Chicken tractors are great mobile homes as you can easily move your flock from one place to another without the hassle of having to gather them regularly. You don’t really have to spend much to buy an expensive chicken tractor. With these chicken tractor plans as your reference, you can easily construct one for your birds.
1. PVC Poultry Pen Plan
If you are looking for an easy build, then PVC coops are for you as these can be assembled easily and without the need for carpentry skills. With PVC pipes as the main component, this tractor includes a coop with a roof for resting and a spacious run for roaming.
The plan is easy to build and comes with a diagram for easier reference. You also don’t need to spend much on materials for this.
2. A-Frame Chicken Tractor Plan
The A-frame style in chicken coops and tractors is common because it is easy to make and functional. If your chickens are egg layers, this A-frame chicken tractor plan is for you.
This toblerone-shaped tractor is quite tall, standing almost the same height as humans. Chickens get good ventilation in the coop as it has holes on top. For egg collection, you can use the access through the top door.
With this plan, you also get a lock system where you can open the coop from the outside by pulling a string.
3. The Roadhouse Chicken Tractor Plan
Dubbed The Roadhouse, this mid-sized chicken tractor is shaped like a toblerone and painted to resemble a mini roadhouse for your flock. This is quite costly to build because of its materials yet you can expect good quality.
Up to 12 hens can fit comfortably in the enclosed area for resting, roosting, and egg-laying. You can easily gather eggs because the nesting boxes at the back have an easy-access design. Chickens can also roam free around the run.
4. Hoop Coop Chicken Tractor Plan
Looking for a chicken tractor with a unique design? You may want to check out this dome-shaped chicken tractor plan. Unlike the usual triangle or box coops, this one is shaped like a hoop.
Though it may look intimidating because of its form, it is quite easy to build with wood framing, mesh, and a tarp as cover. With a good headroom, a person of an average height can stand comfortably inside the coop. It’s also light so you can move around your meat chickens easily and efficiently.
5. Hen Hideout Plan
This chicken tractor plan gives you a shelter that is big enough to fit three to five chickens comfortably but also compact enough to move around. You get both an elevated coop and a run with a roof to shield your hens from the rain and sun.
Because its frame is mostly made of PVC, you are assured that this tractor is sturdy and will last long. It provides good housing for your chickens — plus, it’s easy to build!
6. Egg Mobile Chicken Tractor Plan
Simple yet does the job, this chicken tractor plan has a no-frills design that you build even in just a day. You just need wood framing, mesh, white corrugated plastic, and a tarp which makes it light to drag around.
It does not have many features, though, as it is a straightforward shelter for both egg-laying and meat chickens. You can add a carabiner clip to the rope handle so you can remove it when not in use or use it as a lock for the tractor door.
7. Meaties Chicken Tractor Plan
Also suitable for meat chickens, this tractor is a wise option when you are on a budget. You can use scrap pieces of lumber and even old furniture like cabinets in building this one.
It has a 3×3 feet coop and 3×8 feet pen. Not only is it simple to build but it is also practical as you get to use existing materials at home. This tractor serves its purpose well as a portable shelter for your meat chickens.
8. Big Green Chicken Coop Tractor Plan
Using a chicken coop that is available commercially, the designers of this tractor innovated it to make it portable. As a large shelter, you can fit up to 18 chickens in this tractor.
Made of solid wood, chicken wire, and an asphalt roof, this tractor is meant to last long. The walk-in door allows you to go inside this chicken tractor for easy cleaning. While other designs use lift doors, this one features a sliding door and windows. It is also equipped with the traditional roosting bars and nesting box.
9. Little Egg Factory Plan
As its name suggests, this chicken tractor serves as a shelter for egg-laying hens. Though small in comparison to other tractor plans, this one is functional, having all the things needed for your chickens.
The upper part of this A-frame is a coop that has nesting boxes and resting areas. The designers utilized the space well as below it serves as a run for your flock. The handle grips on the side make it light and easy to move around.
10. Simple Chicken Tractor Plan
Want to grow meat chickens but don’t have a barn or a big space? Build this simple chicken tractor instead. This DIY tractor can house your meat birds and also give them space for roaming.
The design looks like a box with the front half bare without roofing as it serves as the run. The other half is enclosed to serve as your chicken’s shelter at night and protection against the heat and rain.
11. Small PVC Chicken Tractor Plan
Not confident with your carpentry skills? If you have a small flock, you can make a PVC chicken tractor that is suitable for your flock size.
Similar to the Hoop Coop, this chicken tractor plan is a smaller and simpler version that also makes use of PVC pipes, chicken wire, and tarpaulin. Your chickens can take shelter in this dome tractor and you can move it conveniently whenever and wherever you want.
12. Easy DIY Chicken Tractor Plan
This chicken tractor is a straightforward and easy build that you can create at home. You just need to make a wood framing and assemble it with chicken wires and tin to serve as the roof and covering.
The design has two parts: an enclosed area covered with tin and an open space bordered by chicken wires. The door is at the top of the run and you just need to lift it to gain access to your chickens.
13. Wire Dome Chicken Tractor Plan
If you don’t have the budget yet to build a complex coop, you can opt for a wire dome tractor. Unlike other designs that use mesh, have wood framing, and cover the entire dome with tarpaulin, the designer of this tractor had a wooden base and used cattle panels instead.
To zip the tarpaulin roof to the cattle panel frame, you can simply use cable ties. Following this design, you don’t need to spend much and can come up with a shelter for your chickens in just a few hours.
14. Roomy PVC Chicken Tractor Plan
Putting together the box and dome styles, this PVC chicken tractor plan has both a spacious coop and run. PVC pipes make up the main framing so there is little to no need for nails and hammering.
The coop is shaped like a box and is high enough to give proper headroom for your chickens. Meanwhile, its run is shaped like a dome and looks like a long open tunnel to serve as a runway for your flock.
15. Pallet Chicken Tractor Plan
Got pallets lying around your home? Use them to make a chicken tractor! Executing this plan is really easy.
First, turn your discarded pallets into a chicken tractor by using it as the base, framing, and gate. Second, put chicken wires all over to prevent your chickens from going out. For the final touches, add a tarpaulin or roofing material to shield your flock from the sun or rain showers.
16. Easy PVC Chicken Tractor Plan
Some prefer to have a long chicken tractor and this PVC chicken tractor plan is perfect for them. Like other PVC tractors, this one has pipes, chicken wire, and tarpaulin. The base is wood while the dome framing is pipes.
What sets this apart from others is that it looks like an elongated tube. About two-fifths of this tractor plan serves as the coop with a tarpaulin roof. On the other hand, the remaining part serves as the run.
17. Sadie Lane Brooder Tractor Plan
Using a crate, you can already start making your own chicken tractor following this design plan. This one makes use of an old crate to serve as the coop. To add to the crate coop, make wooden framing for the run and the elevation of the crate.
Though compact, its coop provides enough space for nesting and roosting. Chickens can also roam free while taking refuge from the sun in the space beneath the coop. The run has plenty of open space as well.
18. Budget Chicken Tractor Plan
Only have $30 to spare for your chicken tractor? Don’t worry! You can make one with this chicken tractor plan. Scavenge for scrap wood, old wagon wheels, and other materials in your home. Once you have that ready, you can start building your tractor.
This is a small but utilitarian tractor that is best for pullets and young chickens. It is toblerone-shaped with an enclosed space covered with tin and an open run with chicken wires. You can access your chickens through a part of the roof that serves as the door.
19. Broiler Tractor Plan
Let your broilers run free in a secured place with this chicken tractor plan. This design encourages upcycling as the main components are used bicycle parts. The plan provides a detailed instructional guide on how to build it from scratch.
It is comparably a big tractor with plenty of space, both covered and open, for roaming. In fact, it can house a large flock. You will most especially like the design’s highlight which is its raising and lowering mechanism.
20. All-Terrain Chicken Tractor Plan
While many tractor plans provide good space utilization, some are only good for flat surfaces and cannot withstand challenging terrains. As a solution, the designers came up with this tractor plan that handles all kinds of terrain — and yes, that includes rocky hills.
This chicken tractor is more like a rickshaw that serves as both a shelter and transport vehicle for your flock. It has a box-shaped coop where you put your chickens in and a handle that you hold and carry as you drag your tractor along.
21. Bantam House Mobile Coop Plan
Get the homey comfort of a coop and good portability with this Bantam House design. This mobile coop doubles as a chicken tractor. Your chickens will like the living area that looks like a cottage with proper ventilation, resting, and roosting areas.
The extended area serves as the chicken run where your chickens can roam free. You don’t have to empty your bank for this tractor as you can use wood and other materials at home in building it.
22. Barn Tractor Plan
Relatively larger than other plans, this chicken tractor is meant to resemble a little barn for your chickens. The design includes an elevated coop with all the features needed for your chickens and a run with ample space for roaming around.
Chickens will find the coop comfortable because there are windows for ventilation which you can open and close with the help of a lock. The same goes for the coop door which you can shut with a lock during nighttime.
23. Small-Scale Chicken Tractor Plan
Are you growing poultry for meat? This small-scale chicken tractor plan can fit 10 to 15 chickens. The rectangular tractor includes a box with a roof as a coop and an open space enclosed with chicken wire for the run. String and latches are used to carry this around.
Beginner carpentry skills are enough in building this fairly simple coop. You can use the free 3D picture and dimensions as your guide.
Wrap-up: Choose the best chicken tractor plan for you
With so many wonderful chicken tractor plans, choosing the best one for you can be a big dilemma. In picking the best one, bear in mind these considerations: the size of your flock, usage, cost, and the difficulty level in building the tractor.
There are many tractors readily available in the market but building one is a fun project to do — and you can customize it to your liking!
Joseph Hudson has been raising chickens for over 15 years. In 2018, he completed the Agriculture & Natural Resources program at Mt. San Antonio College. He currently raises over 1400 chickens on his 7.5-hectare farm. He keeps sharing his experience on raising healthy and happy chickens on Chicken Scratch The Foundry.
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Hi. Thanks for your website showing various Chicken Tractors. It would be very helpful if you could give not only the dimensions of the builds to help determine how many chickens each design can house. Being new at this, it appears each design has its own benefits and shortcomings, so it would be best to find out what users of these structures have had success with, and what didn’t work well.
Thanks for consolidating this list. Very helpful.