CX' and layers together?

[gevannos]

Boy do I love having fresh eggs and my friends love them too. So this year will be the first year I have had CX's (about 25) and my layers (6 of them) at the same time. Can I house them together? Or should I try to keep them separate?

Thanks in advance
Eric

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You can house them together but you won't get to tell them what food to eat. The cornish will eat everything they can get to. The hens should have 16-18% protein and 4% calcium. The cornish should start with 20-24% protein and 1% calcium dropping to 18-20% protein at 5 or 6 weeks and finishing with 15%. I think that's your biggest issue.

 

[lgrant1]

I have 15 laying hens and 2 roos in the coop but I did not add the 25 cornish cross to the same area mainly because of the different feed and the mess. I use a temporary structure for the meat birds. Some use a hoop coop, I use an old hay ring with the sides and top covered. They stay dry and warm, no overcrowding, and I can manage to address their different needs more easily. Plus, when the meaties are gone, I can roll the hay ring out of the way and don't have to clean up the mess in the coop. Very easy to handle in a smallish space.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

That's cool. I always make temporary housing for meaties too. What a mess. I have 50 Freedom Rangers now and the feed is running right through them.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

I would keep them separate also. Chicken canoe is right with the feed issue. You also don't want your meat birds trying to get on the roost at night. It is not good for their legs.