In a perfect world, we might let our chickens free-range all 12 months spherical, and we’re certain they might admire us for this. Nevertheless, what do you do throughout the winter, when predators equivalent to foxes are determined and danger an assault throughout the daytime? The reply is hen tractors.
You might preserve your chickens in a coop and pen throughout winter, however we discovered this impacts their egg-laying massively.
This is the reason we determined to make use of a hen tractor, and the ladies rewarded us by growing their egg-laying!
Word: Learn How A lot Room Do Chickens Want in case you are taking a look at making your pen and must work out how large it must be.
Not heard of a hen tractor earlier than or puzzled find out how to use one? Let’s get straight into this week’s article.
A Hen Tractor: What Is It?
Initially, for these of you who haven’t heard of a hen tractor earlier than, you in all probability surprise what precisely a hen tractor is?
A hen tractor is a conveyable pen which you can transfer round your backyard to offer your chickens with a relentless recent grass provide.
Hen tractors are normally simply dragged throughout the backyard; nonetheless, you will get ‘fancier’ tractors which have wheels to make them simpler to tug!
At this level, you’re in all probability questioning how that is any completely different from my common hen pen.
Hen Tractor Vs. Hen Pen
Essentially the most vital distinction between a hen tractor and a hen pen is {that a} hen pen isn’t transportable – a pen is hooked up to the facet of your hen coop.
A pen tends to be safer as a result of it’s a everlasting construction, and you’ll bury the hen wire down into the bottom to cease predators from digging beneath the pen.
Nevertheless, the pen’s draw back is that as a result of it’s a everlasting construction, you’ll in all probability discover your chickens eat all of the grass of their pen and depart it simply grime.
Except you present your chickens with a big pen it will at all times occur, and for many yard hen keepers, we don’t have the house to increase the pen.
That is the place the hen tractor is available in. As a result of hen tractors are very cell, it means you possibly can transfer them round when your women have cleared a patch of land.
This implies they get entry to recent grass and completely different areas of your backyard, stopping them from overgrazing any specific part of your backyard.
It additionally stops them from consuming issues they aren’t presupposed to. i.e., seeds you’ve planted, greens, and flowers!
Experimenting A Cellular Hen Coop
So let’s now speak about how utilizing hen tractors made our chickens lay extra eggs.
We nonetheless bear in mind fencing off their pen once we acquired our chickens at round 18 weeks previous.
We began with six chickens, they usually had a pen roughly 15×8 ft.
All through the summer time, our women free-ranged within the backyard.
Nevertheless, we stored them in pen throughout the winter as a result of we have been nervous about foxes attacking them (they get determined and can assault in daylight if vital).
The summer time was implausible, and our women have been mendacity properly; then winter was coming round, so it was time to put the ladies again of their pen.
Inside a month, our women had completely worn out the grass, and it was turning right into a mud tub in the course of December!
Hmmm.
Not best.
We prolonged the pen by one other 15×8 foot, and once more by the tip of January, their total pen was simply grime – and worse but, the grass didn’t even get time to recuperate as a result of the chickens have been at all times there.
Throughout this winter, their egg-laying plummeted- granted, the variety of eggs they laid ought to scale back anyway throughout the winter, nevertheless it was actually off the spectrum.
We predict the issue was as a result of that they had eaten all of the grass, they solely had grime to scratch round in, they usually didn’t like this, and it unsettled them.
If we had used a hen tractor again, we may have moved our chickens across the varied patches of grass.
This may have allowed the brand new grass to recuperate and develop again.
We had a dilemma, we’re comfortable for our chickens to roam wherever within the backyard, however throughout the winter, they should be safe as a result of danger of them getting attacked.
We will’t place hen wire across the fringe of our total backyard (it will seem like a jail!), and the dimensions of their present pen wasn’t large enough as a result of they turned it right into a mud tub!
So the next winter, we determined to strive as a substitute and use a hen tractor.
We deliberate to maintain the ladies of their coop in a single day to roost, after which we might put them within the tractor throughout the day.
The tractor could be moved every week- to cease them overgrazing any specific space.
One surprising facet impact was that though their egg manufacturing slowed down throughout the winter, they nonetheless laid way more eggs than the earlier winter!
Nevertheless, the eggs have been barely dirty- to not fear as a result of we simply adopted the information How To Retailer Your Chickens’ Freshly Laid Eggs.
Since then, we’ve been utilizing the tractor for a number of winters and seen nice issues occur. A few of our mates came to visit and needed to understand how we used the tractor, so we wrote them an inventory of issues we do- so we thought we’d share them with you too!
Chickens Lay Extra Eggs When They Eat Healthily
The grass is appropriate for chickens. So utilizing a tractor naturally advantages our laying hens of their manufacturing departments.
We observed our eggs change when our hens had entry to the grass underneath the tractor year-round. The yolks turned darker and tasted higher!
As a result of grass meets our hens’ protein necessities, their manufacturing spiked! A hen’s every day nutrient requirement is one-quarter of the way in which fulfilled by consuming grass. To not point out the nutritional vitamins and minerals additionally they get from consuming the greens (E, C, and Iron).
Implementing the hen tractors in our poultry-raising routine allowed our hens to eat a extra pure food plan consisting of high-value greens.
How We Use a Hen Tractor
Winter Use: The very first thing to recollect is that we solely use the tractor to maintain them protected throughout the winter.
Hold the Coop: Within the night, we push the tractor again over to their coop, they usually roost in there at evening.
Make Positive You Rotate It: Every week, we transfer the tractor to a brand new place within the backyard.
Defend In opposition to Flooding: If sure areas of your backyard are liable to flooding, ensure you place the tractor on increased floor.
At all times transfer the tractor if the bottom beneath it’s naked.
You Want Flat Floor: Be sure you solely use the tractor on flat floor. The bumpy floor just isn’t best for tractors as a result of it could possibly depart gaps which the chickens would possibly escape from.
Shut It on Snow Days: We preserve the ladies of their coop/pen on concise winter days. We predict it will be too chilly for them to be out within the snow.
Test for Eggs: Though we have now a small nesting field at one finish of the hen tractor, some women don’t like utilizing it. So when you’ve moved the tractor, verify the grass to verify there aren’t any hidden eggs!
Clear Up The Meals: Whereas trying to find any hidden eggs, ensure there aren’t any pellets or different meals on the ground as a result of it will entice pests equivalent to mice.
Right here is a superb video I discovered displaying what can occur to your grass and not using a hen tractor!
Do I would like a coop/pen with my hen tractor?
When most individuals hear about hen tractors, I believe one of many first questions is- does this imply I don’t want a hen coop anymore?
This depends upon the local weather you reside in and the bread of your chickens.
Should you stay in a heat local weather all 12 months spherical, you would preserve your women of their tractors (however we wouldn’t suggest it).
Nevertheless, chickens want the coop to remain heat throughout harsh winters in colder climates.
Additionally, as a rule of thumb, solely chickens grown for meat are stored in tractors all 12 months. Laying chickens want a considerable nesting field.
We want to maintain our women of their coop and, like we beforehand talked about, solely use the tractor throughout the winter as a necessity.
So, are you going to try to use a hen tractor now? Tell us about your experiences within the feedback under.
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