What size pen

[lesgo54]

The wife and I may attempt to raise some meat birds next year. We thinking 20-25 Cornish x my ? Is what size pen would u recommend for that amount

 

[redsoxs]

Standard chickens require a coop size of 4 sq. ft. per bird and a run size of 10 sq. ft. bird. Cornish are pretty good sized but don't move all that much as they get bigger....mainly just camping out around the feeder. Good luck to you!

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I scatter my feed on grass using a chicken tractor and my CX's run like the dickens all over the place. No feeder for them to hang out around!

 

[mstricer]

I scatter my feed on grass using a chicken tractor and my CX's run like the dickens all over the place. No feeder for them to hang out around!

like that plan. I make mine walk to to their feed and feed once a day and the rest they free range for, I just sent 3 down the road for slaughter and will see what their weights were

 

[donrae]

As large as you can make it.

Are we talking a stationary pen? That's going to build up a LOT of poop, these birds convert feed to poo like you wouldn't believe. Can you either tractor them or free range them?

Do you have freezer space for 25 birds?

 

[mstricer]

Stationary is bad. I had a hen raise my 3 and they continued to be in the coop and run and free ranged, I have had to do a lot of cleaning in the coop and the run is gross due to poop and rain and me waiting on sand

 

[bowhunter862]

You could build a 5000 square foot pen and CX won't be 5 feet from feed or water at any given time. I'm on my third batch of the summer. I have a 150 sq. ft. coop and another 96 sq. ft in a enclosed yard. Only a few ever venture outside and mostly because I provide feed and water out there too. I have 70 in my coop right now. Yes, you do have to keep up with poop removal and adding bedding, but it is very do-able if you are committed.

 

[thriftyfarmer]

If you are going to build a tractor...

Brooder: 25 Cornish Cross broilers need about 0.5 square feet per bird until they are 21 days old. (12 square feet of brooder space... 2 X 6)

Tractor: If you move it once a day, they will need about 1.5 square feet per bird. So 25 broilers need a pen that has 37.5 square feet of "grass" space. 6 X 6 would be close enough but I would just build an 8 X 8 in case you wanted to do more in the future. I have made and used 8 X 8 Salatin Design tractors and they work great. We put 40 broilers in and they had plenty of space. Also... stud lumber is cheap and comes in 8 foot lengths. Ripped down they make great boards for a light pen.

 

[mstricer]

You could build a 5000 square foot pen and CX won't be 5 feet from feed or water at any given time. I'm on my third batch of the summer. I have a 150 sq. ft. coop and another 96 sq. ft in a enclosed yard. Only a few ever venture outside and mostly because I provide feed and water out there too. I have 70 in my coop right now. Yes, you do have to keep up with poop removal and adding bedding, but it is very do-able if you are committed.

They will be if you move their feed outside their pen and only feed them enough to fill their coops in the AM or PM and make them free range. They become accustom to free ranging and will eat bugs and grass. Mine have traveled all over my yard in search of me or food. I agree with the 8X8 foot hoop house style

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I'd say as large as you can make it, but no smaller than 2 sq. feet per bird. I've seen Cornish X in 1.5 or even 1 square foot per bird pens, and it's not pretty. They need the extra space to grow better and healthier, and also to get away from each other. All young birds have a tendency to pile up on each other, but Cornish X can suffocate each other, overheat each other, and break each others' legs if they don't have enough space. Also, don't add any roosting areas--Cornish X like to try to roost, but can break their own legs jumping down.

They don't like to go far from food, but they do waddle around some if given the option, even if it's just from the happy shady napping spot to the food and back. We give ours 4 sq. ft. per bird now, but I've done less. Having done both, I would always give them more space if you possibly can. You can do less in a moveable pen situation, but no matter what, more room will be better for the birds. The 8x8 pens that others are suggesting will work very nicely if you plan to move it to new grass every day.