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The making of a chicken tractor
- NSW Australia - september 2008 (PP)
Firstly, what is a chicken tractor ?
Its a mobile chicken home (a large cage resting on a frame) which we can move around as needed. It is used to prepare the land for future planting or for the maintenance of an already existing orchard.
If we are preparing the ground for future planting, the tractor will stay in one spot for a period of 4-6 weeks (depending on the type of chickens you have, how many you have, the size of your chicken tractor and the type of land it is on) and then be moved to a new area.
If it is simply a question of land maintenance, 1 week will be enough (depending again on conditions).
The tractor doesn’t have a bottom , it is open to the ground, so that the chickens can scratch around, thus aerating the soil, eliminating weeds and grasses and mixing all organic matter together (plant, hay, chicken manure, feathers…) and fertilizing the area. At the same time they get to eat lots of different types of insects, becoming a very effective natural predatory solution for a healthy orchard. The chickens helps to break the lifecycle of harmful insects by eating the larvae which are in the rotting fruit lying on the ground.
Some recommendations for the comfort of your chickens :
Firstly, don’t put too many chickens in the tractor. Depending on the species of chicken, 4 for the larger one and a dozen for the smaller species, that is to say, in a tractor of 3m by 2 m.
It’s important to provide shelter against regular and prevailing winds. It is ideal that at least ½ the tractor is covered by a tarp (covering the top, sides and back) and that the tractor is positioned correctly depending on the prevailing winds.
Chickens need clean water, regular grain (bought, or even better, grown on your land).
If grains are grown on the land, they are given to the chickens as whole plants which then become mulch which decomposes in the tractor. If bought grain is given, it is a good idea to also put mulch down (15/20cm) over the whole surface of the tractor so as keep the functioning of the tractor optimum. Without the mulch the chickens can have a destructive impact on the soil.
A small recycled cupboard or container will serve as a laying pen, and perches placed here and there allows the chickens to sleep happily and in good conditions.
Construction of a chicken tractor :
