Chicken Tractor

I am looking for some good info about a cheap easy way to make a chicken tractor. This is the type of self-contained home for a few chickens that can be moved around the yard so that the chickens can fertilize different areas of the yard. It is also handy to move the chickens around according to the weather so they can get more sun or less. I need a very economical set up for 3-5 chickens.

 

I had a friend that made one out of PVC pipe awhile back. It was really light weight, and used PVC pipes from construction work sites. He basically made it for nothing. Instead of wire mesh you can buy the plastic counterpart as a cost saver as well. Lots of ways to go about it, but here's a video to illustrate how easy it is to build.

 

If you are going to leave them in it at night and you have predators (which you do unless you live on an island) you need to make sure that you make it secure. The plastic mesh, or even chicken wire won't protect them from a racoon or weasel. I used hardware cloth on mine, it's heavy, but they are safe. I also have an 18 inch skirt around the bottom to protect them from digging. My parents lost some hens to possum because they didn't have a skirt. PVC is light and sturdy for a frame though. For cost it can be better to see what you can pick up for free or cheap locally and see what you can design with what you get. I have heard of people using kids playhouses or old doghouses to make simple coops. Try to aim for 4-10 square feet per bird (more space if they won't free range). And if you do a skirt move it every 1-2 days. We left ours for a week and grass grew through it and it got stuck.