A chicken tractor is a great tool for using chickens to cultivate, fertilize, and clear weeds from your property. Renowned permaculture designer Dano Gorsic developed his concept of a chicken tractor adapted to temperate climates.




Dano Gorsich lives on the island of Molokai in Hawaii and is considered a veteran of the permaculture movement, he is a direct student of Bill Mollison, author of the famous best-selling book Permaculture Essentials.
For more than 35 years he has been cultivating his plot according to the instructions of his teacher.

The following is a description of a slightly modified chicken coop system developed by Dano Gorsic of Molokai, Hawaii, adapted to temperate climates.

It is necessary to build a square pen divided into four equal parts, in the center of which there will be a chicken coop with perches. The chicken coop must be positioned so that the chickens can be released into each of the 4 sections of the pen one by one. Ideally, there should be 3 square meters per chicken in each section of the pen.

Four-year cycle technology

In the second year in the first section, plants that are less demanding in terms of organic matter are planted. These are root vegetables (without celery), onions (with the exception of leeks) and vegetable salad greens.

Legumes, cereals and sunflowers are planted, which will then be used as feed for chickens. The described procedure is repeated in each section in turn.

In the fourth year chickens, having gone through all sections, return to the first. You can also plant fruit trees next to the paddock.

Chicken tractor- this is an excellent tool for using chickens when cultivating your site, fertilizing and clearing it of weeds.

Renowned permaculture designer Dano Gorsic developed his concept of a chicken tractor adapted to temperate climates.

Dano Gorsich lives on the island of Molokai in Hawaii and is considered a veteran of the permaculture movement, he is a direct student of Bill Mollison, author of the famous best-selling book Permaculture Essentials.
For more than 35 years he has been cultivating his plot according to the instructions of his teacher.

The following is a description of a slightly modified chicken coop system developed by Dano Gorsic of Molokai, Hawaii, adapted to temperate climates.

It is necessary to build a square pen divided into four equal parts, in the center of which there will be a chicken coop with perches. The chicken coop must be positioned so that the chickens can be released into each of the 4 sections of the pen one by one. Ideally, there should be 3 square meters per chicken in each section of the pen.

Technology of a four-year cycle of using a chicken tractor

Dano proposes the following methodology for developing and cultivating the site for 4 years.
The chickens are grazed in the first section of the pen throughout the year. In the fall, the chickens are transferred to the second section, and in the first the land is treated with lime and mulched. In the spring, plants such as cabbage, savoy, Chinese, cauliflower, asparagus and Brussels sprouts, lettuce, kohlrabi, tomatoes, watermelon, peppers, eggplant, pumpkin, cucumbers, leeks, sweet corn, celery and spinach are planted there.

In the second year, plants that are less demanding in terms of organic matter content are planted in the first section. These are root vegetables (without celery), onions (with the exception of leeks) and vegetable salad greens.

In the third year, legumes, cereals and sunflowers are planted, which will then be used as feed for chickens. The described procedure is repeated in each section in turn.

In the fourth year, the chickens, having completed all sections, return to the first. You can also plant fruit trees next to the pen, the fruits of which will be food for chickens. Pigs can be used in a similar way.

The chicken tractor can also be mobile. A large mobile cage is made from a metal mesh, which moves around the site as needed. Using this device, you can completely clear a plot of land from weeds and at the same time fertilize it with bird droppings; at the same time, you can give the birds about half as much grain, since in addition to plant food, they also find a lot of insects in the ground.

Raising poultry and taking care of plantings in the garden seem to be two completely different things. But, they can be very successfully combined into one, in which such an invention as a chicken tractor will help us.

Chicken tractor - what kind of miracle is it, and why is it needed on the farm?

Back in the twentieth century, and maybe earlier, Western countries began to use miracle technology for fertilizing and cultivating the land. Its name came to us from the USA - chicken tractor, and from England - chicken ark. This technology is used on large areas of land for industrial purposes and in personal farms.

A chicken tractor is a mobile mini-chicken coop for a chicken family, which can be moved by one person, plowing and fertilizing exactly those places on the ground where you want. It is used from spring to cold weather, depending on the climate. Some chicken coops are made for winter use.

In Russia, this technology has begun to gain popularity, and more and more people are happy with such a simple design that makes life easier.

5 reasons to make your own chicken tractor

1. Chickens will constantly fertilize the area of ​​land where their coop is located. By digging up the ground, they will prepare the soil for free. Loose and fertilized soil is perfect for growing garden crops.
2. Many people have an acute issue with the safety of poultry - in our region they are often carried away by predators, and only a well-protected chicken coop can help here.
3. The chickens are free-range, feast on spiderbugs, find caterpillars and worms, remove weeds, and completely leave the ground bare after just a few days.
4. There is no need to clean the floor of the chicken coop, it is simply transported to another place. This is a big advantage of a tractor over a stationary chicken coop.
5. Mobility and convenience of design. The chicken tractor can be equipped with automatic feeders and nests for hatching eggs.

Mobile chicken coops come in many types - with a domed roof structure, rectangular, in the form of houses and greenhouses. Often, they are an A-frame with several wheels for movement. They are divided into summer and winter designs.

A chicken tractor can be used to breed not only chickens, but also other birds, slightly adjusted to each species: turkeys, geese and ducks, and even quails.

Materials and tools for building a tractor:

• Boards and slats (sometimes metal arcs are used);
• Metal or plastic mesh;
• Canopies and latches for doors;
• Self-tapping screws and nails;
• Stapler;
• Roof (there may be different variants, depending on what you have on hand)

Tools you will need:

• Wood saw;
• Hammer and plane;
• Drill;
• Chisel;
• Roulette with a pencil.

You can solder a structure made of white polypropylene pipes. This way it will be much lighter.

Let's start building a portable chicken coop

First you need to decide on the size, based on the number of chickens. We were targeting 5-7 chickens. For ease of movement, one person can make two, or even three tractors, if the material is available. At the same time, chickens can also walk around the area if you open the door.

In all types of chicken coop, the space will be divided into two parts - one for hens, and the second for walking. It was decided to make the first tractor the most in a simple way, it will be summer and easy to roam around the site. And by autumn it’s worth trying to make a winter version.

The construction diagram looks like this:

1. We fasten three triangular frames with boards, to which handles for carrying are attached. They can be made on top or on the sides of the structure.

2. We make the bottom from slats and stretch the mesh. The ceilings can be made from plywood by inserting a ladder for chickens.

3. Depending on the type of structure, you need to make an entrance.

4. We decide where there will be roosts and where there will be a place to rest.

5. We make the roof. One part must be removed so that the chicken coop can be cleaned. You also need to make a small window for ventilation with a mosquito net.

6. Treating the tractor with varnish.

In the future, it is worth equipping the chicken coop with drinkers and feeders. For larger chicken coops, add wheels.

The larger the diameter of the wheels, the better! Moreover, they need to be done only outside the tractor.

If chickens are constantly under threat of attack by predators, then you can also lay and secure a net along the bottom so that they do not undermine the ground.

Building a winter version of the chicken coop

A winter chicken coop differs from a summer one in that it simply needs to be insulated and the structure made more durable. First you need to make a detailed drawing. The construction scheme is also simple:

1. A rectangular frame is made from large bars. Where the closed part will be, you need to attach the wheels.
2. The remaining parts are being completed, dividing the chicken coop into two parts - an open area and a closed one, where there will be perches, a seating area and a window. The mesh is stretched.
3. Walls are being erected, followed by insulation, and a small entrance.
4. The roof must be very durable and also open for cleaning inside.
5. Painting the tractor with protective equipment.

What should you do after cultivating the land with a chicken tractor?

After the chickens have loosened and fertilized the soil, you should sow cereals that will grow quickly in good soil. In summer - wheat, and in autumn - rye. After such preparation on next year you can safely plant any vegetables and herbs without bothering yourself with digging up the soil.

Thus, a chicken tractor brings great benefits to the site; the chickens feel calm in it and perform their functions, bringing eggs and removing weeds.

Raising poultry and taking care of plantings in the garden seem to be two completely different things. But, they can be very successfully combined into one, in which such an invention as a chicken tractor will help us.

Chicken tractor - what kind of miracle is it, and why is it needed on the farm?

Back in the twentieth century, and maybe earlier, Western countries began to use miracle technology for fertilizing and cultivating the land. Its name came to us from the USA - chicken tractor, and from England - chicken ark. This technology is used on large areas of land for industrial purposes and in personal farms.

A chicken tractor is a mobile mini-chicken coop for a chicken family, which can be moved by one person, plowing and fertilizing exactly those places on the ground where you want. It is used from spring to cold weather, depending on the climate. Some chicken coops are made for winter use.

In Russia, this technology has begun to gain popularity, and more and more people are happy with such a simple design that makes life easier.

5 reasons to make your own chicken tractor

1. Chickens will constantly fertilize the area of ​​land where their coop is located. By digging up the ground, they will prepare the soil for free. Loose and fertilized soil is perfect for growing garden crops.
2. Many people have an acute issue with the safety of poultry - in our region they are often carried away by predators, and only a well-protected chicken coop can help here.
3. The chickens are free-range, feast on spiderbugs, find caterpillars and worms, remove weeds, and completely leave the ground bare after just a few days.
4. There is no need to clean the floor of the chicken coop, it is simply transported to another place. This is a big advantage of a tractor over a stationary chicken coop.
5. Mobility and convenience of design. The chicken tractor can be equipped with automatic feeders and nests for hatching eggs.

Mobile chicken coops come in many types - with a domed roof structure, rectangular, in the form of houses and greenhouses. Often, they are an A-frame with several wheels for movement. They are divided into summer and winter designs.

A chicken tractor can be used to breed not only chickens, but also other birds, slightly adjusted to each species: turkeys, geese and ducks, and even quails.

Materials and tools for building a tractor:

• Boards and slats (sometimes metal arcs are used);
• Metal or plastic mesh;
• Canopies and latches for doors;
• Self-tapping screws and nails;
• Stapler;
• Roofing (there may be different options here, depending on what you have on your farm)

Tools you will need:

• Wood saw;
• Hammer and plane;
• Drill;
• Chisel;
• Roulette with a pencil.

You can solder a structure made of white polypropylene pipes. This way it will be much lighter.

Let's start building a portable chicken coop

First you need to decide on the size, based on the number of chickens. We were targeting 5-7 chickens. For ease of movement, one person can make two, or even three tractors, if the material is available. At the same time, chickens can also walk around the area if you open the door.

In all types of chicken coop, the space will be divided into two parts - one for hens, and the second for walking. It was decided to make the first tractor in the simplest way; it would be a summer one and would be easy to roam around the site. And by autumn it’s worth trying to make a winter version.

The construction diagram looks like this:

1. We fasten three triangular frames with boards, to which handles for carrying are attached. They can be made on top or on the sides of the structure.

2. We make the bottom from slats and stretch the mesh. The ceilings can be made from plywood by inserting a ladder for chickens.

3. Depending on the type of structure, you need to make an entrance.

4. We decide where there will be roosts and where there will be a place to rest.

5. We make the roof. One part must be removed so that the chicken coop can be cleaned. You also need to make a small window for ventilation with a mosquito net.

6. Treating the tractor with varnish.

In the future, it is worth equipping the chicken coop with drinkers and feeders. For larger chicken coops, add wheels.

The larger the diameter of the wheels, the better! Moreover, they need to be done only outside the tractor.

If chickens are constantly under threat of attack by predators, then you can also lay and secure a net along the bottom so that they do not undermine the ground.

Building a winter version of the chicken coop

A winter chicken coop differs from a summer one in that it simply needs to be insulated and the structure made more durable. First you need to make a detailed drawing. The construction scheme is also simple:

1. A rectangular frame is made from large bars. Where the closed part will be, you need to attach the wheels.
2. The remaining parts are being completed, dividing the chicken coop into two parts - an open area and a closed one, where there will be perches, a seating area and a window. The mesh is stretched.
3. Walls are being erected, followed by insulation, and a small entrance.
4. The roof must be very durable and also open for cleaning inside.
5. Painting the tractor with protective equipment.

What should you do after cultivating the land with a chicken tractor?

After the chickens have loosened and fertilized the soil, you should sow cereals that will grow quickly in good soil. In summer - wheat, and in autumn - rye. After such preparation, next year you can safely plant any vegetables and herbs without bothering yourself with digging up the ground.

Thus, a chicken tractor brings great benefits to the site; the chickens feel calm in it and perform their functions, bringing eggs and removing weeds.

Many thanks to the friends who support the Blog and accordingly support me and my family. I don't know how I would have survived without this support. The money mainly goes towards medicine, diapers and food.
May God bless you.
Sincerely!
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my wife said a couple of weeks ago, if we have money, let’s go buy chickens, raise them and have our own chicken eggs. She said we’ll take the little ones for 2-5 days and grow them. And during this time, while they’re small, you’ll make a large cage for them.
This month they transferred me 50 euros and 1000 rubles to support the blog. We immediately spent 1000 rubles on medicine for the little guy, my wife and I got sniffles, and in addition to my “bouquet” they discovered that I also had sinusitis, so in general we work for a pharmacy.
Tomorrow my wife’s sister will arrive (she went with her husband to live in Russia) and will bring diapers, medicine, and some clothes for the senior first-grader from Russia. And the remaining 2800 rub. Yesterday we managed to get 10% from cashers in Donetsk.
1000 rubles were spent on food, and the remaining 1200 rubles were distributed for electricity and today we bought as many as 8 chickens, 7 hens and one rooster for 200 rubles.
It was interesting for me, a technician, to watch how they determined who was a hen and who was a rooster - they turned it upside down, and if it raised its head, then it was a hen, and if it turned up, it was a rooster - yes, live and learn.
They brought it, put the chickens in a box - the little one happily ran up and grabbed the chicken by the neck. He took it away, scolded me and slapped my hands. The little guy still went to his mother, but then when I left he made another attempt to grab the chicken.
Now I’ll print out the project and go pick up the bars for the chicken tractor. Last year I came across and liked the project that I posted below. What I also liked about it is that the dog will not get to the chickens and the main thing is that the yard will be clean.
something like this
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The original was taken from

Chicken tractor (mobile chicken coop) - general information

A chicken tractor is a mobile mini chicken coop. Thanks to its lightweight design and wheels, it can be easily moved by one person. When chickens find themselves in an area with fresh greens, they peck at the above-ground parts of the plants, rake and fertilize the soil. The chicken tractor can be equipped with nests for receiving eggs and automatic feeders/drinkers with a supply of several days.

Why is a chicken tractor better than a chicken coop?

• provides chickens with vegetation and insects, which reduces the need for feed additives


• within the mini chicken coop, the chickens peck the grass, loosen and fertilize the soil, thereby preparing the soil for future plantings “for free” in a few days


• chicken tractor protects chickens from predators


• a chicken tractor protects your garden from chickens, which is especially important in small areas


• Unlike a regular chicken coop, the chicken tractor has no floor, which means there is no need to clean it

Despite small sizes The chicken tractor does not embarrass the chickens, they maintain their usual way of life; the chicken tractor equipped with nests allows you to collect eggs. All you need is to periodically move the structure to a new location, replenish food/water supplies, and of course collect eggs.

For information on how to make a chicken tractor for 9-12 chickens, with nests, see.

The land is cultivated with a chicken tractor

Chicken tractor designs

Who else can you keep in a chicken tractor?

The chicken tractor is great for:

• Laying hens


• Chickens


• Turkeys


• There are examples of using chicken tractor designs for raising geese, ducks and quails.

DIY chicken tractor for 8 nests - in 8 steps
(interesting project)

In this article I will describe a plan for building a chicken tractor. The design is quite new for our region, despite the fact that in the West it has been used for a long time, both for personal and industrial purposes. The base of the chicken tractor is wooden, made of 50x50 and 50x70 bars. Dimensions 1.70x3x0.84m.

The design is designed for 9-12 chickens. Chickens peck out the grass and loosen the soil around the entire perimeter of the tractor, thanks to the mesh you can be calm about both your garden and the safety of the chickens from predators. 1-2 times a week, the chicken tractor moves to a new place, the chickens receive fresh grass, and you receive cultivated plots of land. In the sleeping compartment the chickens lay eggs and sleep. It is convenient to collect eggs through 2 small doors on the sides.

The design provides a collection mechanism chicken manure. The chicken tractor is also equipped with an automatic feeder and an automatic poultry waterer, with a reserve of 5-7 days, which allows you to safely leave chickens for the specified period.

step 1

We make the base of the chicken tractor from a 50x70 block.

step 2

We install load-bearing posts and mount the roof base.

step 3

We install load-bearing supports. here I’m already using a 50x50 block.

step 4

Installation of the sleeping compartment base. Installation of wheels.

step 5

We make nests and install perches.
The sizes are not random, it is important to do everything as indicated in the picture.

step 6

We mount supports for the guides, attach a corner for the pallet to the guides.

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