Chicken (Boiler) Tractor Question

[Theloggerswife]

Last weekend was chainsaw carpentry at its best on the Clifford Farm. 😀 We have started to construct a chicken tractor on an old running gear. The roofing tin will go on this weekend and flooring will be installed.

My question is what to use for the flooring. My first thought would be a type of rabbit wire to let the dropping fall onto the ground. Less work and more air flow. Then I read something about the wire causing leg problems!? The birds will be out in a electric fence area during the day and closed into the coop at night. Any advise or experience will be appreciated…..

What I have learned about this experience so far….we both better not give up our day jobs for Carpentry!!! It will work for our needs….and look good at a distance!!!;)

[Livewater Farm]

I built one for 100 layers a year ago put wire mesh on the floor works great and have had no foot or leg problems chickens in only at night otherwise pastured my wife does not have to crawl in to clean and we pressure wash at end of season also put side access doors at one end so she just reaches in and picks eggs out of nest whole concept works great and is fantastic for manuaring garden areas just pull tractor in fence and let the birds do the work
Bill

[jen judkins]

Missy, I would go with the more rigid rabbit wire with the small square mesh (how’s that for technical, lol). I think with the typical chicken wire the openings are too big and might trap a foot here or there. Can’t wait to see it!

[Theloggerswife]

I ran out to Paris Farmers Union at lunchtime and bought the 1/2″x1/2″ rabbit cage wire. We will give this a try. If it doesn’t work, I will just blame Jen!:D

If I am brave enough, I will post a picture in the next couple of weeks of the end product.

Jen ~ keep me on the short list for a couple of ducks if you end up with any hatched out this year.

[jen judkins]

@Theloggerswife 16309 wrote:

Jen ~ keep me on the short list for a couple of ducks if you end up with any hatched out this year.

You betcha! Both girls have picked out roosting spots, so it shouldn’t be long now before we have our first batch of ducklings….sure sign of spring!

[Carl Russell]

jenjudkins;16308 wrote:

….go with the more rigid rabbit wire with the small square mesh (how’s that for technical, lol). I think with the typical chicken wire the openings are too big and might trap a foot here or there.

I have tried the wire bottom. The Rabbit mesh is too small for manure to got through easily. It can build up very quickly. Even using a hoe to push it through is ineffective.

We have used 1″ chicken wire, and that works better, but it needs reinforcement. If you make a matrix of roosts near the floor then they will use them instead of getting their feet caught.

My preference now, because staples come out, and wire sags, and gets full of manure, is to build a floor with 1×2’s with 3/4″-1″ gaps between them. This seems to last longer, and although it does require hoeing to clean up the manure, it actually works.

Carl

[dominiquer60]

This may be late, but I will be building a similar 100 coop on a running gear this year. Based on the models that I have used in the past I am going to use 4 sheets of plywood on the bottom. I would rather use boards to avoid the chemicals in plywood, but they can warp and make it difficult to clean.

I like the idea of the chickens spreading manure by day on their own and collecting manure for me at night. I clean the coop every couple months or so when needed and compost the manure for my hoophouses and market garden. In this way the pasture gets some manure and I get some to put where I please.

I also plan on wintering my birds in this coop so wire floors would be far too drafty for my liking, especially for a breeding flock. If breeding males get too cold, they can become temporarily sterile for up to 3 months in my experience, and yes even the rosecomb breeds.

There are so many ways to do the same thing.

Erika

[jac]

Me and Caitlyn are building a hen tractor:)… only half a dozen hens but its enuf for what we need.. Its going on wheels that i can lift to lower to the ground. Weld mesh for the floor to stop mr fox. Had plannedto use it on the toilet areas of the horse field and move it every 2 days… Question is… we worm the horses with Ivermectin based wormers. Will this be a problem for our hens ????
John

[dominiquer60]

I have been told that chickens are very easy to overdose with ivermectin. It appears that there is a lower concentration formula for pets available in the UK, prescribed by vets, but not licensed for poultry use. It states that you should wait 28 days until slaughtering for human consumption. 28 days seems like a lot to me especially for a bird, so it makes me wonder about eating the eggs of a treated bird. To get back to the specifics of your questions, I don’t know how much Ivermectin breaks down inside the horse or how it would effect your birds after eating through the manure, it is certainly something to be concerned about until proven otherwise.
http://poultrykeeper.com/poultry-medication/poultry-medication/ivermectin-for-worms-lice-mites.html

[jac]

Thanks Erika.. In that case my next question is do you know of an organic way to control worm count in my horses bearing in mind we are severely limited in the amount of grass we have. 4 work horses and we operate a night shift/ day shift rota on 10 acres. 5 of which is shut off till a single cut of hay is taken. Not an ideal I know but its what I have and just have to work round it..
John
ps.. did you ever get the equipment thread to Leon at Pioneer ??

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