How to Build Your Own Chicken Tractor
I have noticed, through the world of internet, that people with backyard chickens either have a permanent coop or a chicken tractor. We decided to have both. I didn’t plan to have both. In fact my dear husband who grew up with chickens didn’t know what one was. But when I explained, he was open to them but didn’t want to go out and buy all new parts just to build one right after we completed our chicken coop or what I like to say the chicken mansion.
From the past two years we have acquired most of the pieces to make this chicken playground. My husband brought home a tennis court net from work that was destined to be thrown in the garbage. It was actually pretty funny when everyone shook their heads and wondered what in the world he was doing with this giant net. Where we making a tennis court in our backyard? No, we had no idea what to do with it but it was just to good to be put into the landfill. Along with the net, we also accumulated various PVC piping and connectors from our several home improvement projects.
And so then one past weekend, my husband pulls all the pieces out and gets started figuring out how to put a chicken tractor together. Now, I would say he was doing this solely for the chickens we have but really about 80% of the drive was to use up the materials in his work shed and get a bit more organized.
You can have just about any size you want when it comes to chicken tractors. Some tractors are made with wood and actually pulled by a farm tractor. We don’t have that kind of equipment so we knew we had to pull it by hand. Meaning it had to be small. We also knew that it had to be light enough for me, 5 foot 2 inch mama, to pull with the chickens in. Using PVC just seemed the best material to make the frame out of. It also is strong enough to hold up the tennis court netting and be strapped with a PVC watering system.
How we built our tractor.
Okay so here is how we built it. We laid out all our piping and connectors, figured out how large we wanted it (both length and width) and also how tall it should be. For the length and width, we just made sure it will fit all our chickens comfortably. You don’t want them so cramped in that they can’t enjoy the delicious green grass and fresh array of bugs that are at their feet. The height was actually important to us because of how we wanted to get the chicken in the tractor. On our coop there is a bottom door that lets out our chickens and also used to clean out the coop. We built the height and width of our tractor to the size of this bottom door. This way we can open the door and push the tractor up against it with no way of letting out any escapee chickens.
The picture below illustrates what I am talking about. As a side note, our chicken coop door flips up 180 degrees and latches to the top of the chicken coop wall. The net door on the chicken tractor is only zip tied at the top and no where else. Look at the easy come and go of our lovely ladies.
We actually went back and forth from an A-frame tractor to a rectangular box shape. The box shape solved our chicken door and entry/exit questions but not the “how with PVC” question. I don’t know if it is made but we could not come up with a 90 degree PVC connector elbow with 3 openings so we had to make it up. What we did was attach a long PVC (oh by the way we used 2 inch PVC but you can use smaller if you want) pipe to a Tee connector. On the other side of the Tee is a small sliver of pipe which connects to the 90 degree elbow. Then another long piece of PVC connects in at the top of the Tee. We did this on all the corners. This method made the back sides stick out then the rest of the walls. Hopefully the picture below helps illustrate what I am talking about a bit better.
We connected the pieces together and decide it would work. Don’t be afraid to move it around like we did to see if it will work for what you had in mind. Then we glued it together. We used PVC cement. We didn’t use the solvent or the primers or any of the other glues my husband had. It wasn’t necessary since there will be no water running through the pipes. Let it dry for 15 minutes, just enough time to go get something to drink and run to the bathroom.
Now came the fun part for me, cutting and attaching the net. Don’t ask, I have no idea why it was so much fun for me. We used an old tennis court net but you can use any kind of net as long as it is durable and stands up to chickens and the weather.
All I did was wrap all the sides and top and attached with zip ties. Just a tip, don’t zip tie tight at the beginning. Keep them loose until you get to the end of your row of pipe. This way you can adjust the netting to how you like it and then tighten. If you tighten too early your net can get all wonky by the end of it.
Our chicken coop had a 2 inch PVC watering system with poultry nipples, which I absolutely adore but then came the hot North Carolina summer and I realized very fast that our water system wasn’t cutting it for the girls. With 11 hens, they were going though water every couple of hours. I knew I had to change it from a 2 inch PVC pipe to 4 inch. Yup, the watering system is gigantic for the summer. I don’t plan to fill it up completely in the winter though. More then likely it will just freeze faster then they will drink it. So after the upgrade, I had this poultry watering system that worked great. We decided to attach it to the chicken tractor. I don’t need a feeder because they are eating everything under their feet. Using longer zip ties, I attached it to a top PVC pipe. Since our tractor height is about 18 inches, the watering system worked great at that height.
Why we built our tractor.
Now with my chickens securely inside, I can now move it around the yard. I have to be gentle and slow. The first couple of times the girls freaked out. They will typically be at the back of the tractor as you pull it toward you. I have started to make a distinct whistling sound which I have taught my husband to make when we pick up the side to move it. By whistling, my hope is that they will realize they are moving and start walking with me or get hit by the back of the tractor as it comes toward them. Our beautiful Australop, named General, is a smart one. She, yes she, will stand on the back of the PVC pipe and be carried as I pull it to another location. I really wish they all did that. I have to admit it is much easier when I have a second set of hands to help lift the other side but it is not necessary. My husband does what to put a set of wheels on one side of it. I don’t know how he will do this but I will update this post when it happens.
Now my girls may stay out in the tractor for a couple of hours or most of the day. It all depends on the weather and if we are outside doing work. The times they are out in it all day is when there is no sign of rain, not 100 degree heat, and we have lots of places for them to eat at. I like to put them in the part of the garden this is just about to be tilled again. They love to eat all my leftover plants and bugs that made a home on them. It is very enjoyable to watch them go crazy for all the new greenery and bug smorgasbord.
I am truly happy that we now have both a permanent chicken coop and a portable tractor. Not only does it give them a change of scenery and fresh lawn and garden treats to eat but it helps get them out of the coop so I have an easier time cleaning it.
We also use the tractor as a hospital, or will in the future. Knock on wood, we haven’t had a sick chicken yet this year. But if we do, this tractor is going to make an excellent quarantine center to get well in or just a quarantine area for new chickens. Introducing new chickens into an established flock takes some time and adjustment. I intend to set up the new chickens in the tractor right outside of the coop. This way they can all see each other and talk to one another but no one gets hurt.
