We have a chicken coop in our barn that has no chickens in it yet. It's fairly large, but I'll have to pull measurements and take some pics to get an idea of how many chickens can safely and comfortable use it. We'd like to raise both egg layers and meat chickens, and I wasn't sure if it was okay to put them in the same coop, or if they should be separated. Thanks for your help!
Can Meat and Egg Chickens be Housed Together?
I raise all my chicks together. The meat birds are done by the time the others start to lay. I've never had any problems.
If you use the Cornish types for meat, you would probably want them separate. They shoul be fed different than pullets.
If you use a heavy breed like Rhode Island Red, for example, they could be together. Then just use the roosters for meat.
Bernie
I feed mine all the same as chicks, I like my cornish crosses to grow a little slower anyway. They seem to have more flavor that way. Mine are also in a large pasture like area with lots of bugs and grass. The only problem I've had is keeping neighborhood dogs from digging in and killing them. Our crosses are butchered at about 4 1/2 to 5 months.
We always raised ours together. They all ate the same things. A friend of mine has all of hers together in one area, they eat the same things. They always worked out fine & have the most wonderful flavor when they finally dress them out... usually around 5 to 6 months.
Always treated ours exactly the same.
We try to keep ours seperate only because it seems they make more of a mess and are stinky and do not respect the egg laying nests.
Also my white meat birds are just that.. then we have "the girls" they all have names and we form a bond with them.. I try not to get too attached to the meat birds.