Space needed for meat chickens

[JMotuzick]

We did 27 rangers for 12 weeks this summer in a 6x10 tractor moved at least once a day. We lost one at about 7 weeks not sure exactly why. They did have water in a bucket with horizontal nipples 24/7 and where feed when I got home at 3pm and again at 8pm. Outside at 3 days with a hot plate for a week and a dog kennels (a cardboard box would work great too) for a wind brake.

 

[aliciaFarmer]

The meat birds like Cornish aren’t exactly active when they get big, so not likely to need a really large area. We did not have Cornish, but a similar fast growth, white feathered meat bird. They were still running (short stretches) and walking at butcher age of 7.5 weeks. They didn’t really scratch up the dirt either, like our other birds. We kept them indoors at night, but free range in a fenced area during the day. They ran hot, and we provided cool water and feed at separate locations to encourage walking. We had to provide shade all day, otherwise they were uncomfortable, so luckily their area was on the eastern side of the barn so they we’re completely shaded for the afternoon. We provided feed and lots of water 24/7. They seemed to drink a lot of water all day. We kept 12 and that was a great number to start with.

Good luck.

Thank you so much for the info. I cannot bring myself to raise Cornish or any fast growing bird personally but I'm so glad to hear that you had good luck with it. 12 does sound like a perfect starting number, especially for a beginner like me. The "run" may be far larger than necessary but I'd rather have too much space than too little, personally. Mostly because we decided our first round will be miscellaneous cockerels that are sold as the "fry pan bargain". Longer grow time, more feed and less weight, but I think, or presume a goid starting place and alternative to Cornish/x. I will definitely make sure to provide lots of shade -- i hadn't actually thought about that since it will still be the cool season and the only shade would have been under their house so I'm planning a totally different location now with half sun, half shade. I appreciate the tip!

 

[aliciaFarmer]

Best wishes!
I got mine in warmer months and they only had one week in the brooder, then into the chicken tractor. They quickly outgrew the tractor and I'd open it into the fenced garden to let them devour the garden. Worked well. They loved the giant who brought food.

Shade, wind breaks and dry spots needed. We had flooding rain near the end and they wound up on the garden. The wood chips made it the highest and driest spot.

I kept food and water available, but the last 3 weeks they would empty the food themselves. Not starving when I got home, but they would put a dent in the food left out. Then finish it off for breakfast.

Thank you! I would love to so it in the warmer months but we have an overabundance of yellow jackets and hornets so until that issue is remedied, I don't want to be processing while being swarmed.

I totally agree on shade and windbreaks, dry spots and all. My original spot doesn't have a huge amount of shade other than under the house I am building so I've decided to move it half under a big doug fir tree on the other side of the garden. My layers/breeders have all of that so I have no idea why it didn't occur to me to have ample shade with the meat babies, not that Oregon gets hot that early.

I love that -- the giant who brought food. ♡

Do you think 4x8 with a 4x4 loft is big enough for 12 since they won't get full size and will be out for all waking hours?

 

[wyoDreamer]

They will cram themselves into a 4x4 loft. My 13 Cornish X crammed themselves into a 3x3 loft every night. None could leave in the morning until the last one in - who slept by the door- got up and left. I opened the nest box to see how the heck they were all fitting in there and they were laying in rows, kinda overlapping each other. 13 heads popped up and stared at me when i opened the top. It was a solid sea of white feathers.

The fry-pan special will be egg layer boys, so be prepared for a lighter, less meaty bird.

The Cornish X are really not a bad way to go. If you give them some room, make then move between food and water, limit feed once they are half grown, and get them out from under the heat lamp as soon as possible, they will feather in nicely and look like real chickens... really fat chickens.

 

[aliciaFarmer]

They will cram themselves into a 4x4 loft. My 13 Cornish X crammed themselves into a 3x3 loft every night. None could leave in the morning until the last one in - who slept by the door- got up and left. I opened the nest box to see how the heck they were all fitting in there and they were laying in rows, kinda overlapping each other. 13 heads popped up and stared at me when i opened the top. It was a solid sea of white feathers.

The fry-pan special will be egg layer boys, so be prepared for a lighter, less meaty bird.

The Cornish X are really not a bad way to go. If you give them some room, make then move between food and water, limit feed once they are half grown, and get them out from under the heat lamp as soon as possible, they will feather in nicely and look like real chickens... really fat chickens.

Crazy chickens! Well maybe I will save the coop with the loft for my barnevelders then and build a different one for my meaties. I have a loft in my current chicken house but it's a 10 foot by 16 foot house thats 10 ft tall in the front and 8 feet in the back so a loft made lots of sense.

I like the idea of the fry pan bargain because this is my first time and I'm a sensitive one sometimes. I figured if I couldn't end up harvesting them myself I could rehome them. I'm sure I can do it, but I have this little seed of doubt that surface is now and then. If I was successful with that, I figured I'd try rangers next. I don't mind less meaty for my first round. Thus time, honestly, it mostly to make sure I can follow through to be totally honest.

 

[cholland]

I also built a little drum plucker for my drill. A large carriage bolt, some 4" PVC a couple of caps and some of those flat black bungee cords. Cost about $12. You can google some ideas. Makes plucking way easier and not the big investment of a large drum plucker for a few birds.
Feathers everywhere. That's when the bees show up!
A few managed to get in the screen room, but not the thousands outside. I did the boiling/scalding outside and thing plucking and butchering inside.

 

[RoosterML]

My brooder was a 5x9 original coop I built. 26 Royal broilers were in there for I think 3 weeks, next moved into an 8x8 pen/chicken tractor in the yard for 2 more weeks and I finished of in a 12x12 dog pen which was moved every day sometimes twice a day in my back yard/ field. I lost one due to my own lack of experience ( covered the 8x8 pen with a tarp casing complete darkness, they huddled and one must have been caught on the bottom.) The worst part was all the poop when they were at around 7 week mark needed to move the pen alot more to keep then on fresh ground. I do not think I would ever raise them in confined space as listed (under 2sqft per bird). That will only cause very dirty birds come processing time. Granted this was late summer so growing out in the field in warm temps made it easy. In the end I could have done maybe another 5 birds total of 30 in 12x12 moved daily but no more. In the end it's all what you are comfortable with. One of the individuals who helped on processing day couldn't believe how clean the birds were. It was a really great experience and this year I will do a batch in the spring and another in early fall.
LOL as I write this I have one of them cooking right now on the counter in the good old Showtime rotisserie. "Yes as seen on TV"

 

[RUNuts]

Showtime rotisserie is a wonderful tool. Crispy skin all around. We are on our second one. Upgraded to the silver model. The plastic feet were in disrepair on the first and replacements were a whole new rotisserie. So...

Enjoy the chicken!

 

[RoosterML]

PS I would LOVE to try one of those rotisseries!

It was great, nice crispy skin. My mother is a sucker for all the infomercials. She buys all the stuff and it usually sits in the box unused later to be given to myself or my sister. I have it all from the pressure cooker to the Shamwows!!

 

[RUNuts]

I'm curious as to why she would think that the birds coming out of a factory farm and commercial slaughterhouse are more sanitary. The one thing I love about raising and processing my own is that I know that my birds were raised in fresh air, clean bedding and an open, and non-crowded environment, and that my butchering area is very clean.

Had a similar conversation. Something along the lines of the butcher houses are government regulated and therefore sanitary. Just like the supermarkets.

It was a beautiful little world that person lived in. And I inflicted reality.

Just talk to anyone who has ever been associated with food processing or sales and they will tell you. Had the grocery store guy tell me to wash every produce I bought from the store because...

We aren't the only ones with the 5 second rule.