mixing meat birds with the layers???

[mandersn]

Hi all I am new to owning chickens. We just bought 12 pullets, and a rooster. We are keeping them in a movable coop. I am wanting to raise some meat birds also, but not sure if you can keep them all in the same house. Don't they eat different feed than laying hens? How would you separate the different feeds?
I am so glad to have found this forum, it is so useful!! I am loving my chickens, we a mix of breeds, not sure what a couple of them are. But they seem to be adjusting well to there new home. They were not allowed to forage before, they are getting the hang of it thankfully! my husband built a beautiful awesome coup/run. I will try to post the picture!

 

[holm25]

Yeah you can mix them!

 

[abserbean]

I have not raised meat birds, but I do know that they eat different feed, more along the lines of a turkey. I have also heard that most people don't mix them b/c the meat birds are hogs and eat all of the food, plus they are messy (even for chickens) and the poop is everywhere.

 

[Elke Beck]

I keep my layers separate from my meat birds for a few reasons:

1. I use a layer crumble that is not good for growing out meat birds.
2. I feed the meat birds grower feed that is not good for the layers (it makes them fat and has too little calcium).
3. My layers are mean birds, and if they can get to the meat chicks, they will spend a ridiculous amount of time and energy stalking and assaulting the meat birds. The layers would definitely kill young chicks if they got a hold of them. I want the meat birds to spend their time eating and growing meat, not running all over the place to get away from bullying hens.
4. The layers chase the meat birds away from the food and water. The meat birds can't grow if they can't eat.

You may have a different experience, but mine has been that layers and meat birds do not make a good combination.

 

[bowhunter862]

I keep my layers separate from my meat birds for a few reasons:

1. I use a layer crumble that is not good for growing out meat birds.
2. I feed the meat birds grower feed that is not good for the layers (it makes them fat and has too little calcium).
3. My layers are mean birds, and if they can get to the meat chicks, they will spend a ridiculous amount of time and energy stalking and assaulting the meat birds. The layers would definitely kill young chicks if they got a hold of them. I want the meat birds to spend their time eating and growing meat, not running all over the place to get away from bullying hens.
4. The layers chase the meat birds away from the food and water. The meat birds can't grow if they can't eat.

You may have a different experience, but mine has been that layers and meat birds do not make a good combination.

Genius! No way to say it better than that.

 

[Sabz]

Mine tolerate each other, but I have a fairly large coop and run.

In the coop I keep them separated at night and in the morning so they each eat their specific food. Then they go outside and I leave the coop door open, so they could mixup together in the coop or outside.

Outside I always provide a few different eating spots, it helps them get along. Sometimes I'll put pellets on the ground for the meat birds. The layers don't seem interested, they prefer the worms or anything else they find in the run.