For Immediate Release:

Boss Opens Office Door With Another New Idea

April 10, 2015 - Chicken Factory HQ - The Boss - (Our Chief Grumpy Guy) was in the corner office of our executive coop holding a high-level meeting (taking a nap) when suddenly, he burst through the door. "Now I've done it." he shouted. "Get on it right away."

Turns out he wasn't working on filing his taxes. Maybe he had been talking with an actual customer on the telephone? He started to turn back to his office but one of the guys in the white lab coats made a sound in his throat that sounded like "What is it that you want us to do?" Boss looked startled and pulled on an ear lobe.

"Adjustable wheels," he said, slamming the door. The lab coat guys looked at each other and started drilling holes for the axles. One here, one an inch lower and the customer can decide how high or low the wheels should go. What a concept. "I guess that's why he's the Boss," one of them said.

And so it is done. Customers will now have a choice of two places  for the wheels. The lower position will raise the frame an extra inch from the ground. Many thanks to Bethany from CT for pointing out something that should have been obvious all along.

Always Open for Your Suggestions

August, 2014 Chicken Factory HQ - The Boss - (Our Chief Grumpy Guy) was on the phone the other day. He was talking to Janet in CT who called to order the expansion kit and  later sent along photos of some changes she made to our basic coop design. She added a nesting box -- we've been thinking about how to get one into the box with all the coop stuff. She added side rails because the netting does sag a bit sometimes (we've been thinking about that too and we may incorporate that as a change to our standard model pretty soon.) She opened up the netting near the top so she could reach inside more easily (hopefully the raccoons won't find out about that anytime soon. And she put on a full-length tarp for more protection from sun and bad weather.

Janet told the boss that her letter carrier reports her neighbors keep losing chickens to predators. She reports no losses  now that her chickens have a Happy Chicken Tractor and said both she and the girls are delighted with our coop solution. The boss said send Janet a t-shirt. It's on the way.  And the research department will keep working to come up with a nest box that fits in the box with all that other stuff. Stay tuned..

Boss Opens Office Door With New 'Handle'

Nov. 12, 2013 - Chicken Factory HQ - The Boss - (Our Chief Grumpy Guy) was in the corner office of our executive coop holding a high-level meeting (taking a nap) when suddenly, he burst out through the door. "Now I've done it." he shouted. "Get on it right away." Until now, we have been using a very nicely turned wood handle to help customers pull our Happy Chicken Tractors around the yard.

"No more," he shouted, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "From today onward (and upward), the handle becomes part of the coop frame. It won't stick out. It will be simple to install. It's made of aluminum. It cannot break or get loose. See here," he said. See the photo. How does he do that?

The guys in the white lab coats looked a little worried. Why have a research department and a secret research facility if the grumpy guy in the corner office is just going to go ahead and come up with all the ideas? Pizza for everyone anyone?

The new handle is really pretty simple. It's intuitive. It's even easier to install than the previous version. No sharp edges, nothing sticking out. Just reach out and grab it.  "Make the switch," the boss yawned, scratching his um well, you know, his chin - and turned on his heel. Back into the executive suite he went ready to dream up more new and improved improvements.

E-Fowl Joins Our Little Flock 10/2013

The Little Chicken Factory welcomes efowl.com in Denver Co. to our small flock of resellers. EFowl is an online reseller of chickens and accessories and has added the Happy Chicken Tractor to its on-line offerings. The company joins eggcartons.com and mypetchicken.com in offering our chicken tractor along with baby chicks and hundreds of items that make chicken keeping easier and more fun. Shop on-line at these quality retailers for all your chicken-keeping needs.

Now you can add a "floor"

With more than 200 units in 33 states, we have never had a report of a predator burrowing to get under the coop. But people do worry. So we have added an optional extra wire panel that serves as a wire "floor." It's made of the same coated steel wire that we use for the roof and end panels. Installation is simple and mobility is preserved. When ordering, let us know that you want the extra "floor" panel for $29.95 and we will include it in your shipment.

200 Units Sold

The Little Chicken Factory reached  a milestone in mid-September when we shipped Units No. 199 and No. 200 to a customer in Massachusetts. Even the old grumpy guy had to crack a smile. "This is our third season, and the little men in the white lab coats keep making our coops better down at the secret research facility. We have the door problem solved and we have added a feeder, an extra perch and the Tag-Along waterer to the package.

"We have made installing the two big roof  panels even easier. Now we are hard at work on a nest box. It has to fit into the package with all the other parts and it has to assemble without tools," our Chief Eggs-ecutive Officer (he's the boss),  said. New orders ship with all the improved improvements and all the enchanced enhancement. Who knows, one day we may be able to say "As Seen on Television."

Heartfelt thanks to Greg, our welder, to Chong Her, who sews our canvas covers, to Kathleen at Don-Beck sales who keeps us in nuts and bolts and to our other suppliers of boxes, cable ties, corner brackets and Brian for the t-shirts. And very special thanks to Traci at mypetchicken.com who has been a great help and supporter and to Paul and Scott at eggcartons.com. Go to those places for all your other chicken accessories.

And don't worry about the little men in the white lab coats (see below). We are ordering out from Luigi's Pizza and Wings - they deliver.

Storm Damage Quickly Repaired

Nov. 2011 -- Geraldine called the other day to say her Happy Chicken Tractor took a direct hit from a large pine branch that snapped off and fell during our New England November "snowstorm of the century." The ridgepole was bent almost to the ground by the large limb.

She is in the neighborhood so we went over to check out the damage. Thankfully, no chickens were in the tractor when the limb came down. So we removed the ridgepole and the top two corner brackets. They pop right out. We replaced the ridgepole and brackets in a few minutes and the chicken tractor is as good as new and ready for the birds. Problem solved.

The Benefits of Frequent Napping

The Boss - (Our Chief Grumpy Guy) was in the corner office of our executive coop holding a high-level meeting (taking a nap). "Get in here," he roared suddenly, wiping the sleep from his eyes. The guys in the white lab coats (research department) jumped up from their pizza with a start.

"What is it sir? Shall we call 911? Is there an emergency?" "No, the Boss shouted. Get Traci on the line at MyPetChicken. Call Paul at Eggcartons.com."

"A conference call? What will he think of next," they muttered. "Get your pens. Get your napkins. Write this down," the Boss said.

(Apparently the gerbils in the Boss' head run faster when he is in high-level meetings, because here is what the Boss said.)

"The World needs a better waterer. Something that doesn't take up much space, can't be messed by chickens. Is easy to refill. Doesn't cost a lot (he's big on that one). "OK, OK the lab guys replied. We'll get right on it, sir! We'll start tomorrow."

"Never mind. Here it is. We are going into production! NOW!" the boss said. "No more tin cans, no more water dishes. No more ridiculously high prices. OUR NEW WATERER mounts right on the chicken wire or netting. It never touches the ground. It holds five quarts of water. If the coop is moveable (See Happy Chicken Tractor), it moves right along with it. Wont foul, won't tip over. It has a sippy cup that fills itself. Sell it for $29.95 (We've bought dirt that cost more) and tell UPS we won't pay more than $5 for shipping ($10 to the West Coast). Why should people have to take out a loan just to raise a few chickens? Get on it! Take Pictures. Get it on the web site! Call Luigi! Order me a Stromboli with everything. Now get out of here. I have to get back to my meeting."

Ringing in the New Year With a New Door

PETERSHAM, MA (February 12, 2011) - Ding dong! Melt the Snow, it's got to go!  OK, we shoveled the roofs, plowed the driveway and WE ARE DONE. Punxatawney Phil is no Spring Chicken, but he predicts an early spring. It can't come soon enough for the Boss.

"So," the Boss said, "What's the deal with the door? Are we done yet?" The guys from the lab looked at each other. "Yessir. We got it covered, sir. The new doors are made of wood. They have hinges and a lock. The door clamps right into the netting and locks securely. Easy in and easy out," they said. "Next, we are headed down the highway to pick up a roll of the new netting. It's PVC-coated welded chicken wire to make sure that predators cannot chew through it. We're good."

The netting should let us cut the end panels a lot straighter. There are no sharp edges. The manufacturer says the netting will last for a long time. All good!

The Scoop on Our New Coops

PETERSHAM, MA (Fall 2010) -  Boss finally put his foot down on the men in the little white coats at the design lab. "No more Pizza," he said. No more ice cream. You guys are Shut Off."  Oh my. Not a pretty sight.

It has been a Rocky Road on the way to our new coop(s). But the work is done, the design is ready.

Our new Coop da Villa is a flat-top chicken tractor with a shade cover and a perch. It comes in two handy sizes, Four and eight feet long and both are four feet wide. Like our others, it assembles without tools. It's made of the same sturdy materials as our other models and it is light enough for a five year old to move around the yard while holding an ice cream cone in one hand. It has 10-inch wheels.  

LCF Launches PTD Laboratory (Product Testing and Development)

PETERSHAM, MA (July 2010)- The big boss peep was in the middle of an executive level meeting (taking his nap), when the engineering research staff (guys in the white coats) burst in.

They said we had to create a new department, top level, at the factory. "We have been thinking. LCF needs a secure testing and development facility," they said. "We want to try out our new ideas, test new products. This industry needs standards. People need someone to talk to, a place to send their ideas. Product testing has worked so well for Toyota and Ford, for the pharmaceutical industry. Why should chicken products be left behind?" they asked.

So the Chief Eggs-ecutive Officer (he's the boss) agreed to set up a highly-secure facility in an undisclosed location in the low hills of central Massachusetts and the Little Chicken Factory Product Development and Testing Lab (LCFPDTL) was born. They have actual chickens and ducks on site. "LCFPDTL could be a household word by mid year," said the geeks. "It's already August," said the boss.

LCF staff is encouraged to ride their bicycles and/or walk to the new (environmentally friendly) facility (outdoors is pretty friendly, right?) . They do have to go directly past Lazy Mary's Pizza to get there, so burning a few calories along the way is probably a good idea. The labs will accept e-mail at labs@thelittlechickenfactory.com from people who want us to evaluate their ideas. When we come up with a good one, we may decide to make it and sell it. "At least this might keep these guys out of my office," the boss said

Chicken Factory to Support Our Coops

PETERSHAM, MA (June 2009) --  The big boss peep, the engineering research staff, back office staff and various other hangers on around the Little Chicken Factory got to talking  the other day (about chickens, what else?) and decided we should *Support Our Coops*.

Coop groups and coop tours are springing up all over the place. About 60 people in Northampton MA the other night came to see a showing of the Mad City Chickens documentary. We'd like to help, so if you are ordering our standard Sonny unit, include the name of your chicken group and some contact information. We'll take $25 off the retail price for you and send $10 to your chicken coop group. Or you can pay the regular price and just name that group (or any other good cause) and we'll send  the whole $25 in your name. Maybe they can use the unrestricted gifts for refreshments, to help with odds and ends or to help pay for pizza and a screening. Your donation could support the work of The Farm School, The Barre (MA) Food Bank, the Rex Foundation or any other charity of your choice.

Drop us a line at roy@thelittlechickenfactory.com for more information or to order one of our chicken tractors.

Order Your Chicken Tractor Today

Chicken Tractor Shows at Farmers' Markets

PETERSHAM, MA (May 2008) -- Tully MicroPack, a small, family-owned Massachusetts company, is showing its Happy Chicken tractor at Farmers' Markets in Central Massachusetts this spring. Happy Orpingtons and Arucana visited with us at the Hardwick Farmers' Market on May 23. Visitors asked lots of questions about how we get all that netting and aluminum into a shipping tube. (Trade secret devised by the boys in the coop (engineering lab). Purchase one today through the web site or call 978-724-6662 and we'll talk. We exhibited at the New England Poultry Congress at the Big E in West Springfield in January 2010.

See the real deal at www.chicktrac.com

Chicken Tractor Adds a Double Door to Product Lines

PETERSHAM, MA (April 2008) -- You can now have a double door to its Chicken  tractor product line. Both Sonny and the larger Mom models allow safely free ranging chickens and the ability to move them easily around the yard.

"Those birds in the coop (engineering research laboratory) insisted on it," the boss squawk said. "They figure you ought to be able to put birds and feeders in and take stuff out. We finally gave in and let them go ahead and engineer a doorway to the Haappy Chicken Tractor. We were resisting a little bit because we are totally dedicated to the idea of a completely "no tools" assembly. We got there with zip ties." Still, no tools required.

"Those guys out in the coop (engineering research laboratory) just wouldn't shut up about this issue. They were pecking at their lab coats, so we gave in," he said. Besides, he said, some customers might think a door is a handy thing to have in a chicken tractor. The double door  provides an extra layer of protection for the birds inside.

Chicken Tractor Suggests "PredatorSkirt"

PETERSHAM, MA (April 2008) -- Tully MicroPack, a small, family-owned Massachusetts company, announced  you can add extra protection from predators to its Chicken Tractor product line. Both Sonny and the larger Mom models allow safely free ranging chickens and the ability to move them easily around the yard.

"Those birds in the coop (engineering research laboratory) insisted on it," the boss squawk said. "They figure you ought to be able to prevent foxes and such from burrowing under the Chicken tractor. So you can add a foot of rigid netting all around the outside of the enclosure, flat on the ground. The skirt is attached to the bottom rail and moves along with the rest of the structure. The flock owner can easily provide this protection by buying a small roll of 12-inch wire netting from the Garden Feed store. Lay out the wire flat on the ground and attach with cable ties. Still, no tools required.

"Those guys out in the coop (engineering research laboratory) just wouldn't shut up about this issue. They were pecking at their lab coats again, so we gave in," he said. "It's all about listening to suggestions from our customers and coming up with simple but innovative solutions."

Chicken Tractor Launches First Products

PETERSHAM, MA (April 2008) -- The Little Chicken FActory, a small, family-owned Massachusetts company, announced its first products this month.

The Happy Chicken Tractor from Our Little Chicken Factory (TM) is a light-weight, portable structure for poultry that can easily be moved around the yard to allow protected free ranging for small backyard flocks. The open-bottomed structure allows small flocks to feed and fertilize in selected areas of a yard. It can be moved frequently and easily and affords birds protection from predators.

The wheeled structure snaps together in minutes without tools,. The Happy Chicken  tractor can be taken apart for storage. Priced at $429.95, the basic six-foot long unit is also designed to be quickly and easily extended to 12 feet in length to accommodate more birds. The unit can be converted to a growing tunnel by changing the covering from chicken wire to plastic sheeting. The Happy Chicken  tractor is sold on-line, in on-line catalogs and in farm and feed stores. The company offers discounts and special pricing to groups working in poverty areas around the world.

For more information, please The Little Chicken Factory at 978-724-6662 or send an e-mail to birdman@chicktrac.com

Now THIS is just a little over the top

Tully MicroPack, P.O. Box 854, Petersham, MA 01366 – E-mail the Factory - 978-724-6662  
Call directly for order details, we'd love to chat. Send us photos of your flock if you like.

Some of the goats. There are lots more now.

Sic transit gloria mundi.
Six Cookies, Glorious Monday