homestead.fyi / TRACTOR-10

10-Bird Hoop Tractor

A hoop tractor for 10 hens, 4 x 10 ft and 36 in tall, built from half cattle panels bent over a ground-level frame, wrapped in hardware cloth, with plywood ends and a front hatch.

Draft plan, generated from the model. Not yet build-tested.

10Birds

48 x 120 inFootprint

40 sq ftFloor

36 inHeight

3Half panels

6 to 10 hrBuild time

$392.25Materials

Drawings All dimensions in inches

3D viewhardware cloth wrap; weather cover not shown

3D view, framecloth and end walls removed; panels drawn solid

Front elevationhatch in the front end

Right elevation

Frame, from abovebase and hoops

Cut list: lumber Long-point lengths; angles noted

Qty	Stock	Length	Part	Cut
2	2x2	24	Hatch rail	laid flat
2	2x2	21	Hatch stile
1	2x4 PT	120	Base rail left	on edge
1	2x4 PT	120	Base rail right	on edge
1	2x4 PT	45	Base end front	on edge
1	2x4 PT	45	Base end back	on edge
1	2x4 PT	45	Base brace	on edge

Cut list: sheet goods

Part	Stock	Size	Note
Front end left	1/2 ply	24 x 36 1/2	hatch is the cutout, re-hung
Front end right	1/2 ply	24 x 36 1/2	hatch is the cutout, re-hung
Back end left	1/2 ply	24 x 36 1/2
Back end right	1/2 ply	24 x 36 1/2
Vent screen	cloth	26 x 0
Hoop wrap 1	cloth	31 1/2 x 100	cut from the roll
Hoop wrap 2	cloth	31 1/2 x 100	cut from the roll
Hoop wrap 3	cloth	31 1/2 x 100	cut from the roll
Hoop wrap 4	cloth	31 1/2 x 100	cut from the roll

Lumber cutting diagram Lengths chosen for the lowest cost; 1/8 in kerf, 1/2 in end trim

2x2 x 8 ft

Hatch rail 1 24Hatch rail 2 24Hatch stile 1 21Hatch stile 2 21

2x4 PT x 12 ft

Base end front 45Base end back 45Base brace 45

2x4 PT x 12 ft

Base rail left 120

2x4 PT x 12 ft

Base rail right 120

Sheet cutting diagrams Dashed = openings to cut out

Sheet 1: 1/2 in plywood, 4 x 8 ft

Sheet 2: 1/2 in plywood, 4 x 8 ft

Shopping list $392.25 checked / $0.00 estimated

Item	Store	Qty	Each	Line	Note
2x2x8 furring strip	Home Depot	1	$2.97	$2.97	see lumber cutting diagram
2x4x12 ground-contact pressure-treated	Home Depot	3	$7.18	$21.54	see lumber cutting diagram
15/32 in (1/2 in) sheathing plywood, 4x8 sheet	Lowe's	2	$32.26	$64.52	see sheet cutting diagrams
Hardware cloth 1/2 in, 3 ft x 25 ft, 19-ga	Home Depot	2	$38.88	$77.76	uses about 400 in of the roll
Cattle panel, 16 ft x 50 in, 4-gauge	Tractor Supply	2	$37.99	$75.98	cut in half for 3 hoops
6 mil greenhouse film, 20 x 25 ft	Walmart Business	1	$83.99	$83.99	weather cover for the back half
UV zip ties 11 in, 100 ct (also used for tie wire)	Home Depot	1	$17.65	$17.65	ties for the panels and cloth
Exterior wood screws #9 x 2.5 in, 5 lb box	Home Depot	1	$29.97	$29.97
Galvanized 6 in strap hinge, each (5-pack $32.99)	Home Depot	1	$6.60	$6.60	hatch
Galvanized staple safety hasp, 3-1/2 in	Home Depot	1	$6.78	$6.78	hatch
Poultry staples 3/4 in, 1 lb	Southern States	1	$4.49	$4.49
Total before tax				$392.25

Filled dot: price read from a store listing on Oct 20, 2026. Hollow dot: estimate. Prices come from the master price list, so they change when it changes.

Build steps

Cut 2 cattle panels in half across the middle with bolt cutters, giving 3 half panels of 8 ft and one spare half.
Build the base from pressure-treated 2x4s on edge: two 120 in rails, and the front, back and middle cross pieces between them. Check square by measuring both diagonals.
Bend each half panel into a hoop 48 in across and 36 in tall, and screw its feet to the outside of the rails with fender washers. Set them side by side, overlapping about 15 in, and wire them together.
Cut the end walls from the sheet layouts. Screw each to the end hoop and the base. Keep the hatch cutout in the front and re-hang it with a hasp.
Frame the hatch with four 2x2s, staple cloth over it and hang it on strap hinges.
Wrap the 4 strips of hardware cloth over the hoops from one rail to the other, overlapping each by 2 in, and tie them to the panels every 6 in with wire.
Staple cloth over the vent in the back end from the inside.
Cover the back half of the hoops with the plastic film or a tarp for shade and rain, held with wire ties.

Before you start

Sized for 10 hens at 4 sq ft each. Move the tractor every day or two onto fresh ground; do not leave it in one place.
Add a roost bar and a nest box before use. The nest box and roost ladder add-on plans fit the end walls.
Cloth, not chicken wire, over every opening. A tractor has no floor, so a raccoon digs in under the base: keep the rails on the ground and pile soil against them.
A tractor this size weighs about 80 lb. Two people can drag it, or fit the wheel kit add-on.
Draft drawings generated from the model. Build one before selling this plan.