Lets Build – On A Budget!
Chicken tractors come in all shapes and sizes, some have a little coop attached to them, some are just a cage on wheels, and others are too big to move by hand.
We kind of went right in the middle.
We were trying to build a chicken tractor big enough for 15-20 chickens but the cheapest way possible.
We actually had some extra 2x4s laying around from another project so that was ideal, but here is what you’ll need for this project:
2x4s
Welded Wire
Screws
Small Fence Staples
2 Wheels
2 Hinges
1 Door Latch
Drill & Drill Bit to match your screw heads
Saw
Measuring Tape
Pencil
Hammer
For the amount of 2x4s & welded wire this will depend on how big you want your chicken tractor to be.
As you can see in the picture we kind of just build this to the bare minimum needed for it to be structurally sound.
Dimensions We Used
6′ wide x 12′ long x 4′ tall
10 Steps!
1. Build bottom frame (rectangle)
2. Cut boards & attach standing end piece ‘T’ on one end & build door frame on the other end
3. Cut boards & attach top board to connect both ends
4. Cut boards & attach angled corner pieces
5. Build door
6. Attach door with hinges & latch
7. Attach welded wire
8. Attach wheels
9. Attach tarp (optional)
10. Add chickens!
We originally weren’t going to add these angled pieces, but with how big the frame was it moved side to side too much and we didn’t want it to flex too much.
Plus they ended up being great to set a water bucket on and for the chickens to perch on if they wanted to.
Yes, I know the wood is dirty…this goes with building on a budget. We were just using some scrap wood that was laying around to do the smaller pieces like this.
We only used 2 wheels instead of 4 because we just lift up the non-wheeled end and push or pull it to where we want it next. We also made it so that there’s no special movements to put the wheels on the ground, but the wheels are just tall enough to keep the frame off the ground but short enough so that the chickens can’t get underneath.
We had to get longer bolts to attach the wheels, so make sure to measure your wheel thickness and board thickness and check the length of the bolts that come with your wheels (if they come with any).
You can definitely make your door design better, but we were just building it so that it would stay straight.
We love using this throughout the warmer months! We will put the chickens in here during the day and push it to different places around the yard throughout the day so they have fresh grass/weeds all the time.
This is also great if you want the chickens to forage in your garden during the off season -chickens will dig and “add fertilizer” and eat the unwanted pests from your garden and help next seasons crop flourish!
The chickens love this too because it gets them out of their coop! If you aren’t in a place where you can have free range chickens or if you have other animals (like dogs) this is a great way to get them moved around and still protect them.
We added a tarp to part of it so that in case it starts raining it gives them a dry place or if the sun is out that day it gives them some shade! We just zip tied this on and will probably make this look better one day, but it works well for now!
We also added a water bucket on one of the corner supports and clipped in to the wire so it stays up.
