How much room would 25 meat birds need?

[daniel-delarosa]

Im wanting to order some meat birds, Im thinking of getting 25. I havent built anything to keep them in yet. I just dropped 500 in my first coop for my first chickens. I dont want to do that again. I want to keep it simple this time. Maybe like one those tractors that you can move around. Is there a common area per bird to go by with meaties? Anyone have any pictures of their setup?

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Normal chickens it's 4 square feet per bird. So for 25 meaties..you could go 10by 10 area, or you could cut it down a bit. Considering the age of slaughter I don't think it will make a huge difference in their health in that short of time. BUT, that's just MY opinion

If they were mine I'd likely go for 2 and a half to 3 square feet. Meaties generally are lazy and stay by the feeders anyway from all I have heard.

 

[bigredfeather]

I provide 1.5 sqft/bird in my tractors.

A smaller one:

 

[daniel-delarosa]

Quote:
I like that design! Thanks for the pictures. How many birds fit in it?

 

[bigredfeather]

Quote:
I like that design! Thanks for the pictures. How many birds fit in it?

Around 80 in the big ones and 35-40 in the smaller one.

 

[countrychix]

I would go with 100 sq. ft. myself unless you plan on moving the tractor several times a day. That's what we used and after 24 hours the grass was a absolute mess. I also wanted mine to have some room to move around as they grew older, plus I personally don't like the idea of my birds laying in their own waste- yuck!

 

[JerseyHen]

Quote:
How do you keep the predators out or do you roost them somewhere else? Around here that would be chicken dinner for a bear, coyote, racoon, possum, skunk, mink, etc....

 

[belgie]

we built an 8x12 coop to house the 6 layers we just got and were planning on putting a wall up to make room for the 25 meaties we have coming in a few weeks, but after perusing this site I think we may build a tractor. What are the dimensions of the small one?

 

[belgie]

oh sorry I also wanted to ask how often you move it, and (sorry if this is silly, new-be here) do the chickens just shuffle along while your moving it, or do they have to come out and be put back in?

 

[itsy]

Quote:
How do you keep the predators out or do you roost them somewhere else? Around here that would be chicken dinner for a bear, coyote, racoon, possum, skunk, mink, etc....

Thanks for those photos brf!!!

I plan on making a tractor like your smaller ones for my new meaties.

JerseyHen... we have MINK in NJ?? Great! Just another predator to worry about!