Building the Suscovich-Style Chicken Tractor

Our Cornish Roasters and Freedom Rangers (broiler meat birds) are feathered and ready for pasture. It's time to get our John Suscovich (Farm Marketing Solutions) chicken tractor in-service. Little Buddy and I construct the chicken tractor (mostly) according to the plans outlined in John Suscovich's ebook about his chicken tractor.

[@SowtheLand]

We have two of these tractors and converted one into an egg mobile for our egg layers! We been using it going on two years now! Great tractors!

[@LumnahAcres]

The tractor is looking good! Hats look even BETTER! :)

[@farmmarketing]

Great job on building the chicken tractor! Loved your video and your son is super cute. Our daughter Mabel loves to pretend the chicken tractors are her own little store.

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

Hey John! Thanks so much for the feedback on the tractor! We bought your ebook which made this whole thing possible. We built a second tractor after we built this one and it went together twice as fast and came out twice as good. Too bad I didn't video that one! Our son actually got disappointed when we put chickens in the tractors. They are going to be vacant tomorrow though...we're processing our birds! Thank you for all the high quality info you're putting out there (ebook, youtube channel, podcasts, etc)!

[@BlahBlah-vw9yj]

How many chickens do you recommend as a maximum occupancy in this tractor when you are practicing daily rotation over good hearty pasture?

[@JoshuaVanlandingham]

In John's videos he says he goes by the 2 sq. ft. per chicken rule. 60 sq. ft. = 30 birds.

[@cascadervsolarsolutions]

I look forward to building my tractors in the next couple weeks! Thank you for the information on this. John's book is awesome

[@PANTTERA1959]

OMG LiL Buddy's so adorable. Spray some Rustoleum on the wood to waterproof it. It will save you from constant repairs every spring on the wood.

[@scuzzbecuzz]

Love lil buddy! What an inquisitive young man. I know you must be proud of him!

[@CogHillFarm]

Love John's tractor! Awesome job Dan

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

thank you Jason!

[@OFFGRIDwithDOUGSTACY]

look at you all mr builder and stuff =)

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

I'm no Doug but I'm getting a little better ;)

[@cjandauntieyaya1446]

Little Buddy is just too cute!

[@JAW88]

Those hats are truly the bomb I like that tractor

[@palmettopurist5549]

I really like that style tractor. Hope it works well for you guys.

[@TheApprenticeFarmer]

Good work Dan! I would recommend you add a couple more bolts to the front as well to support 2 more wheels. This will make it easy to move the tractor across the pasture when it's empty...unless you plan to use a trailer like John S does.

[@erosendaul]

this is on my list to build too. We need to pick up some meat birds soon if we're going to end up raising any this year.

[@lkhfun6575]

Ha ha. As soon as I saw you working on that I thought, that would be a perfect play house for Little Buddy. And he thought the same thing! Maybe you can build a mobile play house for him. :-)

[@evpalfy2464]

Wow you are getting better at building

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

😊 thank you

[@sherilange8687]

Great job!

[@FarmAlarm]

Sorry chickens, but i think the boy got a play house instead. Lol.😂 Good job on building the coop.

[@brianphilbrook5262]

Wow good job 👏

[@sweetheartsmom]

I have the book!! I need two of these but I haven't started them yet; it is on the back burner to the 3 acres of irrigation

[@BobbleheadHomestead]

Good choice for the tractor, imho. Its not like you've got 20 out them out of pasture like Salatin, I like the height of those and being able to get in and out. I'll be interested in your review after you've used it for a batch too.

[@portugeeprepper6821]

Peoria Dude I have a salatin style tractor too and when it comes time to process it's always a pain in the butt trying to reach them once they've caught on to what your doing. I like this Tractor so you can walk right in. I think I might adapted this roof to my base.

[@BobbleheadHomestead]

Cool, thanks. I think the Salatin style holds more birds with a larger base size? Putting some extra height on that size base, like Suscovich sounds like a great idea.

[@joanhendrix5967]

I just discovered that guy, John S. on Justin's tour. Very cool and good job!

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

😊 thank you

[@mikecox3659]

Like the lap-joints!

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

Thanks Mike!

[@kvitravn6354]

looking good Dan pretty soon you going to frame houses. I don't like picking on people's builds so plz don't think I am. instead of using wood glue in a small bottle I recommend using liquid nail it comes in a tube for caulking. easy application and when you done just plug the hole. it looks real good Dan any idea what is the material costs? as always good health and fortune to you and family.

[@lavenderrose22h55]

great job

[@MrScoresby]

Just saw your original chicken tractor build. You really have moved on and picked up a lot of skills. Good job; lap joints and drilling before screwing near board ends. Bert

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

:) Thanks for noticing! It's a journey

[@froshproductions]

Great job! If you’re using Johns stuff you should probably provide links to his channel and website. I see you mentioned him in the description but links are where it’s at.

[@MrSouthofBoston]

I'm just finishing mine. I bought John's plans and was a little bit disappointed that they lack some crucial details but I was able to fudge it.

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

I know what you mean. IIRC, the door part was a but lacking

[@princessperibanu380]

Love the hat, Little Buddy! Great work on the chicken tractor. I like that style best. I know it's silly, but I always wonder if the chicks might feel claustrophobic in the low flat-roofed tractors. ...Lol! Besides, how will they know if the sky is falling when the SHTF! (Don't ask, Little Mr. Precocious!)...Hope you slept well.. :)

[@cindywentworth5121]

Princess PeriBanu i

[@carolv8450]

Thumbs up!

[@heavenscenthomestead4242]

I bought John's book on this tractor style. Was it easy to follow? It is just the most practical style of Chicken tractor out there. I see that Justin Rhode is at his farm now. Being able to walk into it and stand up is a big deal for me. You did a great job on this tractor.

[@onedazinn998]

I love how light this design is...might even be doable on hills like I have. I'd be too nervous about using the fragile chicken wire, but I know John uses electric fencing; that's the only way I could trust it against predators round here...after watching a raccoon tear off thick wood planks off my house o.o You made the construction look easy. Little Buddy, you crack me up you silly :))

[@farmsteadfun5227]

Wow that's a really cool chicken tractor Dan. What are the dimensions on that tractor? I want to build one for my Cornish crosses. Thanks keep up the good work!!

[@Dakota77d]

where did you find the right size wheels - I would really appreciate the help. I am just gathering all the materials now....excited!

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

home depot

[@felixrossiter8581]

The green hat is back

[@akindofmagick]

felix rossiter - That was someone else in an entirely different green hat!! Not even the same color and style!! ;)

[@lmullens75]

Great video!!! We bought the plans, but not sure how we are going to keep ours predator-proof. Dogs, raccoons, and coyotes would dig right underneath and have a feast. Still thinking... but glad to hear it’s nice and lightweight!

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

John uses an electric polywire around his tractors for protection. If that is possible for you it would be worth considering

[@Wolfdogrules]

that green hat lol why didnt you put wire in the middle of the roof because the chicks could get out if there is no wire there

[@angelarai1]

wow i love that tractor , i have to make one for my ducks and i may get some chooks , this looks fabulous and i now know what i am going to construct thank you sooo much , , lil buddy is getting cuter by the min, so funny , i hope no pesky wild animals ate him , lol hahahahaha , by the way your wood work is improving :)

[@johnleden1909]

"Well try the bottom, just lift it!"

[@noahpoulos9696]

Do you have any issues with the edges laying flush with the ground on sloped or uneven pasture? If so, any tips?

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

A little bit. It isn't common though since my ground is pretty flat. A fix is putting a cinder block (or something heavy like that) on the ground to cover the gap.

[@bruce350]

One thing that confuses me with the chicken tractor for meat birds:- I keep hens for eggs and they have a coop to roost in at night which protects them from the cold in spring autumn and winter nights. What keeps your meat birds from freezing with so little shelter?

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

They only go to the tractor after they have feathers and in the late spring through early summer. They aren't cold

[@TheLongsFarm]

How long and wide is your tractor? I'm building one for laying hens and need max sq. footage.

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

I think it is 10x7

[@weetreebonsai]

tweeted

[@Hatarue]

Buddy you make me smile :)

[@Lucas_Terry]

Any plans you used for this specific one?

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

yes - I bought them from amazon. Do a search on Suscovich

[@hollym8814]

Hi, can you give a ballpark on what the total costs were to build one of these tractors, please? Thanks!

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

about $300

[@stevenskalman3162]

Did you use pressure treated wood for this tractor?

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

no, cedar

[@albanymountainhomestead]

what state are you in?

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

Idaho

[@danielflowers1985]

where did you buy the tarp/cover?

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

Amazon

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

It looks like they are out of stock on the 10x14 but here is the link to the product: amzn.to/2sZhGyv

[@danielflowers1985]

+The Grass-fed Homestead Thanks Dan, I really appreciate it, and all the time and effort you put into the videos, resources etc.

[@jamesritchie2167]

Guys will pay for your plans?

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

No, I bought plans from John Suscovich

[@sueleigh1018]

I'm DYING CAUSE HE'S SO CUTE!!! Kiss marks on my phone screen... If I could build a chicken tractor like that, I'd feel such satisfaction. You HAVE to build things and get everything else kept up with, so maybe it's become less of a big deal for you. I'm glad it's finished and ready. There's going to be one very tall chicken in there with the rest!! Unless he got tired of the playhouse! He wanted to make sure you'd keep the boogeyman predators out! How old is LB now?

[@TheGrassfedHomestead]

:) He is 6

[@polkroadproduce]

Buy the original book/plans by John Suscovich here: farmmarketingsolutions.com/stress-free-chicken-tractor-plans

[@amyjohnson7834]

nice kid tractor lol :)

[@RS-jj7yj]

feathered out? Those chickens are half bald. It's kind of sad hell humankind has done this to a breve chicken for the purposes of producing fast growing chickens... Very sad what we do to animals sometimes. these birds are very unhealthy. they outgrow their bones and their vital organs for the sake of producing meat in a very short time.... then we call it eating healthy