How Many Brooders?

[ChrisS]

I have some cornish rock cross and black stars coming next week so I'm trying to get everything set up. Can I use one brooder or do I need to set up two because of the rapid growth of the cornish?

 

[gritsar]

I've raised meat birds and layers together in the same brooder and coop and I can tell you without a doubt that the layers would be much better off with their own brooder.

 

[Cadjien_De_Louisiane]

I wouldnt see why u couldnt raise them together.

 

[gritsar]

If you choose to raise them together you'll need lots of feeders and will have to watch feed consumption constantly, to be sure that your layer chicks are getting their fair share of the feed. Also, meat birds droppings tend to be messier (wetter) than the layer birds, so more frequent bedding changes will be in order.

As I said, I've done it before. I'll never raise them together again.

 

[Oktober]

Quote:
For the additional food consumption, would there be a problem with putting out one or two additional feeders and then it would not be a problem?

Additionally, if the they are fouling up the bedding more quickly, wouldn't that still be the same problem with our without a few layers in with them?

What other watchouts are there?

Thanks!

-Okt

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
For the additional food consumption, would there be a problem with putting out one or two additional feeders and then it would not be a problem?

Additionally, if the they are fouling up the bedding more quickly, wouldn't that still be the same problem with our without a few layers in with them?

What other watchouts are there?

Thanks!

-Okt

I had (up to) 6 feeders for a total of 32 birds - 13 layers, 19 meaties - it didn't matter, the meaties ganged up around the feeders, any feeder they happened to see, all the time. This gave the layers little chance at the feeders. I ended up raising two feeders so only the layers could fly up to them.

In a fair sized brooder the bedding only needed to be changed maybe once a week for layers, if that often. Add meaties to that and a clean brooder would be fouled and stinky within two days.

It can be done. I did it. If someone happened to drop a bunch of meaties in my lap again, as happened the first time around, I would definitely raise them in a seperate brooder.

 

[yinepu]

I would separate them.. meaties can be some very dirty birdies...

 

[Oktober]

Quote:
Thanks for the clarification.

-Okt

 

[ChrisS]

Thanks for the help!

 

[Ariel301]

I found that besides the mess and feeding issues, the meat birds grow so much faster than the layers that within a few weeks, the meat birds trample the smaller ones to death whenever they get excited about food or water.