Meat chicken tractor

[delavab]

Hello everyone I am planning on raising 30 Cornish cross and I am wondering what dimensions the tractor should be LxWxH. Thanks everyone any input would be helpful.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Here's the setup I currently am working on for my 35 Freedom Rangers. The tractor is 6'X12' and it is attached to the back of my mini-van mobile chicken coop which is about 4'X8' in the back. The full description, including how I built it and what kinks I'm still working through is in a thread called something like "mini-van coop and tractor".



Right now, the tractor seems adequate for 35 5 week old Freedom Rangers, but I suspect that before butchering day, I'll be wanting to find alternative housing for 10 - 15. I don't think this tractor would be very movable without the mini-van. You might want to consider building two that are maybe 4'X9'.

I try to design my runs, tractors and coops to take advantage of the size of available materials. For example, poultry netting, chicken wire and hardware cloth come in 24" and 36" heights, so I space the joists or hoops for my run at 36" distances to maximize the fencing and minimize the number of cuts I have to make. The length of my tractor was 12' because it was the largest length that could fit in the back of my van and was easily divided into 3' sections. The width would be either 6' or 4' because I can cut one 2"X4" in half with no wasted pieces.

 

[Life is Good!]

Are your 30 CX going to have any forage options?
Are you restricted by zoning (or neighbors) on where you can have them in your yard?
Do you have enough grassy areas to accommodate their droppings left behind?

I'm just finishing up 25 Freedom Rangers on 2 acres in greater suburbia. I can tell you, these critters grow SO fast - you've got to have your final set-up completed before getting them, or else you'll be constantly behind! I have been behind since day 2!

I had our 25 in a 4'x4' brooder box in our barn. That lasted about 14days well, had to put a lid on it by 8th day, as they were flying!
They then moved to a 8'x8' PVC tractor on grass. That lasted for another 2weeks. Was having to move the tractor every 4-6hrs, as their droppings were too numerous and killing the grass.
Then into a 50'x20' run (with PVC tractor acting as coop) - and having to move the tractor (still!) around the run, as dropping problem only intensified! Ewww.... (We have heavy predator load here, so letting them 'free range' just means 'free lunch' for someone other than my family. They have to be protected in a run...)

Whatever you're thinking of building - build it bigger than you think you'll need. I know Salatin does his much higher #'s - but I'm not sure how to make that work in reality.