Looking for advice with building a coop for Cornish cross birds (Minnesota)

[saramah]

Hello! We started with 25 chicks to create a laying flock and after seeing how they grew in just 2 months we just had to add some meat birds to our little homestead.

I purchased 44 Cornish cross chickens last week and they are thriving! I'm working on creating their coop and outside space away from my laying flock and coop. I have a space picked and plan to create a hoop-house style coop completely wrapped with wire to prevent predation, covered with tarps to protect from the weather. My idea is to fence in a lightly wooded area (62' x 77' x 26') and create a tunnel to run from the coop to the fenced area. What I am struggling with is how big to make the coop space. My first thought after reading MANY posts was to go 8' x 12'. I have read many conflicting ideas about how much space the birds need to be healthy. While I am starting with 44 this round I might want to increase that when we do it again so I want to allow for some growth there too. I am in northern Minnesota if that helps. I welcome any advice, I'm a little overwhelmed with the conflicting info I am finding. Thank you in advance!!!!!!

I'm attaching this hoping it will help explain my space.



What the proposed fenced in area looks like, lots of shade/cover, bugs, etc.

 

[tracecom]

If you are new to raising meat birds, it might be worthwhile to go to you-tube and watch some of the videos on the subject. My take is that cornish rock crosses don't need much in the way of a coop. They sleep on the floor, don't mind being crowded, won't go out unless the food is taken out, aren't very active as they mature, don't nest, and produce amazing amounts of poop. That said, the main attribute (in addition to protection from the weather and predators) of a meat bird coop is that it should be easy to muck out.

 

[broomrider]

Amen to the above! Mine are in a small area waiting to be butchered. They don't seem to care. At present they are bigger than most people including us think they should be for butchering but things kept getting in the way of butchering. Not only do they poop in large amounts but their poop is the size of a small dog poop I swear. Mine are too lazy and fat to even think about roosting.

 

[katbriar]

Um. I have to disagree with the above two posters. All chickens are happier with space, even cornish crosses. There are many of us on this site that have raised active, healthy cornish crosses without the leg problems, flip, and general nastiness that cause many people who have raised these birds in confinement to blame on the birds, not their management.

Checkout posters by the name of aoxa and beekissed. They have documented their successes with free ranging cornish crossed the best of anyone. You may find some inspiration!

I am not able to free range my flocks so I raised 25 cornish crosses in a 16 x 16 hoop house. It was adequate- the birds ran, jumped, roosted, and acted like chickens not slothful fatties. I was also careful how much feed I gave them and did not leave it in front of them all the time.

Eta- this is just my two cents based on my experience, but it seems like an answer you're willing to consider from your question. Best of luck!

 

[bantamized]

anybody have any ideas on the best way to keep my extra bantam roosters?please help.....pics would be greatly apreasated

 

[aart]

anybody have any ideas on the best way to keep my extra bantam roosters?please help.....pics would be greatly apreasated

Would be best to start a new thread in the flock management forum titled "best way to keep my extra bantam roosters?"

 

[broomrider]

I don't feel my chickens are crowded. I just said they were in a smaller space. Tracecom said "they didn't need much in the way of a coop". I took that to mean they didn't need roosting bars or nesting boxes. I raised 100 last year and 55 this year. Last year was my first year and I lost two. This year I lost one. Both times the chicks died shortly after I got them. I haven't had any cannibalism or respiratory and leg problems. They didn't have pericarditis and their livers were normal color so I don't think I did anything wrong. I feed mine twice a day. They're "slothful fatties" because meat birds are usually butchered around 6-7 weeks depending on the size you like them. Mine are going on 9 weeks which makes them "fatter" than what I like them. I also did a tremendous amount of research and reading on this site including what beekissed had to offer. There are a lot of different opinions on many subjects. I tried some of beekissed suggestions and some worked and some didn't FOR ME. On this site I have learned you read advise that people have to offer and you incorporate it into what works best for you.

 

[katbriar]

I agree. And my experience differed from yours so I thought I would add it to the conversation.

 

[bantamized]

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[bantamized]