Chicken density in tractors vs coops

[BigPeep]

I keep reading about the minimum square footage needed per chicken in coops (4 sq ft for standard) and runs (8 sq ft). However, it seems to me that this may not apply to chicken tractors since they are moved. I get the impression that a lot of the concern with coops is sanitation. If you are moving the tractor every few days, that should not be a factor. The chickens are only cooped up overnight where they want to sit as closely together as possible on perches, then they are released to forage in the run portion of the tractor. The coop portions are elevated a bit with wire floors, so there is no accumulation of poop except in the nest boxes, which can be easily cleaned. (This is for Spring, Summer and Fall only).

I have one tractor that is 8ft long by 2 ft wide, so it has 16 total sq ft with 4 sq ft of that being inside the coop portion. I have two standard birds in there now and would think I could add one or two more. I am finishing building another larger one that is 12 ft long by 3 ft wide with a 3 X 3 X 3 coop portion with three nest boxes. I don't see why I couldn't house 7 or 8 birds in that. I rotate the birds in and out between the tractors and their regular coop area so they aren't always so confined.


Comments?

 

[Oopoo]

I have a tractor coop--my own design thank you-and I have 6 birds, barrred rock and orps. The coop is 4' wide, 9' long and about 3' high with 1 bar perch and 3 nests. The tractor, or pen area is 10' by 4'. They do wonderful in there and do scrunch together when they roost. I also have a snow fence pen for summer so that they can "stretch" their wings a bit.

 

[big greg barker]

I have two tractors the same size as yours in my garden running between the rows to weed. I have 9 week olds in them. One has 8, the other has 9. I move them every day, so the manure isn't a problem. I cover them with a blue tarp at night, and they do great. The biggest problem is when I go out to weed, I end up talking to the chickens and don't get any weeding done.
I think I would not put more than a couple full grown chickens in them, though.
I don't know about the rotation part, as every time you rotate, you upset the pecking order of the coops. The new big one you are building should be enough for eight or ten birds......

 

[ChickBond 007]

Click on the link in my signature. I have 16 that sleep in there nightly (15 weeks old) and free range all day. They have no problems. We move it every 2 days.