Help with ...chicken tractor

[Pappy]

Ok, my youngest son reached a point where I couldnt put off his want to raise some animals. We are going Goat shopping tomorrow and he already has some chicks and ducklings started.

I bought all my fencing and posts and will be tackling that project and building a coop / lean-to but I also built (am building) a chicken tractor:bandit:

WTF is that LOL! Well, its a small enclosure that houses a few chickens and has an attached run that is mobile. My plan is to use it until I get the coop done then use it exclusively for meat chickens which are only around for 2 months before they are butchered. I will probably build 3 of them in total so I can have 3 batches of meat birds growing.

I am attaching a picture of a similiar "tractor'" but for the life of me am having a total brain freeze on what would be an easy way to use some atv tires for it since I have plenty:p

Open to your suggestions....even if atv tires arent used...im still looking for a cheap way to get the tires on this thing. I would like to have it sit flat on the ground until i lift it where-by the tires contact the ground and I can move it to a new area for the chickens to eat and scratch.

Here is a gallery of a crap load of them....

http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/tractors.html

[Pappy]

Here is one of my ducklings. I am also building runs to raise Turkeys and Phesants but they will be standard runs.

http://kenhill.smugmug.com/Other/Wildife-and-Nature/PE13350/1257247563_BxxbcSm-L.jpg

[CJM]

Could get some wheels from lowes or home depot for a mower or something and use a piece of rebar you can thread thru holes you make and attack the tires to.

[Ntensweapon]

I think you are on the right track

[Pappy]

Thats the easy part, getting an axle and tires...but i gotta figure out how to raise and lower them. Ive seen some that have the axle assembly located slightly behind the tractor and slightly raised, so when the front is lifted they contact the wheels.


LOL. that picture ^ unfroze me brain!

[extremeblastr]

you could make it so they rotate from being upside down to where they belong and you thread a bolt in when they are in the correct position. kind of like the aerators for the lawn tractors.

[Pappy]

Well, for now it holds birds LOL! I will drag it to a spot until I figure it out and use it until I get the regular coop built. I think I will end up using this one as a semi-portable unit for my meat chickens.

Here it be for now, still have to cut in an access panel for the food and water

http://kenhill.smugmug.com/Other/Private-Gallery-2/PE13376/1262868620_Hg2RfrW-O.jpg

This is Jake, he is a big boy and growing.

http://kenhill.smugmug.com/Other/Private-Gallery-2/PE13398/1262868850_3VSjjWD-O.jpg


This is Elwood, he will get bigger as well but both boys are pretty good size.

http://kenhill.smugmug.com/Other/Private-Gallery-2/PE13402/1262868944_GmLgC4n-O.jpg

Here is the "Band" LOL!

http://kenhill.smugmug.com/Other/Private-Gallery-2/PE13405/1262869144_6CgsH9G-O.jpg

[CJM]

When you make a real coop, make sure you hinged the top-it makes it sooo much easier to clean.

[Pappy]

Im building a 3 and a 1/2 sided coop, 12'x8' with an open dirt floor. Never again will I have a closed in coop!

[slightlybent47]

Why even use wheels at all? Something that small could just be drug around with the lawn mower or tractor when it needed to be moved. Through a few treated 2 xs on the bottom and call it a day. What’s the old saying “keep it simple stupid”

[Pappy]

Grass is hard to grow here (lots of shale) so dragging it just kills the grass and would be hard to turn. it measures 12' x 5' and is 3' tall. It has some weight to it...

[slightlybent47]

Like has already been mentioned how about running an old piece of pipe all the way through one side with wheels on each side so when you pick it up with the 3 point on the other side it will raise it just enough so it will roll.

Or I’ll bet a 2 x 10 laid flat with the ends cut at an angle it would slide with very little damage to the grass.