Gang way!

The tractor is proceeding slowly. It's hard to get days to work on it, whether from the uncooperative weather or even other engagements like school and weekly geocaching excursions. I did have a couple of hours to spare so I came up with a floor for the nesting area and a gang plank.

The nesting area if the tractor will be located on the rear 4 feet of the tractor and raised up about 20 inches. Research advises to nest them above 18 inches. I had to rearrange the nesting box area to the side to fit all 4 boxes in. Originally, the plan was to nest them on the back wall, but there wasn't enough room for 4 boxes.

The other half of the floor consists of 1/2 inch welded wire mesh to make cleaning a little easier. I am starting to rethink this decision. Initially, I was all for the added ventilation, but I'm thinking it may be too much. I think i may add a sliding drawer under there to catch the waste and to facilitate cleaning. This would solve the issue of having it too breezy in there from the open floor.

The gang plank is 8 1/2 inches wide and about 42 inches long. I added some small battens to it for little chicken feet to grip. The end of the ramp hangs about 5 inches off the ground, which should below enough for the birds to hop onto. I braced it in place using a strip of 1x2 that can also be used as a perch for the chickens.




I'm working on a door for them now.