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Using A “Chicken Tractor” To Help Manage The Garden

Over the summer holidays I posted a picture of our “new” chicken tractor on instagram and facebook which attracted a lot of attention. I say new because Country Boy made it (with the help of my brother in law), but he used a whole lot of recycled materials he has stashed behind one of the sheds.
A chicken tractor is really just a smallish cage which you  put a few chickens in. The cage can be moved around every day or two so that the chickens get to peck around some fresh grass and bugs. As you can see, it is really just a wooden A frame with some chicken wire over the top and some corrugated iron down one end to provide some extra shelter should the chickens want it.

 

 

We are using our chicken tractor as a strategy to help manage pests and renew the soil in the garden. Country Boy designed it to be the exact width and length of a row in our garden (600mm width by 2400mm length). The tractor isn’t exactly lightweight, but two adults can move it fairly easily. We place it over a row of the garden and pop two chickens in it. The chickens dig up the soil, eat any bugs (hopefully the earwigs that were crazy earlier this year), and fertilize it a little before we plant a new crop.

 

Of course we have quite a few chickens, so our chicken tractor is not for keeping the chickens in all the time. The tractor has a water container so the chickens can drink when they want to. We rotate the chickens through so they only spend an occasional day in there. Meg, our chicken whisperer, catches the chickens and puts them in and takes them out for us. The chickens seem quite happy in there, and even lay an occasional egg in the covered end of the tractor.

Have you seen or used a chicken tractor before? Have you even hear of one?  Want to know more? (I can ask CB to answer any questions I have missed!)

 

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Comments

  1. Madonna Stephens says

    February 24, 2015 at 8:16 pm

    What a great idea! They not only turn over the soil but fertilise it too! Brilliant idea!

    Reply
  2. Jo@Countrylifeexperiment says

    February 24, 2015 at 12:24 am

    Our chickens normally free range. We pop them in for a day and take them out again at night. They lay the egg happily on the ground.

    Reply
  3. Jan says

    February 23, 2015 at 10:11 pm

    I haven't used one but certainly knew of them. A few years ago those made with new materials were rented out to people in the suburbs who wanted just a couple of chooks but had no space for a shed.

    Reply
  4. FARMER LIZ says

    February 23, 2015 at 9:27 pm

    Great photos! Its a nice simple design and does what you need it to do. Just wondering if you keep the chickens in there overnight, or do you move them back to a larger pen? and do they lay eggs in the tractors? If so, is there a nest box? We have made a much larger version which we move around our paddock and is the permanent home for all our chickens. I'd like to use a smaller version like this in the garden. Great to see you using recycled materials and making something functional. Cheers, Liz

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Jo

I'm a city girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got through shearing without a hitch (thankfully 🙏) but we’ve had a run of the flu followed by Covid run through the family since then. The kids and I have tested positive (this is my second time getting it 🦠) though so far C has managed to avoid it. There has been a lot of lying on the couch feeling pretty ordinary. Han had to reschedule her driving test for a 4th time due to Covid, which is disappointing for her because she wants her freedom and for us because it would be so much more convenient if she could drive herself places. Just to add in to the mix, our hot water system has chosen now as a good time to die so we’re on cold showers until we’re all out of iso. This is not meant to be a whinging post but sometimes life just sucks a bit and it’s good to be real. Fortunately, the sight of the fire going with a stack of wood next to it cheers us up. Things will improve soon. Onwards we go…
A picture perfect Autumn afternoon to end the scho A picture perfect Autumn afternoon to end the school holidays. We’ve been busy spending time with friends and family, harvesting the last of the summer produce, as well as a short escape to explore the big smoke. After the craziness of last term it was the break we all needed. It’s back to school for me tomorrow, and the kids are back on Wednesday. Shearing starts soon and so it’s all systems go over the next few weeks.
Covid has made some late changes to our weekend pl Covid has made some late changes to our weekend plans so we are embracing the unexpected and doing not much at home. Plenty of time for hanging out on the dam and enjoy the perfect weather.
Autumn has arrived in the orchard and the apple tr Autumn has arrived in the orchard and the apple trees are full of fruit. Yesterday we filled five baskets of apples that had fallen off the trees. Then we had apple crumble for dessert last night. Between the orchard and the vegetable garden this time of year is always super busy as we deal with all the harvest. No so busy though, that I can’t grab the camera and snap a few pics.
On weekends he makes himself a hot milo and lies o On weekends he makes himself a hot milo and lies on the veranda in the sun, just chilling and enjoying the freedom (until mum grabs her camera at least 🙄🤣).
Late summer evenings spent picking fruit in the or Late summer evenings spent picking fruit in the orchard are just the best. We take baskets down to gather the fruit and we inspect the trees and plan what we will do with it all. Tonight we gathered blackberries, nectarines and the first apples. The kids eat the fruit right off the trees - it tastes so much better than shop bought fruit. All the rain this year has not been good for all our plants; no mulberries and a lot less of some of the others. It reminds us of how much we depend on the weather and how much is out of our hands.

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Hi, I’m Jo

City girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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