Chicken Tractor Lifting Handles
The chicken tractor I built with my father a couple of years ago is still going strong. Since moving to Jamberoo we’ve been using it to build garden beds – we place it where we want the bed, leave it there for a few weeks until the grass has been cleared, then move it along and top the new garden bed with compost.
It does take a little time for the chickens to do their thing, so if you want lots of garden beds fast this isn’t the best way. However, we find that making new garden beds slowly works well for us – we only have one new bed to deal with at a time, so it’s manageable. We don’t get overwhelmed with a large new area to sow.
The only problem with this system is that the chicken tractor is heavy and difficult to move. We needed some kind of handles to make lifting it easier.
If you’re building your own tractor or cage, make sure to give some thought to how you’d like to lift it. Designing handles into the frame makes life a lot easier.
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It looks like you’ve got your method down to a science! Do you give the girls a lot of treats when the grass is getting very patchy? I always felt like my hens got a bit run down when I used this method unless I gave them lots of extra greenery.
@Anna: Hi! I was just reading your blog when this comment came through! Yep, we toss a lot of weeds and vegetable trimmings into the chicken ark – one of the great benefits of having it right beside where you’re gardening. They seem to be staying very healthy and laying well, even through winter. Our winter is a lot milder than yours, though
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It seems this way of using chicken tractor is good for you. I think I should use this method too.
[...] around permaculture people for any length of time, and you’re sure to hear about chicken tractors. They’re a great way to concentrate chickens in a small area, to dig up weeds, deposit [...]
[...] My article about using a chicken tractor to create garden beds. [...]
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