Show Me How you House your Meat Chickens!!!

[new2chickens2011]

I've been researching, and I'm going to start raising some Cornish X's! Just a few at a time, probably start with 3 or 4. However, still not sure about housing. What do you keep yours in? Pics please!!!

Thank you so much

 

[Erica]

First I rear them to 3 weeks in a wooden-sided brooder. It has a nest area surrounded by fresh dry hay (about 4 inches deep) at one end, and a run at the other.
This is the nest area. The box on top contains the loose hay. Below that is the nest area, and chicks huddle underneath.

Skewy pic but it shows the whole unit.

This is what I house them in as growers, from 3 weeks of age, with an insulated night-box that I move around when I move the tractor. When they're feathered I take the night-box out. I raise mine till they're 11 weeks old rather than 8, and I move the tractor whenever the grass is eaten down.
PS the ones in it at present are just some layers, as you can see.

I look forward to seeing other styles of meat bird housing! I'm sure most will be neater and prettier than mine... My birds tend to rough it.

regards
Erica

 

[PotterWatch]

We raise ours in simple wooden brooders until they are 3wks and then they are moved to tractors that have hanging waterers. We have just started putting in feeders on the sides of the tractors that enables us to feed them from the outside without having to take feeders in and out.

Brooder with the top parts closed:

Brooder with top open,there are three separate parts to the roof (we were in the middle of cleaning this one out so excuse the dirty bedding still in there):

A tractor with the doors open:

 

[new2chickens2011]

Thanks for all the ideas!

 

[Tracydr]

I have a small tractor, 2x8, similar to the ones pictured. For small batches.

 

[TDM]

Free range

 

[hschweitzer]

I love that big tractor! How many birds do you keep in there? Is it really 2 feet/bird, or is that a bit much...

 

[barkinghills]

We have 40 free-range hens on a acre of pasture, and they are doing great. Now we want to add a few meaties, perhaps 3 cornishX and 3 red ranger-type. The meaties could be free-ranged during the day, but then we're trying to decide what to do with them at night to keep them safe---current coop will not accommodate them. Do we have to build another small coop, or since they are staying such a short time, is there some other type of secure but inexpensive night-time housing we can use? Our Oregon weather is mild during the time we would have them. Any suggestions?

 

[WinklerFarms]

For only six of them you could use a big box or even a dog cage if it is just for overnight

 

[KeilFamilyFarm]

We have 40 free-range hens on a acre of pasture, and they are doing great. Now we want to add a few meaties, perhaps 3 cornishX and 3 red ranger-type. The meaties could be free-ranged during the day, but then we're trying to decide what to do with them at night to keep them safe---current coop will not accommodate them. Do we have to build another small coop, or since they are staying such a short time, is there some other type of secure but inexpensive night-time housing we can use? Our Oregon weather is mild during the time we would have them. Any suggestions?

Our hens sleep in the coop. But for our meaties we have 2 large plastic dog crates filled with shavings that they go into at night Kinda rednecky but Im a dog trainer so we have a bunch around, It works for us and keeps the expense of the birds down All our birds free range all day.