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4x10 Cattle-Panel Hoop Chicken Tractor: 14 sq ft of coop and 20 sq ft of screened run for 2-4 hens. Dimensioned drawings, a complete material list, and every cut length across 14 assembly steps. Beginner build, one weekend (12-16 hrs).
Every dimension, spec table and cut list below is free on this page. Complete 35-page book: Full plans on Etsy.
| Coop section | 4 ft × 4.3 ft — 14 sq ft of bird floor |
|---|---|
| Run | 4 ft × 5.4 ft (20 sq ft), screened |
| Overall length | 120" coop + run |
| Peak height | 29-13/16" (24" roof rise) |
| Access | Reach-in — 24" × 26" hinged panel |
| Capacity | 2-4 hens |
| Nest boxes | 2 in a 24-1/2" bank |
| Roost bar | 40" minimum (10" per bird) |
| Build time | One weekend (12-16 hrs) |
| Difficulty | Beginner |
| Materials cost | $1,000–$1,300 at 2026 prices |
The complete bill of materials. Quantities carry no waste allowance — add two or three extra boards if you are new to framing.
| Material | Size | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 1x2 lumber | 12 feet | 4 pcs |
| 1x2 lumber | 8 feet | 3 pcs |
| 1x3 lumber (purlins) | 12 feet | 3 pcs |
| 2x2 lumber | 8 feet | 2 pcs |
| 2x4 lumber | 12 feet | 2 pcs |
| 2x4 lumber | 8 feet | 7 pcs |
| Cattle panel, 10-line galvanised | 192" x 50" | 2 pcs (cut each in half -> 3 hoops; ~$27-43 ea, 44 lb ea) |
| 1/2" plywood, exterior grade (end panels, door, gussets) | 4' x 8' | 1 pcs (~12 sq ft of parts) |
| 1/2" hardware cloth, 19 ga | 36" roll | 25 ft + 25 ft (39 ft needed, 3 courses over the hoop) |
| Fender washers + screws for cloth | 1" washer | 156 pcs |
| Fence staples, galvanised | 1-1/2" | 53 pcs (1 lb box) |
| Hog rings + pliers, panel lap joints | — | 24 rings |
| Galvanised tie wire | 14 ga, 25 ft | 1 roll |
| Tarp, heavy duty with reinforced hem | 96" x 52" min | 1 pc (35 sq ft over the closed end) |
| Lawnmower wheels, sealed bearing | 8" dia, 1/2in bore | 2 pcs |
| Arm pivot bolts + nyloc nuts | 3/8" x 4" | 2 + 2 |
| Drop pins on lanyards (arms up / arms down) | 5/16" x 3" | 2 pcs |
| Steel axle rod | 1/2" x 54" | 1 pc |
| Axle washers + cotter pins | 1/2in | 4 + 4 |
| Angle brackets, arch feet | 3" galvanised | 6 pcs |
| Steel stakes + strap plates, one per corner | 18" U-stake | 4 + 4 (ATTRA: staking is what stops digging AND wind) |
| 2-1/2" exterior screws | 5 lb box | 1 boxes |
| 1-1/4" exterior screws | 5 lb box | 1 box |
| 1/4" x 3-1/2" lag screws (handles) | — | 8 pcs |
| Exterior primer + paint | 1 qt each | 1 + 1 |
| Hinges | — | 4 (2 openable parts) |
| Barrel bolts, door top and bottom | 4" | 2 pcs |
Nominal vs actual: the list uses nominal sizes (2×4), the drawings use finished sizes (1-1/2" × 3-1/2"). Check your own stock before cutting.
Every step, with the cut list it needs. The summaries here are the short version — the complete 35-page book carries the full written instruction for each one, plus the stop-and-measure checkpoints.
Every cut length below is computed from the same geometry that draws the PDF, so the numbers on this page and the numbers in the plan set cannot disagree.
The base is the foundation, the tie that stops the hoop from spreading, and the thing you drag.
| Part | Qty | Length | Stock | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skid | 2 | 120" | 2x4 | on edge, full length, crown up |
| Base rung | 5 | 45" | 2x4 | on edge, between the skids, flush at the top |
The wheels go on before anything heavy does.
| Part | Qty | Length | Stock | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheel arm | 2 | 14" | 2x4 | pivot bolt one end, 1/2in axle hole the other |
| Arm pivot block | 2 | 6" | 2x4 | outside the skid |
| Lift handle | 2 | 42" | 2x4 | lagged to the skid, 4 lags each |
| Grip bar | 1 | 45" | 2x2 | between the handle ends |
| Axle rod | 1 | 1/2" x 54" | Steel |
This is the step the whole plan is built around, so read it before you cut.
| Part | Qty | Length | Stock | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arch segment | 18 | 15-3/4" | 2x4 | 18.1 deg BOTH ends, cuts CONVERGING; 15-3/4" long point, 13-7/16" short point |
| Arch gusset | 15 | 7" x 9" | 1/2" plywood | |
| Arch foot bracket | 6 | 3" | Angle bracket |
Before the arches leave the ground, check them against the table on this page.
Stand the 3 arches on their rungs, feet flush with the outside of the skids, and fix each foot with an arch foot bracket plus one screw skewed through the bevel.
| Part | Qty | Length | Stock | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ridge purlin | 1 | 120" | 1x3 | on the crown joint, full length |
| Side purlin | 2 | 120" | 1x3 | one each side, on a chord joint |
Two 16-ft cattle panels, cut in half, make the 3 hoops this tractor needs with no offcut — that is why the arc is 96" and not something rounder.
| Part | Qty | Length | Stock | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle panel half | 3 | 50" x 96" arc | Cattle panel | |
| Fence staple | 1 | 53 ct, 1-1/2" | Fence staples | |
| Panel tie wire | 1 | 14 ga, 25 ft | Tie wire |
Both ends get 1/2" plywood cut to the arch — a 6-sided shape, not a curve, so it scribes off the frame you already built.
| Part | Qty | Length | Stock | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| End sheathing, closed end | 1 | 48" x 33-3/8", cut to the arch | 1/2" plywood | |
| End sheathing, door end | 1 | 48" x 33-3/8", door opening cut out | 1/2" plywood | |
| Door stop | 2 | 26" | 1x2 | inside the opening |
| Door head stop | 1 | 24" | 1x2 |
Every opening in this plan gets something that closes it, and this is the big one.
| Part | Qty | Length | Stock | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Door slab | 1 | 23-1/2" x 25-1/2" | 1/2" plywood | |
| Door ledge | 2 | 23-1/2" | 1x2 | top and bottom |
| Door brace | 1 | 34-11/16" , cut to fit corner to corner | 1x2 |
The cattle panel is not a fence. Its grid is about 6in x 8in. A hen walks out through that and a raccoon walks in.
| Part | Qty | Length | Stock | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoop cloth course | 3 | 36" x 120" | Hardware cloth | |
| End cloth | 2 | 48" x 33-3/8", cut to the arch | Hardware cloth | |
| Cloth batten | 4 | 120" | 1x2 | traps the cloth on the skid |
A stationary run gets a buried apron. This thing moves every morning, so nothing can be buried, and a floorless coop sitting on open grass is exactly the case a digging predator is built for.
| Part | Qty | Length | Stock | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skirt cloth | 2 | 12" x 120" | Hardware cloth | |
| Skirt cloth, ends | 2 | 12" x 48" | Hardware cloth |
A bare hoop is a sieve, which is right over the run and wrong over the roost.
| Part | Qty | Length | Stock | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarp / roll roofing | 1 | 96" x 52" | Tarp | |
| Tarp batten | 2 | 52" | 1x2 | screwed over the tarp edge |
2 boxes, 12" clear each, 13" deep, 12" of clear height, standing on legs 3" tall.
| Part | Qty | Length | Stock | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nest bank floor | 1 | 24-1/2" x 13" | 1/2" plywood | |
| Nest bank back | 1 | 24-1/2" x 15-1/2" | 1/2" plywood | |
| Nest divider | 1 | 12" x 13" | 1/2" plywood | |
| Nest end | 2 | 13" x 15-1/2" | 1/2" plywood | |
| Nest lid | 1 | 26" x 14" | 1/2" plywood | |
| Nest leg | 2 | 3" | 2x2 | keeps the floor off the grass |
| Nest litter lip | 1 | 24-1/2" x 4" | 1/2" plywood |
One roost bar, 46-1/2" long, 2x2, running the LENGTH of the closed section on the centreline of the hoop at 20" above the grass.
| Part | Qty | Length | Stock | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roost bar | 1 | 46-1/2" | 2x2 | top two corners eased, centreline of the hoop |
| Roost hanger | 2 | 6" x 8" | 1/2" plywood | gusset, screwed to the arch crown |
| Roost prop | 1 | 20" | 2x2 | mid-span, down to the base rung |
A hoop is a wing. 34.7 sq ft of tarp on a curved surface will lift a 310 lb tractor in a gust, and it does not have to lift it far to roll it.
| Part | Qty | Length | Stock | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stake | 4 | 18" | Steel stake | through the skid, one per corner |
| Stake plate | 4 | 2" x 6" galv. | Strap |
The 5-page preview PDF is a free download with no email required, and everything published on this page stays free — every dimension, the spec table, the complete material list and all 14 assembly steps with their cut tables. The complete 35-page plan book — every wall on its own sheet with its own cut table, a board-by-board cut plan and a material buy list — is $4.99 in our Etsy shop.
2-4 hens. At 14 sq ft of floor, 2 birds get about 7 sq ft each, with 20 sq ft of screened run on top of that. The top of the range (4) assumes the birds spend their days outside rather than shut in.
Everything on this page — dimensioned plan and elevation drawings, the complete bill of materials (27 line items) and all 14 assembly steps with per-step cut tables — plus what a web page can't carry: the full written instruction for every step rather than the summary shown here, every wall framed on its own sheet, a board-by-board cut plan, a buy list you can hand to the lumber yard, and stop-and-measure checkpoints at each stage. The free 5-page preview PDF shows the design overview and main dimensions. On-page specs are computed from the same geometry that draws the PDFs, so the numbers can never disagree.
Complete 35-page book: Full plans on Etsy.
Different size? See all chicken coop plans, or check the size calculator first.