How to Add A Metal Roof to Suscovich Chicken Tractor | Chicken Tractor Plans for 25 Chickens

Whether you’ve already built a whole fleet of Suscovich chicken tractors ‪@farmmarketing‬ or are building your first one, this step-by-step tutorial will show you how to add a metal roof to this beloved chicken tractor design.
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[@farmmarketing]

I would add something to take the roofing down to the ground. When you get bad storms it is really worth it to have the covering go all the way to the ground to give hte birds a safe place to get out of weather and cross winds.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

That’s a good thought! It wouldn’t be hard to add some small panels on the sides and would definitely help in extreme weather.

[@thunderdove3764]

@@FromScratchFarmstead I think I'd use flaps on the lower part, like canvas, that could be raised if it's hot and winds might be helpful to ventilate. I also think it might become airborne where I am, we get high gusty winds at times. I'd probably use rebar pieces bent in a 90* angle to drive down into the ground if winds are coming. I also get a lot of weasels and mink coming through in shoulder seasons, and in summer, and Fall, raccoons. I'd have to provide something with a bottom, or all hardware cloth and perimeter on the ground hw cloth surround so they can't dig under at night. A LG Dog would help if I could know he'd always be there at the right time!

[@mjcadillac815]

Heres why this guy is good. He makes the mistakes that some of us (like me) would make - then he fixes them. I dont like videos of perfection where everything goes perfectly... because it never does in real life!! Thanks for showing me how to do this

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Ha! Thanks for the kind words! I figure showing people my mistakes and hopefully saving them the hassle is the most helpful tutorial I can put out there. Thanks for watching!

[@dougdixon4587]

Mine is SOOO freaking heavy with the metal roof panels. I did make it taller than the original - 6ft at the peak. Should make a bomb-proof shelter for the winter tho!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yep, the metal roofing adds somewhere in the 80-90 lb. range from my estimation. One of the drawbacks for sure, but then you do get a bombproof tractor! Thanks for watching!

[@iamGrowing]

Leaving a second comment with an update: we just finished this today and it’s great, your instructions are spot on. The only thing we did different was that our roofing panels were 6 feet long (they came in 12 footers so I cut in half). Since they are slightly longer they hang off the side and create an awning. Also, our top piece was 10 feet long so did not need to do a makeshift one on the last foot or so. We stained the whole tractor with semi transparent Salamander Green from Benjamin Moore. Looks amazing with our silver metal roof. Thanks again for posting this video, helped us out a lot!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Awesome! So happy to hear it worked out for you. And I’d love to see a picture of the salamander green tractor! Yes, I think I forgot to mention it in the video but the length of the roof can definitely be adjustable. And may need to be depending on how you bent your pipe for the roof. I like the overhang idea! Cheers and happy chicken raising!

[@iamGrowing]

@@FromScratchFarmstead where can I send you some pics?

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

On the banner of our channel page their's a link to our website. Scroll all the way down and there's an email button and you can send them through email. Look forward to seeing it!

[@annelandon7889]

I am about to attempt building one of these and have the JS booklet. I appreciate the idea of a metal roof as I live in a very windy spot and the tarp would be under too much stress. I note that John comments that the side could do with enlcosing too, so I am planning on doing that too. Thank you to both of you for posting on KZbin and sharing your skills and knowledge.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Awesome, hope it turns out great for you! I think adding an extra skirt along the side, especially if it's really windy, would be a really good idea. One minor thing I'll mention to help with the wind is that if you overhang the metal roof like I did in the back of the tractor and add a small ridge piece on top, use a piece of wood or something on the underside to sink the screws into when fastening. I just put the self tapping roof screws through the roofing without anything below and the vibration from the wind works them loose over time. Thanks for watching and happy chicken raising!

[@TheStickinator]

One little time saver might be to use a hole saw to drill 3 holes the needed size for your pipes in the lumber before cutting it down the center making your 2x2. You only need to do this 3 times and you have round notches for the pipes.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Great idea! You just need to make sure you leave enough wood on either side of the hole. But that can definitely work! Thanks for watching!

[@petenelson8136]

Love the idea of a metal roof. I'm researching building one of these (I built a Joel Saladin Chicken Tractor last year, hated it = way too heavy to move and we've got rolling pastures). Like you I don't like the idea of a tarp roof, and I've got a bunch of sheet metal laying around that I can use for the roofs like you did. Thanks for sharing this.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Nice! Hope you love it! Thanks for watching!

[@Booneboarder]

Really love the metal roof idea. Not a fan of tarps also. They only last a couple of years in my area at most. Will be doing the metal roof on mine. Thanks for the video and idea.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@sethhewett2171]

I’ve done something very very similar and love it. But check out pipe maker. You can buy some of their straight brackets and even 90s for the top. And use little short pieces of Emt. Mine came out great. And it’s a little lighter than wood. I’m glad to see someone had a like minded idea. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for the tip! I did check out pipe maker (looks like they might go by maker pipe now) and looks like a sweet system! Endless possibilities. I also talked to someone who did a similar metal roof install to mine but instead of notching the 2x2's fastened them with EMT straps. I think there's pros and cons both ways but that's another good option. Thanks for watching and good luck to you!

[@greggmcclelland8430]

I love what you have done. I built a tall chicken house on a trailer. The roof is metal, but what I did that you may consider is running the roofing horizontally. You start at the top with the 3 ft wide piece evenly divided along the ridge. You run the ribs of the roofing along the length of the tractor. Then you add horizontal roof pieces until you make your way to the ground. You tuck each piece underneath the edge of the one above it. Car ports use this design. Its really strong because of the steel ribs running perpendicular to the trusses.. I would consider just making trusses using 2x2 treated wood and then eliminating the conduit and all of the conduit bending. This would also eliminate cutting the metal roof.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for sharing! That does sound like a great option as well! I wanted to show in the video how to convert the conduit roof to metal roofing since so many have existing sucovich tractors with that setup. But if I were just building one from scratch, I agree that wood framing the roof makes sense and I love the idea of laying the metal sheets horizontally. That would make it much easier!

[@farmmarketing]

Love you too buddy! Great video.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Appreciate it! Thanks for all you do, John!

[@gregadams8354]

Very nice !!! Think I'd use white but looks awesome 👌

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks!

[@ricksanchez2090]

Good build! You can look it up on youtube "cutting metal roof backwards saw blade" if you want to see examples of how to save a lot of time and headache on that step

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Awesome, thanks for the tip! I'll need to check that out because I definitely haven't figured out the best method for cutting metal panels. Thanks for watching!

[@northerngirlhobbies]

You can use a skill saw and flip the blade works great brother to cut steel just wear face protection

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Oh man, I'm going to have to try this in the future. Thanks for the tip!

[@laneclaypool8005]

Use a dull blade turned backwards on your circular saw to cut your metal roofing. I will get smooth cuts. Be sure to use hearing protection.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Oh nice, thanks for that tip! Knew there had to be a better way. Thanks for watching!

[@scottjkern]

Hey, this is a great video. I’m just wondering how come you didn’t put the two by twos on the outside then you went ahead to cut into the two by twos for the pipe you could’ve shot a screw through the pipe into the wood inside.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Hi! I did it so that the roof panels sit flush with the pipe. Also, it gives a clamping effect where the wood and the metal clamp the pipe which makes it more secure. There's definitely many ways to skin a cat on this one but this is what I came up with and it's held up well! Thanks for watching!

[@scottjkern]

I have another good answer for you the skill saw you were using save the doll blades and put it on backwards. It will cut right through it like you would not believe but put it Ear muffin in ear… it’s loud

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Sounds like a huge time saver! Thanks!

[@wolffortenberry33]

Does this make it more difficult to move around? I really love the metal roofing idea and getting rid of all the plastic pieces altogether!

[@iamGrowing]

We just did ours today and it’s pretty heavy. I can pull it without issues but my girlfriend is struggling to move it (she’s 5’1 and about 100 pounds). We added an old garden hose over the pulling rope so it’s easier on your hands.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

My estimate is that it adds about 80-90 lbs. From my experience with these tractors getting the rope length dialed in for your height is pretty important to move it easily. It’s all on the technique! I’ve only had a metal roof on mine so nothing to compare it to. It pulls fine straight but is a bit tricky to turn. Thanks for watching!

[@lessycurls]

Very nice. Like this better than tarp

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for watching!!

[@AviaryBirdsAndCo]

Great addition

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks you and thanks for watching!

[@MissChievousRN]

10:25 jigsaw works well too

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Good to know! Thanks for watching!

[@MissChievousRN]

@@FromScratchFarmstead You did an excellent job and walked us thru everything. I'll definitely be putting roofs on my coops exactly like this! Thank you so much!!

[@StephenBiggers]

I am building a hoop coop with cattle panels instead and was wondering you thoughts on using this roofing but rounded with the ribs running in the the horizontal position. looking for advice from you or your followers. I too don't want to use a tarp.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

I would think that would work well as long as you can figure out a good way to fasten the roof to the cattle panel. Metal roofing bends fairly easily when bent with the ribs and I’d think you’d be able to bend it with the curve of the panel no problem. Good luck!

[@traceyosborn6210]

Curious why the 2x2's we're notched and mounted under the EMT. Could these have been added on top of the EMT or is the gap at the bottom too large? I do like this style of CT better than the other low- profile CT that is also popular. Good video

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yes, eliminating the gap is exactly right! I wanted the roof panels to sit flush with the EMT. If you add the 2x2's on top of the EMT I thought it might create enough room for a predator to squeeze between the tractor and the roof. But mounting them on top of the EMT with a basic EMT clamp could definitely be an option if you're not concerned about the gap for predators. Mounting the 2x2's under the EMT also creates a nice clamping effect between the roof and 2x2's that makes a secure hold to the EMT. Thanks for watching!!

[@halilbalaban1056]

Hello From Scratch Farmstead, how are you today? I'm watching you from Turkey. In which country do you live? I really like the chicken tractor you made. Especially the roof covering was magnificent. Healt of your hand and your efor (This sentence is a folk expression used in my country to appreciate those who do good and good work). I congratulate you on this successful update. I would appreciate it if you could write down the dimensions of this tractor's width, length, roof height and side wall height in feet. I offer my love, respect and greetings to you and your family from Turkey.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Hello! Thank you so much for this kind message and love the folk expression you shared! As for the dimensions, the tractor is about 6' wide, 10' long, and around 5-1/2" high. Thank you for watching and wish you all the best!

[@glenncollins294]

Thanks I like the idea. I think 4’ sides are better. Glenn

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Nice, I like the idea of the 4’ sides. Thanks for watching!

[@FayioKhan]

Love your life ❤

[@SarahPerine]

Thanks so much! I want to do this and also use hardware cloth and add a predator apron around the bottom. What do you think? Thanks 😊

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You bet! Hope the roof works out great for you! For the apron, do you mean like a hardware cloth frame that lays horizontally around the tractor or are you talking about something else? If that's what you're thinking I'm guessing it would be to keep something from digging under? I've wondered about doing something similar but haven't seen or figured out how to do so with a moveable tractor that's not always getting in the way. You might also consider some sort of basic electric fencing or netting to put around the tractor. We do that and thankfully have never hand anything try and dig under the tractor. Thanks so much for watching!

[@SarahPerine]

@@FromScratchFarmstead thanks so much! I love the idea of electric fence…🤔

[@BeefRocknmore]

It just dawned on me... here in Northern Colorado / Southern Wyoming the wind will destroy these and send the chickens to Kansas... and then Toto will get them. The last few days have been 50+ mph winds and I have large drifts of tumbleweeds everywhere. I am pretty sure I have to do a traditional pole-barn ("post frame" to be fancy) coop. That's ok. Maybe I can combine it with the in-ground and "Chinese style" greenhouse with dirt insulating the north wall and maybe a bit more.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

🤣 yikes, that could very well be true. A pole barn would definitely be a more secure option for you. Thanks for watching!

[@iamGrowing]

Perfect. It’s what I want to do as well

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Very cool! Would love to know how it works out for you. Thanks for watching!

[@iamGrowing]

@@FromScratchFarmstead thanks!

[@LabratOfficial]

throw a makeshift pvc gutter on it for water collection

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

I like it!

[@endlessnameless8181]

If you got a worn out circular saw blade you can put it on backwards and cut metal with ease.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Very interesting! I will need to try that. Thanks for sharing and watching!

[@bobbywatts7472]

THAT'S VERY NICE I NEED ONE BAD

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

👍 go for it! Thanks for watching!!

[@ceschias3733]

The roof screw goes on the mountain not on the valley. My field of expertise en galvanized roofing. Love, Antigua Guatemala, OsoYolo.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Awesome, thanks for the tip!!

[@johandelange6925]

Little note: first you make the holes (28 mm) than you cut them in half. Bote sides have the savings.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

👍 Thanks for watching!

[@ruffneckranch]

Genius! Been watching these hoop coop videos all to get some ideas and came across this. Definitely doing this!!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Awesome! Hope the project goes great and happy chicken raising! Thanks for watching!

[@TimberBlitzen]

Do the chickens sleep in there or do you move them to a coop at night?

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

They do sleep in the tractor at night. We move them in there from the brooder once their feathers are in and temps are warm enough for them to be outside 24/7. They've always done great. And for predators we have a perimeter of electro netting around the area we pull the tractors through that has always kept them safe from ground predators at night. Hope that helps! Thanks for watching!

[@ericskrivseth4937]

If you are going to put steel on the roof I would just hand frame the roof with wood material and scratch out the conduit piping

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yes, totally agree! Since so many suscovich tractors already exist out there, I wanted to show other how they could convert their current conduit setup to a metal roof. But a wood framed roof would probably streamline things. Thanks for watching!

[@brandonandkeiafink204]

Very nice! Thanks for sharing.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@loriegroth2472]

How much does this add to the weight? I’m moving the tractor by myself. Thx.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Using some weights listed from the manufacturer on the materials it looks like it adds around 80-90 lbs. Hope that helps!

[@thiagoviana4182]

Where did you purchase the metal roofing? Just curious.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

I got it from Menards. You can sometimes find used roof panels or ones someone had leftover from a project on marketplace or Craigslist. Thanks for watching!

[@iamGrowing]

I bought 12 footers from Lowes. Cut them in half and have 6 footers on each side (they go a bit lower so I get decent rain protection).

[@williamsessums245]

I live in a cold area with lots of wind. do you transport your chickens to coop at night?

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Not sure where you're at, but most places should be fine keeping them outside in the tractor at night in summer and in the warmer spring and fall months. We get ours outside once they're about 6 weeks old pretty early in the spring and haven't had issues. Once they have their feathers in they're pretty hardy. You could also add some metal roof panels or tarps on the sides or even the back side to block wind and trap in heat. Thanks for watching!

[@williamsessums245]

@@FromScratchFarmstead I live in southeast Wyoming. With winds about 30 to 50 mph at times and gusts over 60mph.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yeah, I think some side panels would definitely help for the wind and any other extreme weather that comes through. But I think the chickens should do fine in the tractor 24/7. Happy chicken raising!

[@SarahPerine]

I am finally about to build my first one and I’m definitely doing your style with the metal roof. I do wonder if it becomes a kite in high winds!

[@Kindafu]

Ok so I wasn’t the only person that thought about this. I was thinking about aluminum (less heat) like Salatin uses but in this shape

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Nice! I like the aluminum idea. Plus that would make it quite a bit lighter to pull too. Thanks for watching!

[@sheilamclaughlin963]

1 cut in the center, leaves short eves

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Yes! That is definitely a simpler route to go. In my case I didn't want (potential) shin slicers hanging over and needed to keep the profile narrow with the rows we pull it through. But leaving the eaves hang a bit would probably be the better option for most. Thanks for watching!

[@lunarrn]

I’d love to metal roof my suscovich tractors but the metal is so expensive. I can buy a $20 tarp every year for ten year before I’d spend as much as metal roofing.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Understandable!

[@coziii.1829]

I don’t like the doors square to a triangle. Need those smooth fit

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Fair enough. Thought about modifying it at one point to fit the triangle but was just too much of a hassle. Squares are straight forward. Thanks for watching!

[@coziii.1829]

Make it taller and a bit bigger Make it multi purpose A green house A brooder A egg laying coop Meat chickens Instead of metal use the clear greenhouse plex Collapsible wheels Cattle panels as well . I’m working on this Use it for multiple uses Pulled by human or a any type of farm vehicle But yes a bit mor expensive but I like multi use But glad you all do these videos I used about 6 videos to get my ideas of all types of the coop / tractor stuff Oh and I’m doing a rain catch gutter for the water . Well I hope so

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Good thoughts! Thanks for watching!

[@barz51]

You made me so nervous using the table saw like that! Save your fingers and thumbs by taking a few minutes and making a couple push sticks out of scrap. Otherwise, great addition!

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for the advice!!

[@Pepeekeo808]

Metal roof is a great idea, but you didn't go far enough. Consider getting rid of all the wood and replacing those parts with metal or PVC. Wood is not going to last.

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Hey there! Great thought. Part of why I did it this way was because I knew many might be interested in retrofitting their existing Suscovich tractor without wanting to rebuild the roof. But I agree, if I were going to build another I'd definitely consider something other than the metal pipe. Plus, bending it and getting the angles/sizes just right is the hardest part! Thanks for watching!

[@coziii.1829]

Screw the pipes just use wood Or cattle panel

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

I hear ya. There’s definitely multiple ways to go about it.

[@johnf8877]

How about a video showing how you wife can still move the tractor everyday by herself?

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

I bet she could! Once you get the technique down it's not that bad... especially with the wheels. Thanks for watching!

[@bobbychaney8372]

Green absorbs too much heat

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Good call! Lighter colors are definitely best if heat is an issue. We've actually switched to doing all our birds early in the season so thankfully heat hasn't been a concern. Thanks for watching!

[@cancelchannel3394]

Poor design

[@FromScratchFarmstead]

Thanks for watching!

[@rkgrkg1384]

Compared to Star Trek technology? I love this man’s modifications and his “fellow citizen” mentality of sharing how he did it. Helps me out greatly. Thank you Scratch Farm!

[@er7szef]

szału nie ma