Free Ranging Together?

[autumnw]

I am in an urban setting and have had egg layers in the past. I have a storage shed converted to coop with a run but would let them free range in my yard and garden most of the time. I'm starting a new flock and decided to get some meat birds(red rangers from mcmurray) as well. My question is this: can I raise all of the chicks together until it's time to butcher the meat birds? They shouldn't be as lazy as cornish x so I thought they would appreciate an actual coop and they will be fully grown at about 10-12 weeks while my layers will still be smaller. I'm wondering if I will need to separate them in different brooders once the meat birds start growing too.
Also, if I can keep them together this time since they will all be arriving together would it work in the future to add meat chicks to an established egg laying flock for the little while they will be here or would that totally make my laying girls mad? My laying flock will only be 7 birds if that makes a difference. Thank you for all of your advice!

 

[my sunwolf]

I would say you can brood and range them together no problem if they've grown up together. In the future, once your layers are adults, just wait until the meaties are 8 weeks before attempting to introduce them to your girls. Some chickens do get stressed out and stop laying because of new flock members, so you might consider having two separate coops but still ranging them together, though I can't guarantee that they'll stay in the coops they're assigned to

 

[sourland]

Raising the chicks together should not cause any problems. Many do the same routinely. Adding chicks of any sort to an established flock is generally difficult if not impossible. Big chickens pick on little chickens - chicken society is not pretty.

 

[autumnw]

Thank you both! I knew adding new chicks later would be tricky. We'll see how this time goes and if I want to try again I may make a separate area for them. Thanks again!

 

[nwredrooster]

Agreed. Adding future meat birds to the continuing laying community would likely cause repeated (and possibly escalating) stress to the girls to the ongoing flock. Even though they would likely be at the top of the pack order it is still stressfull for them to have to do the "new dance" on a frequent basis.

 

[Jipus5]

With my mixed flock of mixed breeds and full range of ages...my brooding hens took them.....kept sitting on their own eggs but tucked them under their wing and actually raised them...all 12 of them! Then when her eggs hatched, a new hen had started getting broody but she is a bantam and i didnt want her to so I gave her the larger hens babies that had just hatched and let the larger hen continue to raise the older chicks i had bought that grew faster....Weird but true. Second year in a row for this....and thats buying them once in the spring then hatching some in my incubator each fall and passing them on to the next brooding hen......keeps them from brooding too long and ya know...that Bantam Sebright hen STILL has 9 grown Easter Eggers, 6 months old, following her short butt around?! Funny but she is Mama to them I guess. With the babies there and her still brooding...all my other hens LAID THEIR EGGS ON HER and she tucked those eggs as well under her. Weirdest thing i ever saw..... Without a broody hen around, my Roosters (one Easter Egger one Booted Bantam) did fine with new babies, but my hens killed off babies that made too much noise. Kinda like they got rid of the one problem maker. Depending on how many hens you have, separating one or two hens who are your best layers or brood more often may be fine with them, if you see a problem. Best of luck!