The Purpose of Chicken Tractors

Chicken tractors are essentially portable chicken coops that are constructed in such a way that allows for the chicken farmer to relocate the coop to different locations. Generally they are rectangle, with the coop placed to one side with the grazing cage extended out from the front of the coop. As the tractor is moved to a new location, the chickens are exposed to new and fresh grasses.

  1. Varied Constructions

    • There are different designs of chicken tractors, however, they all serve the same purpose of housing chickens within a safe and portable construction. Chicken tractors are constructed from non-toxic wood and equipped with nesting boxes, a coop ramp and roosting perch. The grazing cage is constructed using standard chicken wire and some are are equipped with a door to allow the farmer to maintenance the inside of the coop. Most chicken tractors are capable of housing up to five chickens comfortably.

    Advantages

    • The advantage of chicken tractors is that they allow for chickens to perform their natural foraging and bug eating instincts in fresh grasses. This natural activity increases the longevity of the hens as well as the quality of the meat and eggs. Also, because the coop can be rotated, it prevents grasses from being overscratched, which can kill grass and create bare spots on lawns. Another benefit is that the chickens can be let out to graze and eat bugs from flower beds and gardens during the day, which provides an organic form of pest control.

    Disadvantages

    • Chicken tractors are small in design and do not hold more than a few chickens. While small backyard chicken farmers find them extremely convenient, large poultry farmers may not find them economical. Another disadvantage to chicken tractors is that many require a space at least 8 to 10 feet in length and 4 to 6 feet in width to accommodate both coop and grazing cage. However, while there are smaller designs of chicken tractors, the smaller the coop and cage the fewer number of chickens it can hold.

    Alternatives

    • Because the purpose of chicken tractors is to allow chickens maximum grazing space, some organic farmers allow chickens to roam during the day and only coop them at night. There are also many blueprints for building chicken tractors that can be accommodated on smaller or larger farms that can be built to house a specific number of hens. And while many chicken tractors are designed to be pushed by humans, larger chicken tractors can be attached to motorized farm vehicles to be relocated.