Chicken Tractors

Chicken tractors are deployed for Hijou's pastured chickens for several reasons, primarily to provide a mobile and controlled environment for the chickens to graze on fresh pasture while still being protected from predators and adverse weather conditions.

Here are some reasons why chicken tractors are used:

Rotational Grazing: Chicken tractors allow for rotational grazing practices, where chickens are moved to fresh pasture regularly. This helps prevent overgrazing of vegetation and allows pastures to regenerate, promoting soil health and biodiversity.

Protection from Predators: Chicken tractors provide a secure enclosure for chickens, protecting them from predators such as snakes, wild boars, wild dogs and birds of prey. The enclosed structure of the chicken tractor typically includes wire mesh walls and a roof to deter predators from accessing the chickens.

Controlled Environment: Chicken tractors allow us to control the chickens' environment, including their access to food, water, and shelter. This enables us to monitor the chickens' health and well-being more closely and provide for their needs effectively.

Natural Foraging: Chicken tractors enable chickens to engage in natural foraging behaviours, such as scratching and pecking for insects, seeds, and vegetation. This provides the chickens with a varied and nutritious diet, improves the quality of their meat and eggs, and promotes healthier, more flavourful products.

Manure Management: Chicken tractors facilitate the management of chicken manure by confining it to a specific area. As the tractors are moved to fresh pasture, the manure deposited by the chickens fertilizes the soil, improving soil fertility and promoting plant growth. This is good for the land.

Mobile Infrastructure: Chicken tractors are designed to be mobile, allowing us to easily move them to different areas of the pasture or farm. This flexibility allows for efficient land management practices, such as pasture rotation and multi-species grazing, and helps prevent soil compaction and degradation.

Overall, chicken tractors are a practical and sustainable tool for raising pastured chickens, providing a balance between mobility, protection, and natural foraging opportunities for the chickens while promoting environmental stewardship and sustainable agriculture practices.