setup for cornish x

[heavygear88]

I posted this in another thread and didnt get any answers so i figured id start a new thread. Im trying to raise between 25-50 cornish x in a a space thats about 10x10. I can expand this space if need be. It is all open space within my former garden, and ill probably add a small hoop house to it. the fence around it is aproximately 2 ft tall. is this sufficient enough space and will the cornish x be able to jump that fence or do i need to make it taller. also i just cant seem to figure out an easy way for a brooder. rubbermaid containers arent going to be big enough and i cant seem to find any of the large wooden crates i see on here all the time. any suggestions will be happily accepted.

 

[Oregon Blues]

That's not much space for 50 Cornish Cross. They are large and they will be much healthier if they have room to move around and exercise. The amount of space makes a huge difference to how well they will do for you.

Once they are close to full grown, a 2 foot fence will keep them in. They hop and fly (or at least flutter) when they are chicks and I don't think 2 feet of fence would keep them in until they start to get heavy.

I use a 50 gal galvanized sheep watering tank as a brooder and it is not big enough for 50 chicks. So I do 25 in that brooder and the other 25 go into a brooder made of half of one of those cheap plastic car top carriers. Even used, the stock tanks are a bit expensive unless you plan to use them many times. The car top carrier cost me $3 at a garage sale. Those cheaply made ones have no resale value, so they are cheap if you can locate one.

The car top carrier is not deep enough to keep them from flying out, so I added a poultry wire fence around the top of it.

 

[Island Roo]

I agree about the space being small for 50 chickens. After the brooder mine (30 to 50 cornish x) go into a 40ft x 40ft grassed area. I move the shelter around the pen when it needs to and i'll move the whole pen at 6 or 7 weeks.

This is what my brooder looks like. That was the my first batch of chicks. Since then they are not allowed in my workshop...ever

This is made from corrugated plastic (or sign board). Each brooder is made from an 8x8 sheet cut lengthwise then screwed together with bits of wood. Less than $20
There are lots of threads about brooders. Here is one with lots of great ideas
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/6233/brooder-thread-post-pics-of-your-brooders

 

[heavygear88]

so would about 25 be alright for a 10x10 area. i have plenty of room to expand the area however i just dont want to get too carried away with the fencing hahah that stuff isnt cheap. i was just basing my measurements on giving each bird about 2 sqft, which is what i read in another thread somewhere. at most i would want to expand it to 20x20 or somewhere in that ballpark.

 

[heavygear88]

now also if i decided to go with freedom rangers or red broilers would that space have to change at all.

 

[milleryardchx]

Iam doing 18 birds right now I brooded them in a 6 by 6 coop/shed with heat for 3 1/2 weeks then in a tractor to finish that is 4 by 8 moved a few times a day.

 

[Life is Good!]

I just finished 25 CX today. They had an 8x8' hoop house with a large run area to play around in. Their run is about 50'x25'. The spots where the hoop house had been will not have grass again. Despite moving the house 2x/week - the poop load was just too great for the grass. So if you're planning on planting in your garden next spring, be prepared to add LOTS of dry matter compost to help offset the hot compost they contribute.

We kept ours until 10.5wks old, as that's what we wanted (a 5# bird). And these last 2 weeks have been pretty intense in terms of feed consumption and output production. Yes, I fed fermented feed and added ACV to the waterers - so the output was 'normal' but um, large. Be prepared for something that is more like broody hen poo than normal chicken poo. And lots of it.

 

[SmokinChick]

I raised 38 CXer's in a 7x14 movable tractor. Moved it once a day. It was cozy towards the end but no major problems, Grass doesn't regenerate in the fall like it does in the spring. So I'll have a few bare spots until next spring. They do drink 8-9 gallons of water a day, so when you move them be prepared to HAUL water and 20 lbs. of food. For the last weeks.
Mine were 8 1/2 weeks old and averaged 7 1/2 lbs. Very happy. Although the short days makes it hard to move them before or after work.
Move them out of the brooder early and give them a heat lamp if that is doable. That way your brooder doesn't need a roof or really large size. Mine is made of scrap 2x4s andd is 5'x6' with plastic 1"x1" fencing on the sides. I doo wrap in recycled cardboard boxes to prevent drafts.
Good luck

 

[heavygear88]

well i really appreciate the help those pretty much answered my question

 

[jaj121159]

10'x10' will work fine for 50 CX's. I raise 50 to 60 at a time in 10'x8' hoop coops. The big difference is I'm moving the hoop coops every day and you won't be moving the birds to fresh pasture daily. When CX's first put in the first 2' high fencing they will jump out.