"Behemoth" My Chicken Tractor With Joel Salatin's Style Dolly.

Well I had to revamp Behemoth because she was built like a poop brick house. I removed the layer box at the one end and replaced the inner section with a door skin. I cut all the 3/4 plywood at a 5 1/2 inch arc at both ends. Which I replaced with 3/8's plywood and no climb fencing with a 1x2 door frame. The inner floor is 3/8 plywood now instead of 1/2 inch. The box joist that holds the 3/8 floor is 1x4 now. She is light as a butterfly now, yeah a 400-500 pound butterfly.

I tried 4 different wheel and axle ideas, non of them worked the way that I wanted them too. So I remembered a youtube video about this guy, Joel Salatin is his name. I love every thing this guy does!!! So I watched his video about a broiler tractors and the dolly that he used to move them. Yes that is what I will try next. I started to look for some wheels, princess auto had them on sale that week, . This is what it looks like, nice to have a long weekend to work on them. Joel only uses one, I use two.







I will update some of the pictures, sun's going down.



Here are some more pictures.










The Dolly

That is so cool and very interesting, but more like a up scale home.

Very impressive!!

Awesome!!

I remember seeing your awesome chicken tractor before and thinking it was great. Good idea you have there. I looked at the video link too, but for some reason when I do that my volume mixer always gets mixed up and I have to restart my computer, blah...I should know better. Anyways, you have done a wonderful job of making this apparatus, good on you. Have an awesome day, CynthiaM.

You build such nice stuff, it is great to be able to steal ideas from you.I wish I had more flat land to be able to do tractors like that. Did you use cedar for you runner?What is the skin for the house made of? What did you use for your hoops? I have thought of use pvc irrigation pipe and then filling it with foam insulation to see if that would help stiffen in up a bit. You have my brain going now, and I have a kitchen to finish building first.

bckev wrote:You build such nice stuff, it is great to be able to steal ideas from you.I wish I had more flat land to be able to do tractors like that. Did you use cedar for you runner?What is the skin for the house made of? What did you use for your hoops? I have thought of use pvc irrigation pipe and then filling it with foam insulation to see if that would help stiffen in up a bit. You have my brain going now, and I have a kitchen to finish building first.

Thanks Kevin, pay if forward I say!!!



[quote=smokyriver]Bcboy would you mind sharing dimensions of your base, depth of the house, and if possible how long the pipes for the arch were? I am curious as to your dimensions. Also how many chickens do you house in this? Thanks[/quote]
8 to 10 chickens. They are in the big coop now. 12'x14' with 40'x 100' run.



16' long.
8' wide.
4' 5 1/2" tall with the 2x6.
3/4" O.D. pvc pipe.
1" spade bit to drill the holes.
Holes in the bottom 2x6 are centered.
Holes in the top 2x6 are 3/4" down from the top to leave 3/4" of wood.


Just SPF lumber, may have to put a cedar 1x6 on the bottom now.
3/8 plywood with old based stain.
3/4 schedule 40 pvc, EMT toobing would be better.

New Pictures Posted.