Meat chicken housing

[gentlemanfarmer]

After a lot of research I have decided to raise chickens. I have coop construction underway for my laying hens. I would like to raise about 2 dozen meat birds, (cornish x). I don't want to house them with my hens, because the coop would be to large for the hens in winter here in northwestern PA. Any suggestions? Thank you.

 

[PacsMan]

You might try a chicken tractor. I’m thinking about the same thing during the summer. If it takes 6-8 weeks, weather shouldn’t be a problem late summer in Salt Lake…

According to “Chicken Tractor: The Permaculture Guide to Happy Hens and Healthy Soil” you need 2 square feet per meat chicken. ( Amazon link - http://tinyurl.com/an7bdc You can read several pages here. I picked mine up at the library) They (sorta) give you plans to make a 4x10 tractor, and say you can house 20 meat chickens. You’ll need to move it around every few days, if not daily, but it sounds like a good idea.

Here's ours that's not quite finished.

 

[patandchickens]

First, there is no such thing as a coop too large in the winter. If you want you can always very easily knock together an insulated hover over the roost or partition off a 'coop within the coop' to hold their body heat better. Honest. NO SUCH THING as too big, even in the north.

That said, you don't want CornishX indoors unless unavoidable (unavoidable *and* very well ventilated), especially once you get past the first few weeks. Could you make an extra run, with a leanto shelter part against the layer coop? Or look on the meat bird section of byc for pics of peoples broiler tractors.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[gentlemanfarmer]

Thank you guys for the info.

 

[AtRendeAcres]

I take other chickens out that are brooding with the Cornish in 2 weeks!
At this point they grow faster & get messier!
As soon as the Cornish feather out I move them to a tractor!

This is what I do! ( coop depends how many chickens & what you have to work with!)
I have my chickens in tractors March to November

((little or NO cleaning))

November I put them all together (20-30) in a 12x12 shed
when temperature gets to freezing point 2 heat lamps go on heater under water
& doors normally close for next 2 months (they were just let out last week)
(some years I have separated Roos in dog kennels didn't have to do that this year)

remember small will keep heat in but, if they don't have enough room they will peck each other which leads to cannibalism!
Joanne

look in coop design