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'. Will the smaller breeds be as good at 'weeding' for me as the larger breeds? I'm trying to stay with friendly docile breeds. I'm in the PNW and it's rainy here and we also get snow regularly in the winter, usually 2-4 times or like last winter, there was snow almost every 2 weeks. We are in a shady area. The area where the tractor will be is surrounded by mostly deciduous trees so in the winter there's a lot more light coming in. I would say sun but we so rarely see that here, I hesitate to even use that word anymore. :)
What's a good breed for a small tractor?
If it were me.. I'd put them all together and rotate daytime outtings.. a few at a time every couple of days for the day.. not as a permanent set up.. it's so healthy for them to forage, I'd use it for a day pen.. More hassle to transport, I know.. That's just what I would do..
Also.. that would save the tractor as a second home in case you need it down the line.. Like when it's time to introduce new ones, and someone doesn't get along.. Always a good idea to have an extra pen!
That's exactly what I was planning to do. But then I got to thinking that maybe the tractor isn't big enough for those big birds. I'm sort of funny about caging any animal at all, even birds.
I also would have to transport the chickens quite a far distance. We have three acres and the vegie garden is right at the front of the property and the big coop will be at the very back, and it's a long walk. I doubt they're going to just follow me down the driveway! And then back out to the vegie garden again the next morning.
I have an extra 'chicken run' that someone gave me free. It's an a-frame shape and in the shape of a large chicken tractor but none of it is enclosed and there's no place to roost or nest or get out of the sun. It's 3' wide and 10' long. So I do have that in case I ever need to quarantine any birds and I plan to use it to introduce new birds to the older flock when that time comes in the future. Also, after we get the chickens, which my husband is not thrilled with at this point but appears to have resigned himself, I know he'll enjoy them and will be able to build me any small pen I might need for those kinds of purposes.
So anyway, I just don't see me making 2 or 3 trips every morning and every afternoon to transport chickens some 400 feet, which is why I thought maybe I'd investigate bantams or smaller birds that could be full time residents of the chicken tractor and surrounding runs.
I understand totally.. I also agree with them being caged.. I don't do that very well either. I feel like I'm torturing them when I put them in a huge dog crate!
Remember the bantams would be great.. but they don't scratch as aggressive as a few big fat hens.. LOL
Once you get a Serama, you will need another coop.. LOL They are just tooooo cute! They don't even leave a footprint though.. Not sure how good of a weed eater they would be.
This is one of those trial and error things... can't really give sound advice on this one.. Just go with what feels right..
I guess I'll try it with the larger birds, on the rotating basis, see how that goes, and then get the bantams later if it seems like rotating the others is not working out.
Thanks!