Would this work?

[doubleatraining]

There is a local hatchery that offers cornish x. While 2 weeks ago I had never considered raising my own food all the reading I have done on here has inspired me. I have watched videos online and am comfortable with the home processing.

I would like to get a large wire dog crate and cover the sides with hardware wire and put a roof on it as a makeshift tractor. They will have grass 24/7 and high protein food 12hrs on and 12 hrs off. I'm thinking I should start with 2 or 4.

I believe they are already 2 or 3 weeks old so they could go out in the tractor now and ideally I would be processing my own birds in 5 weeks or so. Right?

ETA: They would be in my yard as opposed to a "true pasture" would supplementing them with a high quality horse hay be a good idea? I can get timothy, alfalfa, or orchard grass along with a variety of other local grasses.

 

[Connorrm]

Only doing a few birds at a time, I think it sounds like a great idea! Granted, I haven't raised meaties on my own yet. I'll be ordering in 2 weeks.

 

[triplepurpose]

It's important that the cage be open on the bottom, I think, so that they can scratch on the ground with out hurting their feet. Also, I'm not so sure about the hay--I don't think chickens will eat dry hay even if you tried to train them to. What little grass they do eat on pasture consists of tender shoots, leaf tips, seeds, etc., not the fibrous parts that ruminants eat.

 

[doubleatraining]

I can't have anything open at the bottom....too many predators will dig. I have a LOT of stray dogs around here.

Thanks for the information about the hay, I wasn't sure what part they ate but just trying to offer a solution to grazing.

 

[Connorrm]

You could always do a chicken wire/hardware cloth skirting around the mini-tractor to keep predators from digging in.

 

[triplepurpose]

Quote:
If you could make something like that work that would be a fabulous solution.

 

[SteveH]

Sounds like a good way to get a feel for raising CX. My experience is they will not eat hay, though my other chickens do, unless they're really, really, REALLY starving. I currently have 22, that will be 6 weeks old Monday, CX pullets getting only a little less than a coffee can of commercial feed per day.............................. they have hardly touched the dry hay, cantelope, veggies, handful of scratch, and fresh grass they're offered free choice to forage on when the crumbles are gone. The "regular" chickens I have get free choice crumbles 24/7, and will rush to get fresh grass and other treats while the feeders are full, and even eat a bit the dry hay. [My CX pullets are being rationed to hopefully keep them healthy enough for breeding, then processed for meat after that.]