The Chicken Tractor: a coop for the modernist chicken and an organic lawn fertilizer
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
It’s called the Chicken Tractor, and it’s the Los Angeles design firm 100xbetter’s first foray into urban farm equipment: an architecturally modernist, indoor-outdoor chicken coop that doubles as a fertilizer spreader.
‘The lower screened portion has an open bottom. The chickens fertilize the area where they are placed, and then you move it around your property like a wheelbarrow,’ 100xbetter co-founder Brendan Sowersby said. ‘The upper portion is where they nest and roost. There are doors on the back to collect the fresh eggs.’
Made from brass wire screen and exterior grade plywood, the 7.5-foot-long piece includes an intricately patterned roof made using computer numerical controlled (CNC) cutting tools.
‘It’s definitely for the ‘modern’ chicken farmer,’ Sowersby said. ‘One who may only want a few chickens for their own eggs or pets. I love the idea of the mini farm for urban living.’
Sowersby and 100xbetter co-founder Will Rollin created the Chicken Tractor prototype pictured here for an art exhibition. It was expensive to produce, which explain why it’s offered at $2,500. Not exactly chicken scratch, but based on the interest it has generated (‘Judging by the response, having chickens is the new cool.’ Sowersby said), 100xbetter will be offering a similar version as a flat-pack kit that customers can assemble themselves. Price: $900 to $1,500, depending on options.
The Chicken Tractor interior, below, has the elegant minimalism of a Dwell magazine interior. Below the roosting rod, a ramp leads to the yard. The pendant light has a Corian lampshade and can be used to heat the coop in the winter.
For an easy way to follow future headlines, join our Facebook pages for California home design and gardening in the West.
RELATED:
Our series: A year in community gardens
-- David A. Keeps
Photo credits: 100xbetter