I added 3 more hens to my flock, making a total of 9. Now that the 3 new girls are about 3/4 the size of what they will be, their coop has become a bit crowded and the poo mess in the yard has increased a great deal. The hens and their current coop are in the back yard. We are updating an old chicken coop situated on the middle 1/3 acre pasture that's right behind the back yard. Anytime we change anything they are extremely cautious. I know this is normal but I'm a bit concerned about the transition especially since we now have 6" of snow on the ground and they have a much larger area to roam and hide. New coop + new area = scary!!! My hubby feels we should move their old coop and attach it to the side of the new coop for extra space and familiarity. They don't really need the extra space but this is a rental property so we don't want to get rid of the coop in case we need it in a couple years when we are ready to buy our own land. I also thought it would be nice to keep the smaller coop if the need arises to separate a hen for some reason or for a broody and new chicks. If we leave it in the back yard the chickens will keep trying to fly over to it since it has been their home since early summer. The chain link fencing is old and the pipes that run across the top between the back yard and the pasture are mostly gone. I worry they will get their legs stuck in the fence trying to get to their old coop and end up breaking a toe, foot or leg. We could just fix the fence but don't really want to spend anymore time and money than we absolutely have to since we don't own the property.
I figure it will take us 2 - 3 weeks to have the new coop ready.
Any thoughts or advice on the situation?
Current coop 4' x 5' still needs to be painted.
Soon to be new coop. Chicken area 7.75' x 7.75' and much taller than the above structure. The back half of the structure with the open door is our goat shelter. Only the front half will be used for the chickens. We are considering matching the high roof line of the old coop with the low roof line of the new coop when we attach the two, but attaching it in such a way that we can easily detach it when we are ready to move to a new place.
I figure it will take us 2 - 3 weeks to have the new coop ready.
Any thoughts or advice on the situation?
Current coop 4' x 5' still needs to be painted.
Soon to be new coop. Chicken area 7.75' x 7.75' and much taller than the above structure. The back half of the structure with the open door is our goat shelter. Only the front half will be used for the chickens. We are considering matching the high roof line of the old coop with the low roof line of the new coop when we attach the two, but attaching it in such a way that we can easily detach it when we are ready to move to a new place.
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