5 Reasons You Should Build a Mobile Chicken Tractor

Two Types of Chicken Tractors

Wire Bottom

This option has a floor but it’s usually 1-2” square welded wire so the manure falls through. Which this options, it’s best to have an electric net surrounding the tractor, or let the birds roam free.

Open Bottom

This option has no bottom and sits directly on the ground, usually, the chickens are directly inside the tractor and no electric netting around the tractor is needed.

Top 5 Reasons You Should Build A Mobile Chicken Tractor

Less Cleaning

So, while those mini-farmhouse coops are pretty… they do require a lot more cleaning. While you’ll always have to clean nesting boxes out, you don’t want to be cleaning the whole floor in your coop – ever. Trust me, you have better things to do. That’s the beauty of a mobile tractor is that all the manure goes straight into the ground, and fertilizes the grass – which brings me to my next point.

Spread Manure Easily

With the open bottom (whether it sits right on the grass or it has welded wire), it makes it super easy to the manure to go straight to the grass where it will work its magic and give you lush pasture. The cool thing is you can move your tractor up a square each day and look back in a week to see the grass explode with growth.

Chickens Always Get Fresh Grass

This is such a plus!! A permanent chicken run does not allow for new forage, there will be no more grass at all in the run. If you have an open bottom tractor, moving it up a square each day will give your chickens access to a fresh salad bar daily. Similarly, if you have one with a welded wire bottom and electric netting around, moving that once a week will also give your birds fresh greens.

Portable 

This may not be a make or break for you, but if it’s mobile you can take it with you if you move, sell it, pretty much do whatever you want with it, in case circumstances change. You can also move it anywhere you want on your property.

Chickens Get More Space

his is really only an advantage if you have the mobile tractor that has a welded wire bottom and electric fence around. The advantage of that electric fence is that you can make the space as big as you want and fit more chickens since they are only going in the coop to sleep or lay an egg.

AND! If you’re looking for the perfect chicken tractor, we got you!! After farming for a couple of years, we have designed our very own tractor plans!! Its small, affordable, easy to build, and gives you all the benefits listed above, click HERE to check it out. 

Have I convinced you yet? I hope so! Let me know if you have any questions at all in the comments below. – Abbagail

P.S. I guess if your heart is set on one of these fancy coops, it’s best to let your chickens free roam they can still access new grass and have no permanent run (only a permanent coop).