Fatten up DP birds?

[kriskirkland]

This is our first excursion into meat birds, and chickens in general...yay! Anyway, I ordered my CC's from Ideal and they threw in about 10 Silver Laced Wyandotte's for "warmth". So with these 10 free boys, I am thinking about keeping them and raising them for butcher. I know they won't grow as fast as the Cornish and that's fine, but I have no idea how to raise them for meat, I did all my Pre buy research on Cornish.
So my question is can I put the SLW on meat bird feed an feed them the same as the Cornish? Currently the Cornish are on 18% chick starter (they are only 8 days old) and I am switching them to a 22% meat bird crumble, fermented with scratch mixed in to drop the protein to 20%. So 18% now an then 20%. Will this help fatten up the SLW for slaughter? I don't really want to wait 18 weeks for them to grow up, but not sure if there is a way to push this along safely?
Also, is 18% an then 20% okay? Should I just leave it at 22%? Any suggestions in what to use a a finisher since my feed store does not carry that?
Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Elke Beck]

I would recommend that you keep the CC and SLW separate. They really have different needs. Within a week you will see that the SLW grow much slower than the CC, but the CC are much less active. The CC will tend to fall asleep with their heads in the food bowl, where the SLW will be more interested in doing things and running around. They are not compatable, the SLW will trample over the CC running around and the CC will bulldoze the smaller chicks to get to the food.

You will have to let the SLW grow longer, but they will be much more tasty than the CC. Definitely worth it if you have the time and space.

 

[BCMaraniac]

I bought a dozen CC at TSC, and bought 2 Production Reds at the same time...one turned out to be a roo. They were in the same brooder at TSC, and I put them together when I got home. I watched them to make sure that everybody got plenty of food, and that nobody was getting bullied. They seemed to get along fine, and the two of them are still in the same pen with the 6 remaining CCs(6 have already been processed. When feeding time comes they just get in there and mix it up with the CC's.They let them pick a spot, and the they just push their way in between. There is obviously a size difference, but the reds have grown very well. The Reds will be integrated with other birds when the remaining CCs are processed.

I guess if you decide to put them together to see how things go, keep close watch, give them plenty of room, and have a contingency plan in case there are problems. I don't know what the disposition of the SLWs are compared to the Production Reds, and I don't know if the ratio of CCs to SLWs would matter at all, but the ratio was 6:1 in my case.

 

[kriskirkland]

I should have clarified, they are separated and will stay that way. They are all (10 SLW and 8 CC) 8 days old but the CC are already double the size. I have the SLW in with my turken pullet and barred rock pullet, and as those two get a bit bigger I will separate the SLW from them too. It's just too cold here still to brood only 2 babies together!
I just wasn't sure if I could feed the SLW the meat bird feed as well or if it would be better on an all flock type of feed.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I should have clarified, they are separated and will stay that way. They are all (10 SLW and 8 CC) 8 days old but the CC are already double the size. I have the SLW in with my turken pullet and barred rock pullet, and as those two get a bit bigger I will separate the SLW from them too. It's just too cold here still to brood only 2 babies together!
I just wasn't sure if I could feed the SLW the meat bird feed as well or if it would be better on an all flock type of feed.

Def. feed your SLW the 22% feed. They will need all the help they can get to be at a nice size by 12-14 weeks, which is when you butcher them.

I don't see why you can't put the SLW in with the broilers. It would make them easier to feed if they weren't in with layers. We have a generic "meat pen" for broilers and random cockerels. Right now there are 18 broilers and six Easter Egger cockerels in there. All of them are about 8 weeks old. The broilers have a date with destiny this weekend, but the EEs will go to the processor with our next batch of broilers, currently four weeks old. We don't have any problems with the EEs and broilers in together. The EEs roost, the broilers don't. They all play fight together.

Of course, our meat pen has a lot more space than the two square feet per bird some recommend. I'd say they have closer to six square feet per bird. That may make a difference.