Raising layers and meat birds together?

[funkychickenowner]

I just order 25 from M&M and are half layers and half meat birds. I dont think I will be able to tell them apart when they come in the box at what age should I seperate them and at about what age should I intergrate the layersw into the rest of my flock?

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

You won't have a problem telling them apart. I'd separate them from the start or at the most in the first three days. The meat birds will be twice the size of the layers in 10 days or so.

Jim

 

[patandchickens]

Wait, are these "real" meat birds i.e. Cornish Cross, White Rock, Slow Cornish, anything involving the words "white" or "cornish" or "rock" or "broiler" in their name? If so, you will have ZERO trouble telling them apart on arrival - they are built like little sumo wrestlers.

Or is it like a frypan special type deal of assorted large-fowl breed males? In which case, if your layers are also an assortment, indeed you may not be able to tell them apart.

If it is a mixed-dual-purpose-breeds situation, then you will pretty much grow them all together until it begins to become evident who's destined for what, and then segregate out the cockerels and feed them up a bit extra til they are eatin' size.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Mad Tapper]

For what its worth, last summer was my first crack at raising chickens. I raised 4 "Production Reds" with 25 CXs to the age of 9 wks 2 days without a single problem. They lived in a 10X12 foot tractor from which I tried to let them run a little each day. It was fun watching them hunt grasshoppers and such. I still have all 4 and theyre doing great. They were switched from the hi protein meat maker feed to the layer feed when the CX left for their one way trip. I was probably lucky not to have a trampled or stampeded layer, but the CXs were so slow and clumsy it just never seemed likely. Good luck.