Chicken Tractors

johnjk

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
B3200 w/loader, Woods RC5 brush hog, 4' box blade, tooth bar, B1700 MMM,
Apr 13, 2017
1,252
819
113
West Mansfield, OH
For those of you using one, what are you doing to keep the birds from getting their legs caught underneath? I have the wife beating on the back side to get the birds moving forward but we managed to catch one by the foot last night. As they get bigger and it gets hotter out, the less they want to move
 

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mcfarmall

Well-known member

Equipment
Kubota M5660SUHD, Farmall C
Sep 11, 2013
1,377
1,648
113
Kalamazoo, MI
Put wifey in with the chickens to move them forward as you pull the tractor along.
 

Rollover Rudy

New member

Equipment
B2650
Feb 7, 2021
16
8
3
Northern Indiana
Wife and I caught one by foot early in our learning curve. It healed up fine, but we’re never having that happen again. Our solution is to wait until they are roosting in the coop, close them in, and then move the enclosure. The timing isn’t as convenient but lots less stress.
 

fishpick

Active member

Equipment
BX24 & L4760HSTC
Dec 16, 2017
112
192
43
The High Taxes part of lovely NY, USA
We ran a lot of birds for a lot of years. One thing you have working against you is your tractor design. The birds want to go to the light. The very back of the pen has solid covering. You need to have some solid covering on the front side and rear side for 1/3 - 1/2 the pen. And always pull the pen towards the 100% open end. The birds will then mostly avoid the back wall and legs getting caught by moving towards the open end and all the light. Right now the darn end is t really dark enough so they only move as the pen pushes them. That’s a recipe for them gettin g caught. Google the pen design by Joel Salitin if my description is t clear.
even so - you will also catch one here and there as they don’t move fast. Just part of how it works.