The start of my chicken tractor

[JoshU]

Oh and Chicken Picken, arent they a trip in the morning when you take their feed to them? Like they have never seen food before. EAT, POOP, LAY DOWN, repeat. They are the cutest most unnatural creature ever.

 

[chicken pickin]

I had 16 broilers on a patch 20x70 ish and moved them every day. By the time they got back to a spot they had been the grass was back and green. Lots of poop but it is really dry and hot here. The spot they were in is bright green while the rest is looking fairly dormant. Your birds look healthy for 3 weeks. I wouldnt say huge. We can compare yours with monsters soon hopefully. I had mine on 20% and butchered at 8 weeks. My average carcass was 6.5 pounds. I was in them for 6 bucks a piece. I was happy. So were they.

Im glad to hear the grass will go green again. I figured it would thats why I decided a tractor should be fine. And 6.5 is a great weight Im hoping for about the same.

 

[chicken pickin]

Oh and Chicken Picken, arent they a trip in the morning when you take their feed to them? Like they have never seen food before. EAT, POOP, LAY DOWN, repeat. They are the cutest most unnatural creature ever.

It is sooo true. They pretty much attack me. And then its a full on battle between themselves to get a spot around the feeder. We have 2 feeders only about 5 of the 26 are patient enough for the other feeder to get filled. They are really funny. I took all 26 out of the tractor to free range took away their feed and was ready for a flapping fest across my yard... and NOPE 19 went back in the tractor to lounge lol. Im enjoying them.

 

[MonsterClucker]

Oh yeahey definitely are bigger than my chicks. I wonder why?? My feed is only %20 and its organic so that might have a difference. That's cool tho. Where'd you say you ordered them from?
Ive heard about and seen videos of people doing meaties in the dead of winter. You could pull it off. You'd just have to insulate your tractor with hay or something or do something like the hoop coop.
Your a boss for doing 26 first time lol. I got 15 this time. I wish I woulda just got the 25, but they'll ne here in a week or so. I'm doing all of em all by myself lol. I might have a friend drive out from Reno to help me lol. He offered!
But one question I wanted to ask you. How's the smell??

 

[chicken pickin]

Hmmmmm I wonder why mine are so much bigger. I hope im not over feeding. I would hate to lose them before its time. And the smell of what the 26 CX poop? Its pretty bad but only when you are right by their tractor I havent noticed it linger further than that. I hope the wind doesnt carry the smell lol like I saide my neighbors probably dont like me lol. I only bought our house less than a year ago and since then we have knocked down half our trees, built 3 coops and a tractor. I have the 2 dogs that bark and the chickens lol the egg song sounds more like a death song haha soo loud. The Tom turkeys are starting to gobble and to top it off the flies arent my favorite. But everyday I go outside and I smile at what I ve made. I hope the neighbors smile too.

 

[chicken pickin]

Oh, I got them from Meyers Hatchery

 

[mstricer]

Thanks for the suggestions. I decided against the roost only because Im affraid for them to injure their legs hopping up and down or getting breast blisters. And the tarp I am definitely going to go pick up. Not for the shade since my yard stays pretty shady but for the rain, thats a good idea I should pick up tent stakes also to hold it down. It is supposed to rain for like the next 10 days blagh, and the meaties are getting too big for the brooder in the garage.

Mine were roosting right up till yesterday when they went to the processor. They have strong legs from free ranging. I also got mine at Meyer.

 

[chickortreat]

I don't know where the 2 sq. ft. per bird came from, but I was raised on a broiler farm, and our house is 456' long and around 40' wide (maybe only 36'). At 40' wide, it would be 18,240 sq. ft. (If it's only 36' wide, it would be less of course). The house is rated for 20,000 birds, which would be less than 1 sq. ft. per bird if it were stocked with a full 20,000 and none were lost to normal mortality. The most common number they used to bring was 18,700 (I have no idea how they arrived at that number), and it was not uncommon to lose a thousand per batch, so we'd be left with around 17,500ish broilers, or just over 1 sq. ft. per bird. When raising broilers, all they need is room to eat, sleep, expel waste, and little else, as you want them to grow and the more they move, the tougher they'll be.

 

[chicken pickin]

Mine were roosting right up till yesterday when they went to the processor. They have strong legs from free ranging. I also got mine at Meyer.

How high were your roosts? Im guessing 4 or so inches off the ground?

 

[chicken pickin]

So I have been a little busy lately but thought I would update pprogress of my cx in the tractor. The tractor is going well I love that it moves across the yard. No cleaning up for me lol makes that part simple. They are growing huge and are healthy their legs are sturdy. Though them jumping in and out of the tractor is starting to look a little dangerous. So for those of yopu concidering a tractor one suggestion would be make an opering ground level they can walk through. My opening is about 6" up and today one couldnt make it over got his leg caught and fell oddly to the otherside I was preparing myself for him not to stand up but thankfully he was fine. They are now 4weeks and 4 days but the pics here are of them at 4weeks exactly.