...I figure they won't likely clear each section at the same rate. Younger birds won't eat as much and they won't be as efficient at scratching so the first areas may take longer to clear. Then again, as the season progresses there will be more vegetation in those areas yet to be Chicken-tilled.
I have raised broilers before, and yes, they certainly eat and scratch an area more at 10 weeks than they do at 5 weeks old. I raised 25 birds in a 60 sq foot "tractor." I moved the
tractor about once a day, but my goal was bird growth and health, not to denude all vegetation. In fact, I wanted to promote vegetation for the next season as the area was a
hay field my landlord was nice enough to let me use. Anyway, what I found was that the real need to move the tractor was manure coverage, not lack of vegetation. In a larger fenced area, the birds would run around and scratch and the manure would be less concentrated, which is good for bird health but may also promote more scratching and eating. But my tractoring
experience has
led me to wonder if the area would really look like it did in the video after 10 days. I think there would still be a lot of grass and plants left, and the
roots certainly wouldn't be dug up and turned over. In the video, the plot they just moved the
chickens from looked like it had been tilled. And maybe a shallow, one-time tillage
job would be OK for that specific application.