Joel Salatin's chicken tractors have caught the country by fire. They are everywhere. Every small farm in this area has one or a few out in their fields or gardens.
Here at the farm our first giant chicken tractor is being built.
It's 12 feet long, 4 feet wide and over 6 feet tall with a nice metal roof. It has a real door too.
It's got wheels on it to make it easier to move it around.
I will put some roosts in it and use it to move the flock around the garden and the field.
I would also like to raise some turkeys for the local Farmers Market after we "test drive" this model.
Are you using a chicken tractor to raise your laying flock or meat birds?
Do you have a favorite design or size?
~
We use the standard Salatin model, with a few modifications for the first few weeks:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bonzos-pics.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=5352
but because we have heritage breeds they need more space for a longer time. So we developed a portable coop and movable pen:
http://www.bonzos-pics.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=5382
This has worked well for us here in no rocks land. With our high predator load, we needed something really sturdy, and also that the wind would not damage or tip over.
The coop offers the really strong protection from night time predators, being made of metal and 1/2" hardware cloth.