Come see our a frame chicken tractor that we built with Green Willow Homestead plans. It is complete with nesting boxes, a ramp and plenty of space to roam for fresh grass and bugs.
This little a frame chicken tractor here is a long time coming. A good month ago now, back in April, I shared with you some tips on how to care for backyard chickens. I talked about feed, water, breeds, needs, and shelter.
Oh yeah, shelter. The one thing we didn’t have yet when we purchased our fresh little chickys.
Not to worry, I had already purchased some a frame coop build plans and all the supplies needed to build our very own coop. (You can use code: boonebuds15 to get 15%off of this plan.)
Well, as projects always do, this thing took us at least twice the amount of time to build as I expected. It’s not that it was particularly difficult, but Luke and I aren’t carpenters.
We built our farmhouse coffee table, 9-foot dining room table and our front porch swing (all featured in Do it Yourself magazine, which you can read about our story here). But all of those projects were soo easy. We chose a not-so-quick-and-easy chicken coop plan for several reasons.
Reasons we chose this particular chicken tractor plan
Size– This thing can hold up to 20 hens! We didn’t want 5 backyard chickens on our new 7-acre homestead. We wanted more.
5 kids and one on the way= substantial egg consumption. We need more birds!
Plus, this coop allows for the birds to peck around a whole lot of fresh grass and bugs. The bottom run area is massive, especially when moved daily for a fresh patch.
Nesting boxes– The plan detailed how to make nesting boxes, so we didn’t need to find an alternate solution for that.
Doors everywhere– There are three doors total in this a frame chicken tractor build plan.
One to gather the eggs from the nesting box, one larger door in the front, and one square door in the back to access the ramp.
Cool looking– I mean the shelter area is covered in white metal.
Wheels– We knew we wanted something mobile (aka chicken tractor, more on that later) so the birds could get fresh bugs and grass every day without roaming free around our yard.
Predator safe– At our last house in town, the biggest threat was the occasional neighborhood dog. We never saw coyotes, foxes, raccoons, opossums, or any other chicken predators. We are definitely more “out in the country” now, so we liked that this coop is super secure.
Come see our A-frame chicken tractor | CHICKEN COOP TOUR YOUTUBE VIDEO
A chicken coop with all the bells and whistles
So, as you can see, this thing has ALL the bells and whistles.
So, with that, we found ourselves building a project slightly beyond our skill level. With many many hours of putting our two heads together to figure this thing out, we finally have the exact coop we want.
It was definitely worth sticking it out!
Now maybe someday I could convince Luke we need another, but I know that day is waaay far off and down on the ever-growing priority list of homestead to-do’s!
What is a chicken tractor?
A chicken tractor is a mobile chicken coop. It can be moved around each day so that poultry has access to fresh grass and bugs.
Why use a chicken tractor over a chicken coop?
If chickens are left in one area, such as a coop and run scenario, they will quickly peck up all of the grass and leave a dusty barren area behind. A tractor allows birds to get fresh pasture daily, while never leaving them in one area very long. It is also great for yard and garden fertilizer, as they leave their manure behind. Since they are moved daily, no area ever gets too much fertilizer.
We used this same method for our five backyard chickens when we lived on a quarter acre in town.
You can see more on our small chicken tractor on our tiny homestead in this post: 7 Essentials for a Backyard Chicken Coop
We were able to raise five chickens on only a quarter acre, with plenty of access to bugs and grass.
Get the A-frame chicken tractor plans
We purchased the plans for this chicken tractor build from Green Will Homestead. You can find them here: Mobile Chicken Tractor Build Plans (You can use code: boonebuds15 to get 15%off of this plan.)
Make sure to watch the video to get a full tour and hear a little more about our new A-frame chicken tractor!
Did you miss the tour of our new homestead and farmhouse restoration? Catch up here:
Next up on the list is the garden. Stay tuned for our garden cottage tour.
Happy Homesteading!
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Danielle says
This coop/tractor looks amazing! I love all of the chicken tips you have been sharing. We are planning on having chickens in the next couple of years after we buy a house and I have a wealth of chicken knowledge all in one place. Thank you!
Alice Weber says
Do you get snow in winter? We still have a few feet of snow in our yard. My big concerns are: how much snow loaf can this design stand? How do you move it in winter when the snow is several feet deep?
Lisa says
Yes, we do get snow, but nothing like that. At most we get about 6″. The tractor was sufficient for that.
Marisa says
I’m so glad you shared this! We had been struggling to find something that would work well for our 1/4 acre yard. This is perfect! Such a great use of space.
Candice says
Do the chickens get enough food and bugs from your land or do you also feed them? Do you have natural organic feed suggestions?
Lisa says
We also feed the organic chicken feed.
Patty says
I really like this plan for a chicken coop. I am going to try building this.
Marissa says
What do you do in the winter? Leave it in one place once snow comes? We live in New England and this looks like a neat idea!
tiphaine says
I’d be interested to see an update after a year of use. How is it holding up?
We are in a similar situation, where we got bantam chicks and set them up in the garage. We did have a coop for them but someone gave us full grown laying chicken! so they got the coop. Now our little chicks are too big for the garage but too little to contend with the leghorns.. so we got the plans for that A frame coop. thank you for the code! if anyone wonders it is still valid.
Lisa says
It is holding up great! I’m trying to talk Luke into building another!
Mandy says
Hi Lisa we just purchased the coop plans. We are so excited to get to building. We live in Pennsylvania where some winters can be a little harsh. Just wondering what you do during the winter for the chickens? If there are any changes you make or do you have a separate area in the barn for them through winter ? Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much !!!
Tanya says
We found your post and we’re building this right now. Thanks! The plans call for painting the nest box and staining the wood. Did you do that or just leave the wood bare? How is it holding up? Thanks!
Ruth says
I think this coop looks great, but I am wondering if it really costs as much as it says it does to make. Are their cheaper materials you could use instead, or is it just very expensive to build? Also, how easy is it to clean?
Thank you!
Allen Little says
Couple of thoughts. Wouldn’t an open & unwired floor like that; allow predators (like racoons, coyotes & possums etc.) to crawl or dig underneath it?
I might suggest extending at least two walls to the ground for better rain protection.
Nevertheless looks like a good beginning for 20 hens!
Good luck!
Charles says
I can’t speak for the designer or for the author, but to answer a question that several have asked, no, they don’t move in winter. At least not when there is snow cover. I have three similar size coop/tractors of my own design, and I put a couple inches of “chipper chips” (from a tree service company) in the runs during winter. These A frames look like they’d work very well.
Nina says
Hey! Can I ask if you find a space like this big enough? I showed a friend these plans today and we calculated that even at the max size plans 15-20 chickens would have 27 square feet of run space. She said they’d all be pecking at each other. Do you find that to be the case with your three coops? My friend said at least 8 square feet per chicken is needed and this seems awfully small but at the same time this type of coop is gaining popularity. What do you think?
Karly says
I don’t think that this is the appropriate sqft for 20 hens! That looks like it might be good for 5-8 chickens.
How big is the bottom frame?
Beverly says
The sq ft math changes when you move the run often. The footprint would not be large enough for 20 hens if you left it in one place, because of the build up for of manure and potential for disease. But if you move it every several days, the ground is always clean, and manure doesn’t build up. So you need much less sq ft per bird, 1.25-1.5 sq ft per bird is a very commonly used generous allocation for a tractor that is moved twice a week, and it looks like this provides that.
Julie says
I love these plans and hoping to purchase the plans and build them. I can’t seem to find a place to put in the code you mentioned. Do you know if it’s still an option to use your code for the plans?
Byron says
Love all of your content – my wife finds it to be such a great resource. One thing I would like to recommend though – bring down the exposure on your camera a few stops. The whites/highlights on all of your photos and video are so blown out it’s distracting. I hate seeing you guys put so much time into all of these videos and resources and then it ends up blown out. Proper white balance and exposure go a long, long way. At any rate, keep up the great work!