How to Build a Joel Salatin Style Chicken Tractor

Today, I would like to show you how to build a Joel Salatin style chicken tractor. This type of chicken tractor allows you to move your broilers, aka meat chickens, throughout your pastures while keeping them protected from predators and giving them a shelter from the wind, rain, and sun.
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5 Gallon Food Grade Bucket for Water
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Plasson Broiler Drinker
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Dolly / Hand Truck
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► Article With More Info: farmhacker.com/joel-salatin-style-chicken-tractor/

[@Farmhacker]

Hey friends, if you would like to learn more about building this then go here. farmhacker.com/joel-salatin-style-chicken-tractor/ Also, if you would like to learn how to make extra money on your own farm then check out our free eBook called How to Make an Extra $1,000 on Your Small Farm. farmhacker.com/free-ebook

[@JesiDavisBuildingaSimplerLife]

GREAT value in this video!! Thank you! We need to build this!!!

[@Catherinetingey]

This is absolutely incredible. I appreciate your straightforward design, execution and explanation for a new homesteader like me!

[@Farmhacker]

Thank you!

[@BUTTEWORKS]

Great video, I'll definitely will build mine based on this design.

[@pobo6113]

Here I’ve been trying to figure out how I would get something to lift the back of the tractor to move it. I laughed when I say your dolly because I have one. 🤷🏻‍♀️ thanks for sharing

[@nullgravity2583]

That breeze must of felt good😎

[@raincoast9010]

That's really nice.

[@journeyfortwo5211]

Very nicely built

[@abundantlyblessedhomestead9951]

Thanks for this video!

[@Farmhacker]

You're very welcome. I'm glad you found it helpful.

[@israelnemitz8323]

Great video

[@raincoast9010]

Thank you.

[@svensvendelson4178]

Dude that is such a great video. Minimal talking and so much info. I’m building the same thing.

[@raincoast9010]

Nice job.

[@SilverChanel78]

baeutiful , verygood

[@amandaandjimkohler4629]

Thank you for the great video! I especially like the waterer and the unconventional way you choose to move the tractor around. I do have a question; is it necessary to put chicken wire under the skirting?

[@Farmhacker]

Thank you! I put chicken wire under the skirting simply because chicken wire is harder to chew through than the plastic skirting and I wanted to make sure my chickens were protected against predators.

[@williambryan2804]

Nice, simple, very informative video. Nice idea on the bucket for water. Thank you. About how much does this weigh? How easy is it to move?

[@Farmhacker]

Thanks! Not sure about the weight but it is heavy. I also wouldn't say it's easy to move either but I'm able to move it without issue.

[@paperaxes4192]

A five gallon bucket of water weighs about 41.5 lbs. It's pretty heavy. If possible, I recommend running sprinkler/irrigation line to a flexible line that connects to the tractor, which can be fed from pressure or from a static tank mounted high enough to gravity feed. Moving those buckets every day when you move the tractor gets old fast, and you'll want to think about where you put them when building it - is it removable (with a potentially messy/lossy quick connect) or is it connected by a longer hose that might get kinked or positioned wrong, cutting off water for the birds? If you're going to mount it on the tractor, put it on the dolly-side so you can move it more easily.

[@williambryan2804]

@@paperaxes4192 For Texas the Salatin style tractor is the "easy bake oven". I went with a higher more open tractor I can walk into to get better airflow. I installed a chicken watering system that is a bowl. As the bowl fills it lowers and the valve closes. It's hooked up to our pressurized water. smile.amazon.com/dp/B000AYFZ60?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

[@MORNINGWOODMILLS]

Great video, do the chickens ever get stuck while moving, or do you always have someone spot for you?

[@Farmhacker]

They typically move forward as the chicken tractor is moved forward. If not, they get bumped by the back part of the tractor which causes them to run forward.

[@jacobspalms2116]

Thank you for sharing your project. How do you access the chickens in the roofed and wall area if you need to?

[@Farmhacker]

I open the hatch, step inside, and just reach under the covered area to pull them out.

[@liamgarner6856]

what angle did you cut the ends of those diagonal 2x2's at? awesome build for sure and will definitely be building one or two this summer.

[@Farmhacker]

Great to hear you'll be building some. I'm not sure about the exact angle. I placed the 2x2s where they were going to go and just marked the angle with a pencil so it wasn't exact. Hope that helps.

[@rafterL78]

Half of a 90° corner is 45°. If your pen is square then that will be the angle you need... or just mark and cut to fit as he mentioned. Either way

[@TheMesopo]

Thank you so much for making this video for us. How do you clean the chicken poop? Do you let it stay there and let them walk all over it?

[@Farmhacker]

You're welcome! A chicken tractor is designed to be moved so they don't have to constantly stand in their poop and so they have access new forage every day. Their poop fertilizes the pasture making it better than it was before the chickens were on it.

[@melissakibler4966]

Yea the point is to move it around! If not then you would have them in a chic house!

[@ichooselife1916]

Nice work! Does this setup only work for broiler chickens? Or can it work for egg layers as well??

[@Farmhacker]

Thanks! Yes, this is only for broilers. For egg layers, check out my video on my Joel Salatin Style Eggmobile Portable Chicken Coop kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4XJoGyZo8lmlc0

[@johnscarboroughregenerativ7240]

Good video Simple And to the point I am curious to hear your thoughts on why you don't use pressure traded wood?

[@Farmhacker]

Hi John, I didn't want to expose the chickens to the chemicals that have been added to the pressure-treated lumber. Since the chickens might peck at the wood, I wanted to use something natural instead.

[@johnscarboroughregenerativ7240]

Thanks That's kind of what I figured I just wanted to know if there was anything I didn't know about I just finished making one and I have A sawmill so I sawed up some white oak lumber for the bottom. I'm excited to see how well that works.

[@paperaxes4192]

@@johnscarboroughregenerativ7240 You can also burn the outside of the wood to make it rot resistant. While I like natural materials, I also like the idea of putting a PVC pipe on the bottom of the two lateral sides to both serve as skids (making it easier to move) and to raise the wood off of the ground slightly to get airflow underneath, preserving the wood.

[@johnscarboroughregenerativ7240]

I actually ended up using white oak on the bottoms Check it out kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGnLinqlobucrKc

[@32kay12]

Love the setup, from my understanding the birds are moved every day to get new feed, how much land would you need to make sure the chickens aren't eating in an area where there's fresh droppings, like does the chicken dropping have a timeline that it fertilizes the grass?

[@ashleycampbell8767]

You’re going to be more concerned about your pasture regrowing to the point it can sustain being eaten again. That’s going to depend on a few factors. Your soil, what’s growing in it, rainfall etc.

[@champherren2159]

Do you remove the bucket when moving? Does it have a coupling? Thank you.

[@Farmhacker]

I don’t have to remove it. The chicken wire under it helps to give it a good grip and keep it from sliding around. I suppose you could secure it if you want to. You will want a lid for the bucket though. The water will slosh out of the top if you don’t have one.

[@simonstevenson1437]

Would have been good to see some of the construction processes.ir wrapping the chicken wire edited into the video. Timescale too..how long start to finish and cost?

[@Farmhacker]

Hi Simon! I worked on it over the course of a week on and off so I don't know exactly how much time it took but I would say that if you worked on it non-stop you could build one in a day. The cost for this one was roughly $125 but this will depend largely on how much material you already have on hand and how much you need to buy. Wrapping the chicken wire was really simple. I just used a staple gun to secure it as I wrapped the wire over and around the chicken tractor. Hope this helps.

[@uarpe]

nice video, my chicken tractor its too big and heavy (11x11 feet ) , greetings from Argentina

[@Farmhacker]

Sorry to hear that. You can add wheels to one side to make it easier to pull. I’ve seen other people do that with their chicken tractors.

[@stwong71]

Thank you for the video! How tall is your chicken tractor?

[@Farmhacker]

It’s around 2 feet tall.

[@ma06es08]

Hi thanks for the informative video. Is there a roost inside?

[@Farmhacker]

There isn't a roost in mine. Cornish Cross chickens get so big that they would have a hard time getting up on a roost.

[@TheMesopo]

When it rains, they go inside the shaded part. But, what about winter nights? Maybe I'm wrong but they must feel so cold!

[@Farmhacker]

I use this type of chicken tractor to raise meat chickens and I only raise them in the summer.

[@robertmusgrave7875]

In the summer how do you keep the enclosed area of the chicken tractor cool enough to prevent the chickens from getting to hot? It seems a taller tractor would be better for this reason. I am new to this, so I am learning. I live in Oklahoma and the summers can reach 100° plus.

[@Farmhacker]

Heat hasn’t been an issue for mine. You could take the panels off of one of the sides temporarily to increase air flow on really hot days.

[@dbonner107]

I love this idea!!!! Can predators dig underneath it to get to the chickens?

[@Farmhacker]

I’ve never had that happen with mine.

[@lukemcdermott8698]

Curious, in the heat of summer does the metal tin get too hot for them to be under when they need shade?

[@Farmhacker]

It's plastic so it doesn't get very hot. It's basically the same thing as vinyl siding for a home.

[@timeflies2550]

Have you had any predators dig under these? How did you prevent predators if yes? How does this tractor do in heavy winds?

[@Farmhacker]

I have never had any problems with predators digging under it. They are pretty heavy so it's hard for anything to lift it up and I've never had an issue with heavy winds moving it.

[@dondoinstuff5169]

Thanks for the video. I wish you had moved the coop a few feet. Would 25 Cornish hens fit in one. And what kind of dolly was that?

[@Farmhacker]

Yes, 25 should be fine. The dolly is just a regular hand truck. If you check out the article on my website about building one of these you’ll find a link to one I recommend. You can find a link to the article in the video description or pinned comment.

[@dondoinstuff5169]

@@Farmhacker Thanks, that tutorial is very well done. Im going to build one.

[@raincoast9010]

Josh Saliten makes a really good dolly for this type of tractor.

[@ashleycampbell8767]

Thank you for getting to the point. The other video I started to watch was 30 minutes long. 🤦‍♀️

[@Farmhacker]

Thanks you! I completely understand. I always try to get straight to the point.

[@albertabuckhunter]

Do you think you could use a tarp instead of the tin to cover the sides? Just thinking on hot days you could roll them up for air flow.

[@albertabuckhunter]

Should say sides and top

[@Farmhacker]

Yes, a tarp could probably work just as well. You probably wouldn’t want to roll up the top part during a hot day though. They need a cover to provide shade. You could roll it up on the sides though. Also, for the record, there isn’t tin on mine. It’s plastic. I just used tin snips to cut it.

[@allenclayton4162]

What are the dimensions on that. How many broilers do you keep in there? And how much total real-estate do you need to devote to a meat-bird tractor?

[@Farmhacker]

It's roughly 10ft L x 10ft W x 2ft H. I've never calculated up how much land I need for it but I would say half an acre is probably enough for one that's being moved every day.

[@canadiannaturalist6369]

Whats the maximum number meat hens you could put under a 10x10 tractor. Ive been trying to find Joel Salatin's recommendations on this but can't seem to find anything

[@Farmhacker]

I wouldn’t put more than 25 in there personally.

[@raincoast9010]

i was wondering that too.

[@paperaxes4192]

@@raincoast9010 Most regs call for about 3 square feet per bird, so in theory you can put 33 birds in a 10x10 enclosure. There's a sweet spot where you have a good number of birds - not too crowded so they fight, not so empty that they all just lay in one spot inside and poop it up. This being said, when you're about ready to harvest you'll want to be sure to move that thing every day or the manure bed will attract flies and act as mulch until it breaks up. Daily move manure generally breaks up after the first rain or comes apart with sun and plant growth.

[@schmit55]

Salatin says 75-80 in a 12'x12'

[@ambergerbuns]

Did you include a roosting bar for them? I watched through again but still didn’t catch it.

[@Farmhacker]

It doesn’t have a roosting bar because Cornish Cross broilers grow very fast and are too heavy to hop up on one.

[@throwitdowngrilling6200]

Is the door big enough ? Or did you find you needed it bigger on process day ? Also how tall? Any improvements you wish you made

[@Farmhacker]

It’s roughly 2 feet tall. If you wanted you could add a door to the covered part. Sometimes they will run to the back which makes them harder to catch. But we would just get inside and catch them. I am interested in building one entirely out of 2x2’s in the future to reduce the weight. I’m just not sure how durable it will be until I try.

[@paperaxes4192]

@@Farmhacker I've used 1x4's to make sides and such for ours. Most of the load is vertical, so it's only when you're moving the coop that you really stress the frame much at all (although a 5 gallon bucket weighs over 41lbs when full so consider that when building). I would recommend securing that door - it's possible that you've never had a raccoon in your coop before, but I have, and it's one of the worst things I've seen in my life and I've been around. I'm not going to describe it here, but it's bad. They're smart and dexterous so simple hook & eye loops aren't good enough - we use two spring-sealed hooks through eyelets on ours, where it takes some strength to release each hook. They're kind of a pain to open, but I almost never have to open ours since I run water and food in from the outside.

[@Farmhacker]

These are really good tips. Thanks for sharing. I’ve never had an issue with raccoons personally but I know others that have so I understand why you recommend that. Thanks again!

[@millerlisa1]

What do you use for the other set of wheel opposite the dolly?

[@Farmhacker]

I don’t have wheels on the other end. I just drag it. But I have seen some that had wheels attached. If you do attach wheels, you’d just need to make sure that they still allow the chicken tractor to sit on the ground, otherwise, a predator may be able to get through.

[@calvingould2368]

Do you know what the total lengths for all the lumber was? How many 2x2s and 2x4s?

[@Farmhacker]

I give more info regarding the amount and lengths of 2x4s in this article. farmhacker.com/joel-salatin-style-chicken-tractor/

[@cheapreviews4691]

when it rains? will the rain go to the shaded part? isnt it bad for the chickens?

[@Farmhacker]

Yes, they go inside the covered part when it rains to stay dry. It's large enough that rain doesn't tend to get inside of it.

[@cheapreviews4691]

@@Farmhacker oh nice. will it be snake proof? is the net suffient to make it snake proof?

[@Farmhacker]

You could buy chicken wire with smaller holes to help with that. Where I live, snakes are not a problem for the size of the chickens that I raise in my chicken tractor so I've never had an issue with them.

[@theyoungnative93]

What is the name of that type of dolley/where did you get it?

[@Farmhacker]

Hi Tim, I added a link to one in the description of the video so you can see what type I recommend.

[@theyoungnative93]

@@Farmhacker thanks man. the handle of that Dolley doesn't dig into the ground?

[@Farmhacker]

I don’t lean it down that far. I only lean it down far enough to pick the back end of the chicken tractor off the ground so I can pull it.

[@theyoungnative93]

@@Farmhacker oh ok makes sense

[@missinglinks5530]

Any issues with digging predators? Mink/coyote?

[@Farmhacker]

I’ve never had any issues with predators.

[@Caterhamse7en]

Would it be an okay idea to put chicken wire on the bottom? I’m considering putting wheels on one end and using a length of ropes on the other to pick up and move the tractor and I would like something on the bottom to keep the chickens in the tractor and safe while moving.

[@Farmhacker]

I'm not sure how well having chicken wire on the bottom would work. The chickens need to be able to scratch around in order to find bugs along with the different plants they want to eat. Chicken wire on the bottom would probably prevent them from being able to do that. Just move it slowly. When you bump the chickens that are near the back they will naturally run forward.

[@Caterhamse7en]

@@Farmhacker thank you for the reply. I did not think about the wire getting in the way of their scratching and rooting around. Thank you.

[@raincoast9010]

@@Farmhacker I have seen some put a "bumper bar" at the back of the tractor/coop to nudge the chickens so they don't end up getting run over. Part of me wonders what the difference is between having the bumper and the back wall itself. shrug...

[@paperaxes4192]

@@raincoast9010 If you aren't careful, and especially if you have an injured bird or two (meat birds generally aren't very hardy), you may end up with birds that don't move away from the back wall well and they can end up getting crushed as you move the tractor - maybe just a leg trapped, maybe a whole bird. I haven't tried a bumper bar, but I might - I'd probably pull from the open end with the bucket on it (lift the weight and the coop can weigh very little) and then put a "roost" inside on the back wall, which will serve as the bumper. I'm building a new tractor this year so I could try it out.

[@johndevivo6620]

Where do they lay the eggs? How do you harvest them?

[@Farmhacker]

This chicken tractor is for meat chickens, not layers. If you want to see what a portable coop for egg layers looks like, check out this video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4XJoGyZo8lmlc0

[@jessicabaker7295]

How to do you protect the feeder when it's raining?

[@Farmhacker]

The Cornish Cross chickens that are raised in this chicken tractor will typically eat all of the feed before the rain is even a problem. If it’s a downpour all day then you can slide the feeder under the covered part.

[@beachinthemorning]

Do meat chickens lay their eggs in there? If so how do you get to those so they don't get smashed when moving the tractor?

[@Farmhacker]

Hi Courtney, the meat chickens never make it to laying age before being processed. Cornish cross chickens are ready to be processed in about 8 weeks.

[@TheMesopo]

Does Chicken kept in Joel's style tractor develops Bumblefoot?

[@Farmhacker]

I haven't had that issue with mine. In fact, because they are moved daily, it can be a cleaner way to raise chickens than keeping them in a chicken house, a chicken run, or a small fenced-in area.

[@melissakibler4966]

Yea no I'm 100% sure his or anyone's chic raised that way don't get any diseases because they are moved to fresh ground every day or 2 days.

[@jonathanvantman9384]

Why do you stay away from pressure treated lumber?

[@Farmhacker]

The chemicals used in pressure treated lumber may not be good for the animals so we choose not to build any enclosures out of it.

[@benhesnan6047]

Where did you get the dolly? What else would work?

[@Farmhacker]

That one was given to me by someone. There's nothing special about it though so any regular hand truck should work.

[@benhesnan6047]

@@Farmhacker thanks, I have built a small 7x7 foot tractor from scrap wood for my 10 broilers but I am considering building your design. Does it work well for you?

[@Farmhacker]

Yes, it has worked great. It is on the heavy side but there is no way around that if you build it out of wood. Joel Salatin has made custom hand trucks for his to make them easier to move but I never did that with mine.

[@blanknoriega5726]

How many chickens can fit in there?

[@Farmhacker]

Typically, around 25. It can fit more but I don’t like them to be too crowded.

[@rney6069]

I didn't hear a size...if you mentioned it I apologize. how tall is it?

[@Farmhacker]

No worries. I don't think I mentioned the height. It's around 2 ft.

[@raincoast9010]

10' X 10' and 2' tall. he mentioned that he would not put more than 25 birds in it.

[@trovelemmanuel5627]

How much birds do you keep in this?

[@Farmhacker]

Typical around 25.

[@seandrake7534]

How many birds can you have in it

[@Farmhacker]

Typically, around 25. It can fit more but I don’t like them to be too crowded.

[@tylerward2846]

How much did all of this cost to purchase?

[@Farmhacker]

At the time I built this, the cost was around $125. However, building materials are way higher now than they were then so I'm not sure what it would cost now.

[@adaml262]

How tall is the tractor?

[@Farmhacker]

It is roughly 2 feet tall.

[@anthonyg405]

Why not treated wood?

[@Farmhacker]

Great question! In order to prevent rot, certain chemicals are used in the process to create treated lumber. Personally, I would rather avoid the possibility of my chickens ingesting these chemicals since chickens have a tendency to "scavenge" or peck things near to them. This is a personal choice and ultimately, it's up to you to make the decision on which type of wood to use for your chicken tractor. Cedar is naturally rot resistant so I decided to spend a more money to use that instead of treated lumber. Hope this helps.

[@mrs.garcia6978]

If I had known lumber would almost double I’d have bought a lumber yard’s worth. 😭

[@Farmhacker]

Yep. I built this long before lumber prices went up. At least they are coming back down some.

[@schmit55]

Rip 2"x6"

[@kylecowart5255]

I maybe wrong, but there's too many in the one cage, that's why they're missing feathers

[@Farmhacker]

I don't put more than 25 in mine. The reason mine in the video look like that is because they were still chicks and their feathers were still coming in.

[@kylecowart5255]

@@Farmhacker it's good, just caught my eye, luck to ya beau

[@evan5232]

@@FarmhackerThanks for the video. Would you consider keeping more than 25 broilers in this size chicken tractor? Just wondering if it would be appropriate for 40 birds.

[@Farmhacker]

@@evan5232 I personally wouldn't put that many in one this size. They will definitely fit but it will get crowded once they get large. I like to give my chickens more space to forage and move around. Hope this helps.

[@wadepatton2433]

@@evan5232 Mr. Salatin, the guy who made these type tractors famous-as he's been doing it over 30 years, puts 75 birds into his tractors. I think his are a touch bigger.

[@schmit55]

You did not read the book. Bucket should be white. Tractor roofing should be aluminum. I think you used a bit more lumber than Saladin did, which would add weight.

[@Farmhacker]

If you are talking about the book Pastured Poultry Profits by Joel Salatin then I did read his book. I used the material that I had available to build this including the plastic roofing and bucket. Joel is a big proponent of re-use and up-cycling which is what I did here. And the argument could be made that aluminum would be worse because it’s metal and will heat up way more than the plastic roof. If you have different material or think there’s a better way to build this then by all means please do so. This design is not set in stone.

[@schmit55]

@@Farmhacker I am sorry, I dont like how I came-off.

[@Farmhacker]

No worries my friend!