Easy Lightweight Chicken Tractor Build | DIY Mobile Chicken Coop

[@delaynacrowley5331]

Thank you for posting this,,,, we're DeLayna and Rik in Alabama,, we have been every where in 30+years,, and are ready to get back to Roots,, and are realizing how much we forgot,,, this has been a really big help,, thank you and God bless you guys😊

[@YouCanFarm]

I'm so glad you found it helpful!

[@sararenee7487]

This is perfect!! I will be making one soon! Not only for a chicken coop, but with the right tarping on the outside, it could also make a really great greenhouse! Thank you for sharing!

[@YouCanFarm]

That's a great idea!

[@TRINITY-ks6nw]

Agreed

[@anonioninalaska8685]

I just found your channel while looking up goat facts. You have lots of great content, and your music is not annoying. Thank you for sharing.

[@YouCanFarm]

Thanks for watching!

[@CatSamurai99]

I have been thinking about doing this for a while now. Glad to see videos to save me from error.

[@YouCanFarm]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@SurrealNotion]

Great ideas. Coupled with the ones I already had I feel I'm ready to takle our chick'tor. Thanks for sharing!

[@YouCanFarm]

Awesome, best of luck!

[@robertspencer8783]

This is great, thank you. I'm gonna do this for a meat bird coop

[@YouCanFarm]

If you are going to do this for meat birds, do not put the roost or the runners in the middle. This will make it easier to move with out catching a birds leg. Thanks for watching.

[@westzed23]

Just found your channel and now subscribed. You care so much for your animals. You show both the highs and also the lows of farming. This teaches how farming is done because so many people do not know what farming is like. Watched the new lambs and they are so cute.🥰🐏🐐🚜💖

[@YouCanFarm]

Thank you so much!

[@MikeStarr-h8b]

loved the video! i just wish I had the lengths of the pieces LOL My husband is not here to help me figure it out! But I love your design. I've watched it 3 times just in case I missed that part.

[@YouCanFarm]

Here is a link to the Chicken tractor plans. drive.google.com/file/d/1BBjkLacmvgedWvHnWcMM2poUfNAf4oZj/view

[@dawnfinniss7978]

You could add wheels easily! Thanks!

[@AZHighlandHomestead]

We may try this too. We also have a catahoula!

[@YouCanFarm]

Very cool!

[@hussamhallak7505]

I thought about this when I built my chicken coop, but the cost is way too high and the construction isn't as strong as wood. The problem is that it only takes a couple of years of good sunny days and some cold nights to make the PVC brittle and break when trying to move it. Nice work though. I like that you built it all in six hours. Amazing!

[@YouCanFarm]

Thanks, these are good points. We had a lot of the PVC pipe laying around the farm, so for us it was cheaper than buying wood. We have tried wood framed tractors in the past, and moved away from using them because they weren't as flexible over uneven ground or when turning the coop, plus they were much heavier.

[@hussamhallak7505]

@@YouCanFarm Makes sense. I am almost done with mine. I built it with wood and it is super heavy.

[@wheelie642]

@@hussamhallak7505I am thinking about building mine out of 1/4” luan plywood, and wood trim. Super lightweight.

[@hussamhallak7505]

@@wheelie642 yes that would be light, but make sure it is both treated for ground contact and safe for the chickens. I ended up building mine out of treated wood for the bottom part that is on the ground and the rest is with regular pine and plywood. I am now building another one with pallet wood and see how that goes. Pallet wood is lighter than plywood for the same thickness, but it takes longer to build because you are limited as far as measurements and have to work with wood that is warped a lot of times.

[@brettn4337]

G'day from downunder guys. Just found your channel and really enjoying the content. Keep up the good work

[@YouCanFarm]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@holistichealinghomestead]

New Sub here. Binge watching your videos and loving them. ❤️👍

[@YouCanFarm]

Aww, thank you so much. I'm glad you are enjoying them!

[@holistichealinghomestead]

@@YouCanFarm you're welcome 🤗

[@annaster7921]

What about the cold winter? Can the chickens live in the winter as well? I would like to work for my chickens as well. Thank you for this beautiful video

[@YouCanFarm]

Thanks for watching! We have very mild winters here in NC, so it works well for us year round. I think in a snowy, colder climate you would want to insulate the sides more with a bigger tarp or greenhouse plastic, and maybe bed down the interior with straw if the ground gets wet or snowy.

[@annaster7921]

Thanks for the reply. Greetings to you and your family ❤

[@AmeliaAnnesAnimals]

yes chickens can definitely live in the winter. the big hearty breeds, even silkies. not banties. and not hot weather chickens like arams..... i live in Northan Michigan off grid and they do ok. ducks actually do great. geese too. heritage turkeys do good. our coop is not insulated, and has open ventilation even in feet of snow. they absolutely must be protected from cold rain and wind which will make them sick. happy birding!

[@jeffthurman2844]

How long do you expect furniture grade pvc to last? Did you look into emt conduit? Also, have you been able to withstand raccoon and possum attacks?

[@YouCanFarm]

We have made several different coops with PVC frames, and also some that were partly made of conduit. Both have held up well for 5+ years. We typically have electric net fencing surrounding the coops or at least one hot wire around the bottom to prevent predator attacks. Without that extra protection we have had predators burrow underneath, but never had anything break into a coop.

[@AgriculturalCommunityFoundatio]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing. We are going to try to build this design for our small farm in Malawi, Africa. I might have missed it, but how many chickens will this hold?

[@YouCanFarm]

That's great! This holds up to 30 chickens.

[@sararenee7487]

I was looking around on your website to see if I could find the plans for this. Can you point me in the right direction?

[@YouCanFarm]

Yes, you can find it our our KZbin page: www.redtailedfarm.com/youtube

[@azquirk9846]

You reckon this is very safe against predetors? No right?

[@YouCanFarm]

No not by itself. We put one single polywire around the bottom, about a foot off the ground to prevent predators from getting close enough to attack. We only electrify it at night and haven't had any losses.

[@azquirk9846]

@YouCanFarm thank you so much for taking the time to reply

[@SkyreDraneth]

How's this hold up against predators? specifically raccoons? Have you had loss from predators with it? If so how bad?

[@YouCanFarm]

It holds up pretty well against predators. I do not think we have had any losses from Raccoons, yet. We have had some predator losses. The predators dig under the tractor. We mainly have foxes that do that. The way we have solved this issue is by putting a single hot wire around the bottom of the tractor.

[@tenmilechicks]

How did this hold up through the weather a year later??

[@YouCanFarm]

It has held up pretty well so far.

[@TheCrazyBunFarmMama]

Do they hold up okay in heavy wind?

[@YouCanFarm]

Good question! We usually stake down the corners if we are expecting high winds. A cheap tarp would likely be damaged, but they are easily replaced. We've had heavy duty canvas tarps hold up just fine.

[@TheCrazyBunFarmMama]

@@YouCanFarm Thanks for the reply! My husband and I think we are going to try to do something similar!

[@bjozuna3558]

How much did everything come out to

[@YouCanFarm]

At the time I made this tractor i think it was around 400 dollars.

[@smknmom]

About what would you say this cost you?

[@YouCanFarm]

I think it is about 400 to 500 dollars. Thank you for watching.

[@mattbauman5190]

What’s your total cost for materials?

[@YouCanFarm]

Around 300 Dollars. Thanks for watching.

[@rodneyb7918]

New subscriber, question where do you get all male American bresse chickens?

[@YouCanFarm]

I'm not sure. I got my birds from Fat Chicken Farm. We got straight run chicks (both male and female) but separated the males to finish for meat.

[@rodneyb7918]

Does Fat Chicken Farm have page, still sell American Bresse chickens?

[@YouCanFarm]

Yes they still sell and ship chicks, you would have to google them.

[@annieshaw2667]

What was the estimated cost of this run?

[@YouCanFarm]

It cost about $400, depending on where you get materials.

[@amigee2041]

Hi guys! Great video, thankyou! I can't seem to find the plans on your website - what section would they be under, please?

[@YouCanFarm]

So sorry, we had technical difficulties getting them onto the website, but they are on there now: www.redtailedfarm.com/youtube

[@amigee2041]

@@YouCanFarm amazing, thankyou!! Very clear and easy to understand, especially alongside the vid :)