• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Nancy Reading
  • Carla Burke
  • r ranson
  • John F Dean
  • paul wheaton
  • Pearl Sutton
stewards:
  • Jay Angler
  • Liv Smith
  • Leigh Tate
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
  • Timothy Norton
gardeners:
  • thomas rubino
  • Jeremy VanGelder
  • Maieshe Ljin

Chicken Tractor - How much pasture does a chicken consume in a day?

 
Posts: 86
Location: Durham region - Ontario, Canada - Zone 5
2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I'd like to get my hands on some chickens to clear a field/prepare land for me. I expect to built a tractor with a large footprint, something like 8-10ft wide and 10-12ft long. I would like to only need to move the tractor twice a week or so, I will supplement their feed as required for a balanced diet.

If I have 100sqft of pasture inside the tractor, so roughly 30sqft/day, how many chickens should I put in there?
 
pollinator
Posts: 11853
Location: Central Texas USA Latitude 30 Zone 8
1261
cat forest garden fish trees chicken fiber arts wood heat greening the desert
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
If you're using them to clear the field, instead of maintaining a groundcover, and you plan to supplement their diet, you could have as many as 25 in a 100 square foot pen, in my opinion. Joel Salatin http://www.polyfacefarms.com/ put 75 - 100 birds in a 10' x 12' pasture pen but he raised Cornish Cross who do not forage actively, and the pen was moved daily. Personally I would put no more than 25. Keep in mind if you have predators, not moving the pen can increase danger of predators digging under the edge.
gift
 
The Humble Soapnut - A Guide to the Laundry Detergent that Grows on Trees ebook by Kathryn Ossing
will be released to subscribers in: soon!
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic