Chicken Tractor

Now imagine if that were a chicken driving that thang' and you got a chicken tractor. Well, okay, not really! But my father-in-law and I have taken our first shot at building a chicken tractor. What's a chicken tractor? It's a portable pen that helps protect your chickens from predators while still letting the chicks get outside in the sunshine, eat bugs and grass, and get out in the fresh air. This is considered free-range, though it's a little more limiting. We will move the tractor (we're sure to be building more as we grow our flock) routinely to get the chicks to fresh grass and new areas frequently.

We built our chicken tractor using scrap wood we had around the farm. It was, generally speaking, not too difficult but it took some trial and error before we came up with the right materials and right set up. We wanted to make sure that the tractor was light enough to move yet sturdy enough to protect the chicks from the elements and predators.


Frames, corner posts. Our first go we build the tractor 4 ft high...that's waaayyy too big! We're going to use it as a winter coop next to one of the sheds. This way the chickens will be protected as they go outside and we won't need to redo it. Our second was a 7x7x2 tractor. Much better.

We used scrap paneling on 2x4 boards. I was able to move it on my own without a rope or wheels, but both will be added soon to make it easier.




Here's the chicks enjoying their tractor. We'll keep them in their brooder during the evenings but keep them in the tractor during the day as frequently as is possible until they are fully feathered. Now all they have to do is take their driving test to get their license to drive the tractor!