Is the JUSTIN RHODES Chickshaw any good??
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
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Special thanks to Justin Rhodes for the free plans we used to create this portable chicken coop!
(3 steers, 30 chickens, and 4 acres was for a two week period of time)
We put chickens on pasture using the Justin Rhodes Chickshaw. Bringing chickens in behind the cows and sheep adds nitrogen to our pasture. Nitrogen is one of the essential elements that grasses need to convert sunlight into new growth. The chickens themselves contribute to pasture sanitation. Having 3 species on pasture creates a series of dead-end hosts for parasites. This multispecies grazing format creates a cleaner grazing area for all livestock.
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"Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion." Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
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Great info, thanks for sharing your successes and lessons learned. Loved the verse at the end as well! May the Lord continue to bless your efforts!
Thank you, Johnny!
-the Shepherdess
Having built one myself and using it everyday for almost a year, I submit the following suggestions/improvements. Keep in mind that I’m in west TN, and it’s hilly.
1. It’s too heavy
2. It’s expensive to build
3. Keep the axles within the rear 25%. Chickens huddle when it’s cold. If your axles are at the balance point, you’ll find your CT doing a wheelie.
4. No need to have a 4-5’ pull handle. It handles better with one that slightly wider than your body.
5. If parked on a hill, you can add spikes on the front stand legs. (See Perma-Pastures Farm videos on their chicken tractor on Steroids build, which has several great tips, is lighter and stronger)
6. The drop through floor is good for Salatin-style pasture fertilization, but not for making compost. The compost method can also eliminate feed costs! (Thanks again to Perma-Pastures Farm. )
7. Put the chicken door in the opposite side of the pull handle. Nothing to clambor over that way.
Thank youuuuu! Undervalued comment!
@@ifyouloveChristyouwillobeyhim You learn by making the mistakes. I sure did. Next revision I’ll add a small trailer hitch to move it with my lawn tractor
Wheelchair wheels also are good and durable for a chickshaw and you can often find discarded wheelchairs.
Thanks for sharing this tip!!
-the Shepherdess
Could you give more specific details as to why the bike tires didn’t work out? I scrolled through the comments but didn’t see any further explanation for that. I’m glad I saw this before using them as I was considering it but I’d really like to know WHY they didn’t work if you don’t mind sharing. The more details the better! Thanks!!
LOVE the chicken footprint 😍 lol
Glad you asked! They were warping outward and making the chickshaw 3 times harder to pull.... and almost impossible to pull uphill or over tall grass and bumpy terrain. With the higher quality tires we can move it with just one hand. 😍
Thanks so much for commenting!! Hope to see more of you on the channel. 🐑🌱
-the Shepherdess
The chickens follow, but have you given thought as to how long behind? It would take a couple days for a cow patty to attract earth worms and a couple more for fly larva to become delicious morsels.
I hear that 3 days is optimum follow up in a chicken-cow system. It’s a bit different for sheep manure since the sheep manure does not attract flies like the cow pies do.
Thanks so much for watching!
Beautifully done!!! Loved all this info! Thanks for looking your hard work:)
Greetings from Northeast Texas! We JUST found your channel, we built our modified chicksaw/ eggmobile this past June and our chickens are about 9 weeks, not laying yet. One of our modifications was expanding the nesting boxes as a shelf in the back and it gave space for 4 boxes. We are curious as to how the egglaying is going for you and what advice you might have for us now that you have more time under your belt with it, any other modifications (I know we have made adjustments) lol!
Thanks & stay blessed, we like what you are doing!
Thank you so much for your comment! Egg laying is going well. There is always a production slump once summer kicks in... and they quit for a while overwinter.
Great idea on expanding the nesting boxes! My sister said she noticed that they did not like the ones that this was made with so she also ram some
Modifications.
So glad to have you on this channel! Thank you so much for your support!
-the Shepherdess
Love the modifications you made! It looks great!!
Thanks so much, Amanda!!
Great video!!!!!! 😁👏🏻 It's so neat how the animals can sorta work together to eliminate parasites!
Love the double roof… how do you stop rain from getting in along the centre?
A small amount of water does make it through, but not enough to be a major concern. 👍🏻
Thanks for commenting!
-the Shepherdess
I found an old wheelchair that was thrown out. It has never-flat style tires on it. What do you think is the chance of them working successfully on a chickshaw? I’d really love to avoid buying those expensive no-flat wheels.
You could give it a try! We tried the bike wheels before jumping off for the expensive ones. It gave me some peace of mind to know I tried all the economical options first. 👍🏻
-the Shepherdess
@@theShepherdess did the bicycle wheels' spokes bend or tubes go flat?
@@TheRainHarvester they bent!
Thank you for the instructive video! May I ask how you keep the chickens in winter-time? We have kept them in the chickshaws, but with the cold and humidity they stopped laying eggs from mid September on and resumed in march. Thank you for any insight you can give us!
Love the color!!!
Thank you!! 😁😁
-the Shepherdess
First off it's great you and so many others give due credit to Justin Roads for the chickshaw. Your the first I have seen do the roof "split", great idea. I'm still considering some kind of rain water collection system for the "shaw". I would like to use that to reduce some work in the long run. Plus install a automatic chicken door to close at night ( I work 3:00pm till about 3:00am, the self closing door really important for me) Anyway yours looked great, liked the red paint. Oh one last thing I intend to replace the crates with metal roll back egg nests. Have a great day 🌤 👍 😀
Thank you!
Careful about those auto-doors, I've heard of them accidentally blocking the chickens out and the poor things got ravaged.
Your videos are well done and very helpful.....do you know where pasture pigs fall in the rotation order? Do chickens and pigs compliment each other?
Hi tawnya! From my understanding, pastured pigs are not as much a daily rotation animal. I’ve seen Joel Salatin use them differently on his farm. More like tillers and diggers than grazers. With that, I’ve never heard that pigs and chickens benefit each other... at least not in the way that cows and chickens do. 🐓🐮
I hope this helps!
-the Shepherdess🐑🌱
@@theShepherdess thank you...I rotate my pigs every two weeks through my paddocks. They are Idaho Pasture Pigs so rooting is minimal! But I was hoping to hear they benefitted each other but they will each benefit my fields so that is a win....thank you for such awesome content and getting back to me....oh and your interview with Joel Salatin was refreshing. It was nice to hear him asked different questions.
@@tawnyascharber9402 thank you for saying that about the Joel Salatin interview! I hoped to ask questions that hadn’t been before so your comment really encouraged me :).
I hope your pigs turn out well! We may be getting a set of Kune Kune in June.
-the Shepherdess🐑🌱
This is awesome. I love what you are doing with your farm. Keep the videos coming.
Thanks for being such a cheerleader! Appreciate your support!!
Great video I think I like the sow the land chicken Shaw better it’s lighter and cheaper!
Isn't the mesh size of the floor too big for a weasel?
My husband and I are in process of getting things together.
How did you protect the wood from the weather?
Please
My wife and I would love the new plans of the J.R. CHICKSAW MOBILE when available.
Thanks
Same!! I'd love those modified plans as well!
wouldn't water go between the two doors? i see you put the roofing on top but, in between the two doors for what i could see water would go there....
Only a little water. The hens have room to huddle so as to avoid the direct rainfall.
I love it, it looks good!
Awesome video. I really like the double roof. I was wondering do you clip your chickens wings? Also how much poultry netting are you using? And what's your average daily egg count? Thank you.
Thanks very much! No, we don’t clip. We are using one 184’ poultry netting for this chickshaw setup.
Egg count varies with the daylight. One of our good hens will lay about 250 eggs per year.
Hope this helps!
-the Shepherdess
Thank you for a quick response. Wow that's awesome. My chickens probably would fly away.
How did y’all do the roof? Does water leak down the middle?
It leaks a little bit more than it would with the original lid, but not enough to cause major concern. 👍🏻👍🏻
Do you think this is a better system than a chicken tractor? I’m suspecting they would be open to a lot of predation in the pasture?
Thanks and I wish you the Best!
In Christ
Aaron
Lil-Shire-Farms
I’m glad I’m not the only one who gets cranky when they’re exhausted. My poor kiddies! But God is good and always sends help when we need it! I LOVE my husband!
I wonder if you could take the axles off the bike wheels and replace them with a rod that would be adequate. Those axles can come off
I love your setup! Could you also use the Chickshaw in winter/ when it is snowing or really windy etc? Keep up your work, it is amazing! May the Lord bless you 😊
Same question.. do you use in winter?
Too many drafts for winter. Seems like raccoons can bite chickens through the floor.
@@TheRainHarvester our friends have had one for 2-3 years and use it year round in Kentucky where we get freezing weather for months. They covered it with a tarp when the weather went to 0º for a couple of days but it works fine all year.
What size wire mesh is on the bottom? Maybe 1”x2”. Would you use it again?
I love the chickshaw! If I move I can take it with me! No poop to scoop and no predators ! A little straw in the winter keeps their feet warm
How can I get the blue prints for the chicksha
Justin Rhodes website has it!
@@theShepherdess ok thank you !!
I've been thinking about building one of those!
Great video!!
Thanks! 😀
Dont Hens want their own box to lay in or will they lay egg in a box that already has eggs? Also do you still got a blue print for this? Keep up the great work u2
Thanks Brett! Justin Rhodes has the blueprints, we just added a bisected lid. 👍🏻
Greetings, do you have printed plan for the bisected lids?
I’m sorry, I do not have any official blueprints. Thank you for commenting!
Love your review. Saves your viewers from making mistakes themselves. Good job again! Thanks
Thanks so much!! Always wait for your comments 😄😁