Keeping Cornish x clean

[Moffomv]

This is my first time doing meaties. Im sure this has been addressed a few times on here, but I am just wondering what I can do to keep my CX hens cleaner. I have 16 in a 8 x 4 tractor. I was moving the tractor daily, then twice a day and now 3x a day and they are still a mess. They are a little over 8 weeks old, so the amount of poop is very high. There "feathers" are almost non existent on their bellies, and what feathers are there are covered in poop. I'm going to process them this week, so i doubt changes now would be effective, but I would like to control this better in the future if that is possible. Also should I be concerned about the fact that we will be eating them after they have been laying around in there own poo for weeks?

Thanks!

 

[donrae]

Your tractor is half as big as the bare minimum for that many birds, that's why they're so messy. They physically don't have the room to get out of their poop.

 

[Moffomv]

So you are saying I need 4 sq feet per bird bare minimum?

I guess I will need to double up on the tractor next time.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

4 square feet of bird minimum is about right. You can do less when they are younger, but as they get large they need more space.

You should be processing them soon, so you can do an after-kill dunk in some soapy water and/or hose them off before you put them in the big hot water bath. This is pre-gutting.

 

[Mikedero]

NOT true they do not need 4 sq feet per bird incorrect

Meat birds only need 1.5-2 Sq feet, part of the issue is they just Poop allot. the reason they do not need that much room is because they dont move around much. I have 24 in a 5X10 tractor others on this site keep 50 in a 8X8 tractor.

 

[mollys3]

could you put a wire floor on the bottom of the tractor that is off the ground a little so the poo could fall through? I'm a newbie at keeping chickens so I don't know if this is a good idea or not. Would the wire hurt their feet?

 

[birdman1960]

I go with a bigger tractor and move twice a day in week 7 and 8, helps keep them a bit cleaner, just wash them down a bit after the kill, then I scald them and put in whizz bang, nice and clean after 15 seconds in there...a wire floor would defeat purpose of the tractor, in my mind, let them scratch and chew on grass/bugs/etc

 

[BCMaraniac]

NOT true they do not need 4 sq feet per bird incorrect

Meat birds only need 1.5-2 Sq feet, part of the issue is they just Poop allot. the reason they do not need that much room is because they dont move around much. I have 24 in a 5X10 tractor others on this site keep 50 in a 8X8 tractor.

And because they don't move around much, they invariably lay in their poop too. When I butcher, after bleeding.....rubber gloves. water hose to belly and vent area to remove as much as possible, then I put some dishwashing liquid in the scald water, then scald, pluck and rinse....poop gone.

 

[donrae]

NOT true they do not need 4 sq feet per bird incorrect

Meat birds only need 1.5-2 Sq feet, part of the issue is they just Poop allot. the reason they do not need that much room is because they dont move around much. I have 24 in a 5X10 tractor others on this site keep 50 in a 8X8 tractor.

I guess to me, the point of raising my own meat is to have it raised better than Foster Farms does. An 8 week old meatie, just sitting still, takes up at least a square foot right there.
My Cornish cross have been free ranged and you'd be surprised how much they'll move around, given the chance. Granted, not as much as my active layers, but how much can you expect them to move when each bird only has that much space? Your birds physically CAN'T move around.

 

[Mikedero]

I guess to me, the point of raising my own meat is to have it raised better than Foster Farms does. An 8 week old meatie, just sitting still, takes up at least a square foot right there.
My Cornish cross have been free ranged and you'd be surprised how much they'll move around, given the chance. Granted, not as much as my active layers, but how much can you expect them to move when each bird only has that much space? Your birds physically CAN'T move around.

Each to their own I notice mine at 4 weeks old have plenty of room yet they stay by the food and water. So I move the tractor everyday 4-5 feet to give that area fresh daily. they show zero interest in running around they woddle anyway. they stay in 1/3 of the tractor Sorry not all of us can free range

THEY HAVE NO interest in moving unless it is to get food or water