... :laughing:

BUT to be honest, the idea of breeding chickens is interesting to me. So many of these old but great breeds have almost been lost. Including the breeds we have in the coop.

That rooster sure was pretty and had a nice personality....

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

The wifey and our youngest came home yesterday afternoon. When they pulled around to the back of the house there was one of our resident hawks sitting on the ground near the chicken coop trying to figure out how to access some chicken. :licking:

Our youngest likes to sit in the coop with the chickens so there is a small chair in the Chicken Tank. The chickens were hiding underneath and behind the chair. :laughing:

The youngest was asking how we could get rid of the hawk so her chickens would not be killed. These chickens are officially pets. Especially the smallest that the youngest calls "Baby."

Later,
Dan

 

[samhudson3]

Hey Dan,

Nice coop! I've got a wife request for us to have chickens so this is nice inspiration. I'm sure my terrier(ist) will enjoy them as well.

A friend that works down the hall from me just lost 8 out of 10 birds due to a neighbor's dog, I've sent her this link.

I've got the same critters around, don't think you need to worry about the vultures as they only eat dead meat.

Just wondering, did you get your inspiration from CCCC? I live about 10 miles north of town.

Thanks,
Sam

 

[MossflowerWoods]

If a bug gets into the coop, well it is Chicken TV. Fun to watch them around chasing the bug and then chasing the chicken who caught the bug.

Later,
Dan

I call it chicken rugby... we have tons of frogs, and the chicken can swallow a whole frog, but it takes some peace an quiet and a couple dozen seconds or more...

We've had a hen still running around with "most" of a frog in her beak an hour or more later...

we started them young when chicks we'd throw a horn worm off the tomato plants into their pen and it was like a match to gasoline... Off to the races.

Your tank looks awesome. I'm a much worse carpenter that both you and Foreman... I just let mine run around outside all day... I've lost quite a few that way though...

David

 

[foreman Etexas]

I call it chicken rugby... we have tons of frogs, and the chicken can swallow a whole frog, but it takes some peace an quiet and a couple dozen seconds or more...

We've had a hen still running around with "most" of a frog in her beak an hour or more later...

we started them young when chicks we'd throw a horn worm off the tomato plants into their pen and it was like a match to gasoline... Off to the races.

Your tank looks awesome. I'm a much worse carpenter that both you and Foreman... I just let mine run around outside all day... I've lost quite a few that way though...

David

No way could you be worse,I been cutting the same boards 3/4 times before I get it to fit in there. I said heck when I got into this project it was gonna be a piece of cake,well thats been A cple weeks now and I just told the wife today when we was working on it,I thought stuff like this is suppost to be fun:laughing:. She said it is baby to someone that knows what they are doing I came in here to hope to steal some ideas but I take my hat off to you carpenters,it is an art this ole countryboy just aint got:thumbsup:

 

[MossflowerWoods]

No way could you be worse...

We shall see.

Hopefully tomorrow I am making an intermediate pen from some 1x2's and chicken wire so the baby chix can get outside in a controlled environment for part/most of the day.

I'm up to 16 next generation chicks right now. 6 white pullets, 6 red pullets, 2 bantams, and 2 (hopefully femal) muscovy ducklings.

I'm down to 7 guineas (started with 30 or 31). 7 red hens (started with 21) 1 leghorn (started with 4 or 5) and 1 English game hen (had 2 until today).

I also bough a clubfooted rooster. We had one vanish, and the other was a mean ole turd so I shot him. This guy (I wanted to call him Buster 'cause he was busted, but he makes funny clucking noises so the girls called him "Chuckles") is an Americauna and he is decent sized and kinda cute. I felt sorry for him, and he seemed nicer that the last one...

Anyway, I'll try to take pix of my construction tomorrow.
We can all see how I do...

Be well sir,
David

 

[flyerdan]

Not a chicken farmer but some observations from a fabricator...
One way to foil digging predators might be to have some fold down skirting that would essentially provide a 2' sidewalk around the structure, if you will. Made out of chain link fencing, it would be negligible in weight but impossible to dig through, and could be held down by some easily removable bracing. The front and back sections could be 4' wider than the structure to fill out the corners and not drag while transporting, provided that width isn't an issue.
If you have a fencing contractor nearby you could probably get used material from teardowns really cheap, if not free.
While not foolproof, having to tunnel 2 feet might discourage most, and there will be evidence so Mr.Winchester can be on the vigil.

 

[dmccarty]

Hey Dan,

Nice coop! I've got a wife request for us to have chickens so this is nice inspiration. I'm sure my terrier(ist) will enjoy them as well.

A friend that works down the hall from me just lost 8 out of 10 birds due to a neighbor's dog, I've sent her this link.

I've got the same critters around, don't think you need to worry about the vultures as they only eat dead meat.

Just wondering, did you get your inspiration from CCCC? I live about 10 miles north of town.

Thanks,
Sam

Sam,

Yep, we paid a visit to CCCC. Melinda at Southern State's farm supply in PBO sent us to CCCC. I think the person we talked to at CCCC was named Hillary. We just parked in front of the garden area and walked to take a look around. Hilary came out and we started talking. We bought the chicks from Southern State. Melinda has everything you would need to raise the chickens and has been very helpful.

Our Golden has been very good with the chickens. Our youngest would sit the chicks on the dog and the dog would not budge. Amazing for any dog but especially a bird dog.

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

....
One way to foil digging predators might be to have some fold down skirting that would essentially provide a 2' sidewalk around the structure, if you will. Made out of chain link fencing, it would be negligible in weight but impossible to dig through, and could be held down by some easily removable bracing. The front and back sections could be 4' wider than the structure to fill out the corners and not drag while transporting, provided that width isn't an issue. ...

The wheels on the Tractor Tank are INSIDE so I could attach fence material to the sides of the tank. After working on the Tractor Tank, I was hoping that I could skip attaching the fence to the sides but I think to be safe I will end up using some fence to prevent digging.

I put fence on the ground to stop my GSD from digging and it worked very well. :laughing:

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

I call it chicken rugby... we have tons of frogs, and the chicken can swallow a whole frog, but it takes some peace an quiet and a couple dozen seconds or more...

We've had a hen still running around with "most" of a frog in her beak an hour or more later...

we started them young when chicks we'd throw a horn worm off the tomato plants into their pen and it was like a match to gasoline... Off to the races.

Your tank looks awesome. I'm a much worse carpenter that both you and Foreman... I just let mine run around outside all day... I've lost quite a few that way though...

David

I was finally cleaning up the garden yesterday and we let the chickens into the garden to catch bugs. :laughing: The sun came out and they go hot so we put them back into the coop. Our youngest caught some bugs for the spoiled chickens and tossed the bugs into the coop. As I was digging I found some huge grubs and I tossed two of them into the coop. The Race was on for a few minutes as the chickens chased the chicken with the grub. The dummies were so busy chasing the chicken with a grub they missed they other grub.

Saturday I finished filling in the gap on the door and fixing the sag. This took three hours. :laughing:

Not sure the word "carpentry" applies to what I did to fill in the gap.

Later,
Dan

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Dan,

This is a small chick tractor. Really it is just a cage to keep them outside, but safe, during the day. They all sleep in some storage containers at night. I did wire the bottom too.

I used 1x2's, chicken wire, screws, and staples. I scrounged up some of the boards and used some scraps of plywood.

Not sure it counts as "carpentry" either....

Wait till you see the "chicken shack"... It is not done yet...

David

 

[dmccarty]

Dan,

This is a small chick tractor. Really it is just a cage to keep them outside, but safe, during the day. They all sleep in some storage containers at night. I did wire the bottom too.

I used 1x2's, chicken wire, screws, and staples. I scrounged up some of the boards and used some scraps of plywood.

Not sure it counts as "carpentry" either....

Wait till you see the "chicken shack"... It is not done yet...

David

We, who is this we, THEY want chicken runs which mean *** I ** will have to build them. :laughing: The runs will have to be fenced on the side and roof. My first thought was to put up T posts, fencing and buy some netting I have seen in farm catalogs. Then I saw a photo similar to what you built...

I am thinking that maybe I can just build little "tunnel" boxes that we can attach to the Chicken Tank. With multiple tunnels connected together I can form a run where we want it. The tunnels could be moved around to keep the "grass" from getting completely torn up.

Chicken Trails like Hamster Trails. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Later,
Dan

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Chicken Trails like Hamster Trails. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Later,
Dan

Chicken trails... You are killing me. I called in sick and kept a 20 gauge and the AR close at hand. Here is what I did today...

I call this the "Chik'n Shak". When we bought this place it was a very neglected wood shed with other weird stuff (like kitchen cabinets and dressers all with very wet particle board. The wood had been under a tarp and was NASTY. I cleaned much of it up last fall, and I've been keeping hay in it. The first 3 pictures are pretty much what it looked like up until today...

The 4th picture is as good as I could make it for tonight, and the ducks and chickens are in it as you can see in the blurry 5th pic (the guineas got confused I think...).

The idea is this is acceptable to pen them up in when the girls must leave because it has windows etc. and they will not be so miserable as in a metal shed with no light.

I'm gonna teach the wife and oldest to shoot, soon...

I used only scrap except for nails and screws. I did this with junk left here.

It looks better than it is, and it don;t look very good. it is seriously kludged together...

Just thought I'd share...

Be well,
David

 

[flyerdan]

I find it rather odd that I chimed in here a couple days ago and look what's wandering around the neighborhood today:

This is nowhere near what would be considered rural or farm country, just a couple blocks off a main through town road. Obviously someone has some backyard chickens, and it had to have gotten out today or the varmints would have got it. Don't know how it has avoided run-ins with all the feral cats, there are at least have a dozen that I see daily.

 

[dmccarty]

Chicken trails... You are killing me. I called in sick and kept a 20 gauge and the AR close at hand. Here is what I did today...

...

I call this the "Chik'n Shak". When we bought this place it was a very neglected wood shed with other weird stuff (like kitchen cabinets and dressers all with very wet particle board. The wood had been under a tarp and was NASTY. I cleaned much of it up last fall, and I've been keeping hay in it. The first 3 pictures are pretty much what it looked like up until today...

....

David

Wow. I thought I was spoiling the chickens with a Chicken Tank and chicken trails....

But David has his chickens in a proper house, with windows, wall cabinets, and a table....



When are you going to hang a chandelier for them?

Will you use candles, electric power, or the oh so nice gas?

:laughing::laughing::laughing:

When you say the "Chik'n Shak" the B52's Love Shack song starts in my head....


Later,
Dan