What's a good breed for a smaller tractor

[Gwen]

I'm getting 7 standard chickens tomorrow with 7 or 8 more coming later in the summer. I was going to put 2 or 3 in a chicken tractor in my potager/vegie garden and the rest in a large coop in another part of the yard.

I'm now starting to wonder if maybe I shouldn't get smaller chickens for the tractor, maybe bantams or seramas (which I think are cute!). But I do want them to be able to keep the weeds down there, which is why I am putting some there in the first place. I have a run that goes all the way around the garden for them, another area for a 'run' and then was planning to move the tractor down the rows so they could help keep them weeded, tilled, and fertilized.

What would be a good breed? The tractor itself will be 3' wide and an undertermined length, but probably not very long and certainly no longer than 5'.

 

[Fowl Visions]

It really depends on why you are getting the chickens. If you are getting them for eggs I would say RIR or Sexlinks. Both of those breeds are easy to care for and do well in confinement, and are not overly large like a Brahma.

 

[Gwen]

I'll have plenty of other chickens for eggs. I'm getting these for their weed eating, scratching, & pooping abilities.

 

[Uppity Peon]

The last column in this chart (Behavior) indicates which breeds take confinement well. I don't have any personal experience to draw from though.

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

 

[RGEISENDORF]

Gwen, the 20 chicks I have coming next week and the 20 in August are all Bantams and I really will need to get rid of at least half. You should come over a get some..