How Many Hens Can I Have In My Tractor

[John01]

Here is a pic of the Tractor I am building, The dimensions of the living quarters are 4 feet long x 3 feet wide x 30 inches tall (Obviously the width gets narrower at the top because of the triangle shape.

I'm gonna have 2 or 3 nest box areas

A roosting bar or 2 or 3

There will be 8' of open space outside the living area and I do intend to let them out to free range a bit.

My question is how many hens can I effectively have in here, I ordered 8 chicks from MPC for Feb delivery and am thinking that may be too many once they grow to size...

 

[cristina33]

I would say 4 Tops!
Take Care
Cristina

 

[Cheryl]

One nest box is all that is needed for your a-frame that will as Cristina put it "4 tops!"....You could always duplicate the coop part on the other end to accomodate all chickens, but maybe they'll need a bit more outdoor space as well?

 

[patandchickens]

is the entire tractor 8' long, or is it 12'?

if 8', then I would say things will start to get real crowded past 4 birds - think about how/where the roost space will be constructed too (you'll need something like 10" of width per bird)

if it's 12' long, total, I would say up to 5 hens or maybe even 6, before it starts to get awfully crowded -- EXCEPT that I am not at all sure that indoors space (roosts etc) may not become a limiting factor at a lower number.

The problem with A-frame 'house on top' designs is that they really limit the amount of house space available, esp. sine the sides slant.

Sorry,

Pat

 

[Xtradust]

Eight Seramas would fit great.

Jersey Giants, not so much.

 

[silkiechicken]

General "rule" is 4sq inside and 10 sq ft outside per standard sized bird.