How large?

[debbie.h]

I want to build a tractor coop/run to house about ten BO until they are about 18-20 weeks old. I will be moving the tractor every 2-3 days. Any suggestions on how large of an area the tractor needs to cover?

 

[patandchickens]

It depends on how much you want to bet they will not go after each other when crowded. I would not personally try it in less than about 10x10 or 8x12... and even that is not much room for non CornishX's. The ground will get very thrashed under the tractor.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[tmiller42]

If you're asking about the size of the tractor itself, I wouldn't go less than 3sq ft per bird. 4 or 5 would be better. As long as they're getting new grassy area to forage through every couple of days, they shouldn't go after each other. If you're asking about how much area the tractor needs to cover before going back over the same area again (how much time for the area to recover), it kind of depends on a couple of things. It depends on how fast the grass (or whatever the ground cover is) is growing and how much rain (or watering) you get to dissolve the droppings down into the soil. Obviously, when the birds are smaller, they won't be leaving as much fertilizer. So you can either wait longer between moves, or cover a smaller area when they're little. When they're bigger, they may need to be moved more often (daily?) For a "normal" grass lawn with "normal" rainfall or watering to keep the grass healthy, I would think that 2 weeks would be plenty of recovery time for a day or two of "chicken trauma". LOL. Therefore you would need to be able to move the tractor 14 times before getting back to the same spot. But in the end, your best bet is just to try it and see what happens. Watch how quickly the grass recovers and how quickly the fertilizer is absorbed into the ground. It'll likely change with the seasons as well as the size of the birds. Good luck!