Introducing meat birds to the laying flock

[Buckhowdy]

I'm on my forth batch of dual purpose birds. I want the next batch to be Red Broilers. I'm wondering how long do I need to keep these birds in the brooder before I let them join the older birds? I've heard two months old is a sweet spot for most birds, but that might be too long for a meat bird to stay in the brooder. I might want to let them out with the older birds at maybe a month or so. Any advice?

 

[GitaBooks]

Sorry it took so long to respond.


For me, the intro is not really a set time. I look at them, watch their behaviors, see if they are old enough and strong enough. Then, I make sure they have seen and heard the others over a few weeks before letting them out together. They tend to do well, even learning to perch with them at night. This is at about 2-3 weeks for chicks with mothers (who can protect and teach them) but around 2 months for chicks without parents.

Best of luck!

 

[Buckhowdy]

My brooder is just a 4 X 8 chicken wire partition in a 8 X 12 coop. They can all see each other through the wire. I'll let them out with the adults early then monitor the results. If it doesn't work then they go back in the partition for a while. I like using judgement over rules of thumb most of the time.

It seems like mixing Meaties with Dualies might not be that common. Most people probably raise one or the other, or completely separate flocks.

Thanks for the reply!