So
the chicken tractor is fully completed, and I’m amazed how simple it is to care
for these creatures when they get fresh ground every couple of days. They were
kinda freaking out for a little while (what is all this green stuff?! and is
this DIRT?) but they got used to it pretty quickly, and they’re experimenting
with scratching. We’ve since introduced them to the idea of eating scraps, and
that chickens do not get along with potato scraps or chocolate (various
compounds in these foods can be toxic to them), but that my chickens, at least,
like the bugs on the kale better than they like the kale itself, which I find
kind of hilarious.
The tractor
itself is a bit heavy, as you can probably guess from the pictures,
particularly on the doghouse side. It should be pretty durable, however, and my
girlfriend and I can move it pretty easily, so it works. At first, I was a bit
worried about the neighbor’s dog and the chickens, but he comes over quite
often and checks on things without ever trying to attack the chicken wire or
dig under, so that’s a relief. The chickens were a bit worried at first, but
they seem to mostly ignore him now. We’ve seen very few varmints since we moved
here, and I’m gonna guess that’s at least in part to his doggy diligence. We
are planning on adding a screen of 1″x2″ garden fencing around the bottom,
extending outward parallel to the ground, to deter any attempts at digging.
Fastening it with fence staples will let us fold it up when it’s time to move.
I still
need to build a new roosting bar or two and add some laying boxes. I know that
I’ve got a couple of months or so for the boxes, but they really liked having a
place to roost, so I might try and squeeze that in one of these evenings.
If you’ve got any suggestions, let me know at kmoomau@grit.com, or on my Facebook page.
Have fun 🙂
