Enlarging the Flock

[jwankowski]

The Coop is 6ft X 4ft with 10 nesting boxes inside and 2 roosting rails.

Really small for 10 hens. Really really small for integrating. Three nests would be enough for 10 hens. Your roost space should be plenty when they are grown and fully integrated. May be an issue while they are immature.

The attached Run is 20 ft X 10 ft, covered, with 3 roosting rails at different heights.

Nice size, this helps. Do you consider it predator proof?

The outside fenced area is 60 ft X 40 Ft and includes woods with trees and brush.

Excellent. You'll be OK with that.

(1) put the new birds in the coop and closed run, and put the 3 current hens on the outside fenced area;

If those hens are laying I would not want to lock them away from their nests and teach them to lay somewhere else. I don't see an electric fence protecting that outside area so it's not predator proof.

I don't much like this idea.

or (2) put the new hens in the outside fenced area and keep the current hens in the coop

This could work if you build a predator proof "shelter" for them to sleep in at night. I won't call it a coop since you won't need nests but you will need roosts. It would be pretty close to what I do. At 8 weeks you are not worried about weather as long as they don't get too hot. This shelter does not need to be anything close to fancy or permanent but I would want it predator proof at night. I find it beneficial to have a separate permanent shelter or even coop with a nest in case I have issues later but that's personal preference. Plus I integrate a lot so I use it a lot.

I'd put the hens in the current coop and run. Lots of room for three and won't disrupt them roosting and laying. I'd house the young ones in the shelter and give them access to that huge fenced area during the day. You may have to train them to go to sleep in that shelter so you can lock them up at night. Once you are confident they will return there to sleep at night and they have been across wire from each other for at least a week open it up and let them mingle. Do that when you can observe but I would not expect any problems.

Wait until they have roamed together for a few weeks before you try moving them in with the adults at night. The size of your coop bothers me. If you consider your run predator proof I'd leave that coop door open at night so they have all that room, like Mrs K suggested. Or build a secure sleeping area in that run, maybe 4' x 8' minimum, to use at night. That's the only real problem I see with what you have. I think you are going to have issues when they are all sleeping in that small coop, especially when some of them are immature chicks.

Widely scattered feeding and watering station is a good thing.

If I were in your situation I'd build a new coop, probably 6' x 8' minimum in your fenced area but next to the run where I could have an opening into the run and access to that outside fenced area both. If you can't make that tiny coop work this may be your solution. I understand you don't have a lot of time to do that right now.

Good luck.

Thanks for the input. I think I will only add 5 new hens to the flock for now, then build a bigger and better coop/run system.