Chicken Tractor

I can hear you already saying, "NOW what the Hell is he talking about? Chicken tractor?"

Absolutely. I'm going to get one of those child-sized John Deere tractors and teach one of my chickens to drive it.

NOT!

For those of you who may not know, a chicken tractor is a small, self-contained chicken enclosure that is portable. You put a few chickens in it, and they peck and dig up the area. They eat the bugs, pull up the weeds, and lightly till the soil. Meanwhile, they also fertilize the soil with chicken manure.

When they finish an area, you simply move the enclosure to a fresh area.

That said, I'm building a newer, bigger one, for a dozen Rhode Island Reds. Here's what I get outta the deal:

Tilling, fertilizing, and bug control in my garden area, 72 square feet at a time, in about 3 days flat. So, I get better crops, as well. I also get on average about 9 eggs per day. We use three, so the other 6 per day means I can pawn off a dozen organic eggs every two days, which pays for the feed and oyster shell.

And when the hen stops laying, she will have another way to serve me - on a platter. There really is not much of a downside to having and using chickens in this way.

This new, big Chicken Tractor will be somethin' to see. Instead of a simple wired cage, it will have a built-in coop where they can retire for the night. The coop section will also be on garden cart wheels, with handles on the caged end for moving it easily. The top of the coop will be my old truck cap, providing light and ventilation, and the wheels and support come from my old Vermont garden cart - you know, the ones with the large bicycle wheels.

I'm also considering raising two pigs next year. If I do, I'll name them Muhammad and Osama. That should make it easier to dispatch them in the fall. (Of course, it could just as easily be Pelosi and Reid.)

Robin says I'm turning into a farmer. I guess she forgot I was a farmer before I was 6. Raised on a farm.

Well, it's dinner time - gotta go!

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