New Brooder/Quarantine Tractor (pict heavy)

[canesisters]

I finally finished it!!! YEAH!!! Been working on it for months and am really proud of how it turned out.

I started with an old shipping crate that I snagged from work.

Added some legs to get it about 24" high and closed in the open side with a door

'framed' up a run area - so the residents can exercise and get some sun

Some wheels, a little paint - a LOT of wire and TA-DA!!!!!!!!!!

The doors actually open AND close

That board across the end is the 'handle' to tip it up on it's wheels - it's heavy but do-able
Oh - and you can see the 'big girls' coop in the background.

Inside: a roost, a nest box, the pop door to the run. That little pipe is the chick feeder - the hens will have a larger version. I didn't have time to paint today's additions, but will get them done between the hens (who arrive tomorrow) and the chicks that arrive in May. When there are chicks, I'll take the divider out of the floor cause they won't need the nest box.

There are still a few little bits and pieces to take care of but mostly it's finally finished!

 

[MontyJ]

That is very cool! So is there a ramp to the run? How many chickens will it hold?

 

[Anew2013]

That is awesome, like a pro did it Awesome work, your chickies will love you

 

[canesisters]

Thanks Monty. Yup, there will be a ramp/ladder, that's one of the odds & ends that I've still got to put that together.
It'll hold 2 hens for their 30 day quarantine before joining the rest of the flock. Then it'll hold 4-8 chicks till they're about half grown.
I wanted it to be mobile so that I could move them and clean before it gets too nasy underneath. Also, when it's time to add them to the flock, I can move this over to the 'big girls' run so they can spend a few days seeing each other but not be able to do any damage.

 

[MontyJ]

May I make a suggestion? How about a hitch for the lawn tractor?

 

[canesisters]

That's a good idea. However it took nearly a month to figure out how to put the wheels on - and I had to have help with that. I don't have a clue how I'd make a hitch.

 

[catjac1975]

Lovely!!!

 

[MontyJ]

That's a good idea. However it took nearly a month to figure out how to put the wheels on - and I had to have help with that. I don't have a clue how I'd make a hitch.

I'm sure we can help with that. Post a pic of the hitch on your tractor.

 

[journey11]

Very nice! I love using recycled materials for chickie projects. Nice score on the shipping crate.

Here's what I did for the "hitch" on mine... I took a length of strong, good quality nylon rope (1/2" diameter), drilled two holes in the front 2x4 of the frame of my tractor (one on each end), threaded an 8" section of 1/2" PVC pipe on the rope to the middle of it for a handle and put either end of the rope through the holes that I had drilled and double-knotted it so it wouldn't come out. Then you just pull it along!

ETA: If you wanted to use the lawn mower to pull it, you could also thread onto the rope some hardware, like a large "S" link thingy...don't know exactly what they call 'em. Or something to that effect.

 

[thistlebloom]

Cane, that is so cool! You're right to be proud of your hard work