{"id":936,"date":"2023-02-04T19:34:09","date_gmt":"2023-02-04T19:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/khetwise.com\/blog\/a-frame-chicken-tractor\/"},"modified":"2023-02-04T19:34:09","modified_gmt":"2023-02-04T19:34:09","slug":"a-frame-chicken-tractor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/khetwise.com\/blog\/a-frame-chicken-tractor\/","title":{"rendered":"Custom A-Frame Chicken Tractor For (Almost) Free"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we wanted to expand our backyard chicken flock beyond our small stationary coop without spending a fortune, it was time to get creative. So, we picked up a used, wooden kids playset for free and transformed it into a mobile A-frame chicken tractor. <\/p>\n

This post talks about the benefits of mobile chicken coops and how to build your own custom A-frame chicken tractor for around $150.<\/p>\n

What is a Chicken Tractor?<\/h2>\n

A chicken tractor is simply a mobile chicken coop that is regularly moved to patches of fresh grass. They come in all shapes and sizes (A-frame, rounded, rectangular) and can be constructed using a variety of materials and methods.<\/p>\n

The typical chicken tractor design sits on rails (or skids) at the base with an attached rope, bar, or handles used to pull and maneuver the tractor. Sometimes they have the addition of wheels on one or both ends to make this task easier.<\/p>\n

\"rectangular<\/figure>\n

Mobile chicken coops have long been used. Here, Laura Ingalls Wilder recounts the moveable coop that Pa had built from Little Town On the Prairie<\/em>:<\/p>\n

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\u201cShe carried the chicks in her apron, to set them one by one into the coop that Pa had already made. It had a front of laths, to let in air and sun, and a little door with a wooden button to fasten it. It had no floor, but was set on clean grass that the chicks could eat, and when the grass grew trampled and dirty, the coop could be moved to fresh grass.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Beyond moving chickens regularly onto fresh grass, chicken tractors offer many benefits. Let’s look at those.<\/p>\n

Benefits of a Mobile vs. Stationary Chicken Coop<\/h2>\n

Our homesteading journey began with 6 laying hens in our suburban backyard. We kept them in a stationary coop that was a kit from Costco. It was bare bones. But it worked and allowed us to easily get started as backyard chicken keepers.<\/p>\n

\"stationary<\/figure>\n

A couple years in, we started to see some of the challenges and limitations of that stationary coop:<\/p>\n

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  • It was tight (for us and chickens!)<\/li>\n
  • Needed frequent cleaning.<\/li>\n
  • Increased predator pressure while free ranging.<\/li>\n
  • Trouble keeping free ranging chickens contained to only our yard.<\/li>\n
  • And then the difficulty of trying to wrangle the chickens back into the coop during the day when we needed to run out somewhere.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Our video on stationary vs. mobile coops gives a more thorough breakdown of the pros and cons of each and what we ran up against.<\/p>\n

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