Square footage/Cornish cross

[Welllaidacres]

Just curious what others are doing in regards to square footage per Cornish cross bird when raising them. I know the gold rule for hens is 4 square foot and that industry standard for broiler houses is .8 square foot/bird. The last batch I had averaged 3.5 square foot per bird. I raise my birds in a pen inside my barn, no pasture. I’m just curious what others do.

 

[Tre3hugger]

My birds are in a tractor on grass, so a little different, but right now they have 3 sq ft a bird. Seems like I could get away with 2 feet if I wanted to. Fresh grass each day helps a lot. How do you manage poop? I think that has a lot to do with how much crowding you can healthily get away with. 1.5-3 ft/bird seems to be a safe minimum range.

 

[Welllaidacres]

My birds are in a tractor on grass, so a little different, but right now they have 3 sq ft a bird. Seems like I could get away with 2 feet if I wanted to. Fresh grass each day helps a lot. How do you manage poop? I think that has a lot to do with how much crowding you can healthily get away with. 1.5-3 ft/bird seems to be a safe minimum range.

I clean their pen ever couple days the first two weeks. The first two weeks they are on shavings and i only pull out the manured shavings (think litter box cleaning). Once they are out of my brooder and into their grow out pen, I have them on a 3-4” bed of straw. I fluff/flip that straw once a week, and replace the soiled straw on feeders/waterers. They have an exhaust fan in that pen that manages temperature and does great with the ammonia smell exhaustion.

 

[Acre4Me]

I’d guess the 0.8 industry standard is based on a 6 week butcher. My 8 week old CC are quite huge, putting in quite a bit of weight those last 2-3 weeks. I don’t know if they would fit, standing still, in 0.8 ft at 8 weeks (when we usually butcher).

We have raised them with 2 sq ft per bird, which is manageable. But important To keep up on litter management and fly control.

we just built an 11x11 covered pen outdoors. It is intended to raise meat birds. We have deep litter in there. We haven’t used it yet, but hoping to do so with our next batch of chickens coming in September.

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

i think 4 feet would be best, plus some grass so they can have fun and forage.

 

[Welllaidacres]

i think 4 feet would be best, plus some grass so they can have fun and forage.

I’ve tasted pastured poultry and I’ve tasted my pen raised, grain fed birds. I believe the quality of meat to be superior on my pen raised. My customers agree. It’s also nice that I can get the same size bird processed a week sooner than I can via pasture. Also with my physical limitations it easier for me to change bedding every couple days as required vs moving a tractor every day. I had my pens set up with access to the outside of the barn to a run. When given the option of pasture or pen my Cornish crosses hardly walked out to forage. They just ate the grain and drank the water in the pen. They had little to no interest to go out. I’ve since closed the doors there as it hardly seems worth it.

 

[amk122284]

I am SO GLAD you posted this, I kept hearing that pasture birds taste much different and a friend did pasture and she said she would never do it again. But then coming to byc so many are saying pasture, grass, free range and I had no intentions to do that but was starting to feel guilty. The plan is Cornish cross with 3.5 sq ft inside with plenty of open air and sunlight but not actually outside and butcher at 8 weeks.

I do have a question though, how high up do you do a roost for Cornish cross since I've heard they struggle towards the end to really fly, our sex linked layers have no problem clearing the 36 inches to the poop board edge before hopping up on to the roost above.

 

[RoosterML]

I am SO GLAD you posted this, I kept hearing that pasture birds taste much different and a friend did pasture and she said she would never do it again. But then coming to byc so many are saying pasture, grass, free range and I had no intentions to do that but was starting to feel guilty. The plan is Cornish cross with 3.5 sq ft inside with plenty of open air and sunlight but not actually outside and butcher at 8 weeks.

I do have a question though, how high up do you do a roost for Cornish cross since I've heard they struggle towards the end to really fly, our sex linked layers have no problem clearing the 36 inches to the poop board edge before hopping up on to the roost above.

No roost for CX unless you want injured birds. If you do put roost no more than 12” high and remove them at 3-4 weeks.
I have no idea why someone would say not to raise them out on pasture. That is the easiest way to manage these pooping machines. Towards the end I need to move the pen 2 times a day as it gets soiled very quickly. I would not grow out broilers if I couldn’t do them out on pasture.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have no idea why someone would say not raise them out on pasture.

Good question. I find the "why" when someone makes statements like that interesting. If I can find out the why I might learn something or it may boil down to personal preferences. Like someone may actually prefer the taste of the supermarket meat. Lots of people do prefer that since that's what they are used to. If they have problems with birds of prey it may make a lot of sense for them. But sometimes I just shake my head and try to figure out how that applies to the real world.

You can read a lot of statements but the hard part is often trying to figure out whether that applies to me.

 

[Welllaidacres]

I think it comes to different strokes for different folks. As stated I’ve ate pastured poultry. I’ve ate my pen raised. I prefer the flavor i raise and have made a successful side business from it with many repeat customers. This year I’ll raise just shy of 1500 Cornish cross. Tractors open up all sorts of risks to predation from both wild animals and wandering neighborhood dogs. My barn is much more secure than any tractor I’ve seen. Broiler chickens can only get about 15% of their nutrition from foraging alone. That is not much of a cost savings, not discrediting it as every penny counts. For me, I’m not sure the savings offsets the added work load and acreage needed to rotate them on pastures. I understand most folks on here aren’t raising 1500 birds annually. I pen raise mine and change the pine shaving/sawdust bedding as needed. Usually every 2 days around feeders and waterers towards the end. It’s easier for me to spend 10 minutes with a shovel and wheel barrow than it is to lug a tractor or tractors that can house 200 broilers at a time. Plus by doing this I extend my growing season with the ability to raise year round rather than just in the summer. I graze my turkeys, but Turkeys can get 35% of their nutritional needs from foraging and in my experience are more active in a central structure and paddock setting. Pen raising my birds also allows me to stockpile and compost the bedding/manure and spread it where I want it, in the rates I want it. I spread my garden, miniorchard, and pasture with it. The excess is spread on a neighbors field who I trade labor with on various projects through the year. I’m not against pastured poultry. I’m not saying those that do it are wrong or not to try it. I’m just trying to give you an “idea” why some may see it as a good alternative to pastured tractors. I’ve tried it. It’s not for me. I suggest people try multiple methods and find a system that works for them.

I have no idea why someone would say not to raise them out on pasture. That is the easiest way to manage these pooping machines.