Here on the farm it's not all about sippng cappuccino and pretending we're on the Italian Riviera. The 34 domesticated animals that we share the farm with have needs. Lots of needs. Our animal friends include 24 curious and ravenous Araucana pullets and 4 mixed breed aging-but-still-laying hens .
To help fulfill some of their needs, I recently retrofitted one of our chicken tractors with a new door. (For those unfamiliar with the term: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tractor)
The original design was based on the assumption that the inhabitants would rarely leave the pen; it would be moved daily onto fresh ground. (Video I used for the original build: https://youtu.be/nFhekYwXntk . ) I found that even with minimal birds in the pen, moving the tractor once a day just wasn't enough, since the hens immediately ingested everything green and became bored. Moving twice a day quickly became too much work.
The solution was converting the tractors into stationary housing, and encircling them with horse fence to create paddocks, into which they are released daily. This increases access to grass and bugs immensely. The entire set-up can be moved to fresh pasture if necessary.
The original tractor design featured a door that opens from the top so humans can reach in to retrieve hens, add food or water, etc. My retrofit added a ground level door so chickens don't have to fly in and fly out every day. Now they can wander in and wander out as they desire, which aligns much more closely with chicken behavior. I have observed them circling the tractor at dusk, thinking deeply (if that's even possible) about how to re-enter their home, before having an epiphany (again!) and realizing they must fly in. All this thinking just isn't normal for chickens.
I scavenged my hardware and lumber hoards for supplies, and the only item I had to purchase was a safety hasp. More proof that hoarding is a healthy and useful activity. Salvage hinges, on old pull, and some dog lead parts and pieces combined with unused siding miraculously transformed into a beautiful new door.
The door is hooked open during daylight hours so the hens can spend their mental energy on hunting bugs instead of puzzling over how to get into their house. The hens seem happier already. Next challenge: meeting the needs of the rapidly growing juveniles.
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