A "Chicken Tractor" is a movable chicken coop with no floor.
Chicken tractors are a great way for the backyard poultry enthusiast to allow their chickens a more varied diet and reap the benefits that poultry can perform..
To protect from predators, chicken coops should be enclosed in 1/4" hardware cloth, or no more than 1" poultry mesh.
Hardware cloth, while a bit more expensive, will protect against "ground" predators such as snakes, and avian predators, such as hawks and owls.
Snakes can work their way through larger 3" poultry mesh, and enter your coop and decimate your poultry population in a short time! Smaller mesh wire is also important to protect your poultry from avian predators such as hawks, eagles and owls.
Be sure to place any perches inside your coop in such a way that your birds heads are not too close to the outer wires while they are roosting.
Even if an avian predator can't reach your birds easily, the stress from an attempted attack can cause your birds to flap about and injure themselves; thus, a "secondary roof" of wire or even tin would help to protect them from this.
Chicken Tractors should be moved to a new location every so often to allow your birds the maximum benefits of eating seeds, weeds, and bugs without ranging free and unprotected.
Always be sure to place the coop on level ground, to guard against the possible intrusion of predators from under the floor.
Mammalian predators such as dogs, cats, foxes and coyotes is always a concern, so you should locate your pen where you can either protect against these predators from coming near it, or monitor it carefully in the event of a predator being nearby.
Locating your coop in a well lit area is always a good idea, as is locking your birds inside their coop every night.
Again, hardware cloth, while more expensive, is a thicker gauge wire and will go a long way towards preventing potential predators from digging through the wires or stretching them enough to allow access to your birds.
The frame for your movable coop can be built from recycled wood, such as wood pallets, as long as it is not overly weathered or termite infested.
This not only produces a sturdier coop that resists predators, but also reduces your carbon footprint by keeping these pallets out of the landfills! There are many designs available on the web for home-made chicken coops.
When choosing your design, consider where you will be placing your birds and the terrain of the land you will be moving it about on.
Also consider what predators might be in your area that might affect your backyard poultry operation.
Some areas have many large predators such as bears, large dogs, wildcats, etc.
Other areas are more prone to attacks by smaller predators such as hawks, cats, and snakes.
You should consider the habits of the predators in your area in order to protect your birds best!