Getting my First Meat Birds

[TheBeardedNerd]

I have a few questions!

I feed my flock of 35 layers, 5 Roosters and 10 Ducks a fermented no-soy 16% layer pellet.

I plan on adding 50 standard breed roosters to the flock for meat birds that will be slaughtered at 18 weeks.

How do you guys deal with a flock of mixed layers and meat birds when it comes to feeding?

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

I keep mine seperate. Perhaps you will have better luck, but my Barr Rocks beat my Cornish Cross to a pulp. The bigger birds were just not able to get away from my more aggressive agile layers and establishing pecking order was never ending and brutal. I had to seperate them and I intend to get a larger flock of meat birds and keep them seperate. Different coops, different territory, they will mix, but hoping I can keep everything seperate, food especially.

 

[TheBeardedNerd]

I plan on getting a mixed assortment of standard breed roosters that will take a little longer to reach slaughter but they should be less aggressive since they are all standard breeds.

Would I be able to feed all of my birds like an 18 or 20% Protein Feed without added calcium and then add Free Choice Oyster Shell for the layers and then I could mix my flock?

I currently ferment my feed in a 5 gallon bucket with active cultures, this increases the protein content, if I'm not mistaken. Does anyone have info on feeding meat and laying birds together on fermented feeds?