Adding a second coop...?

[Joel Just Joel]

Chicken sociology question here. We have a fair-sized flock of chickens sharing a single coop and we're thinking of adding a second coop to provide more room. All of our chickens free-range all day long and so at night they would theoretically have a choice of the existing coop or the new one. Would we need to somehow encourage some of them to abandon the old coop and go to the new coop or will they figure it out on their own?

 

[DobieLover]

Flocks of chickens want to roost together. They won't split themselves up.

 

[aart]

We have a fair-sized flock of chickens sharing a single coop and we're thinking of adding a second coop to provide more room.

How big is your coop, in feet by feet, and how many chickens do you have??

Climate can make a big difference.
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[RubelliteRose]

We added a second coop just over a year ago. The original girls have no interest in sleeping in the new coop even though they prefer it for laying eggs. In addition, some of the younger girls who were added to the flock and introduced to the new coop, keep trying to sleep in the old coop. If I don't keep the door shut to the old coop in the late afternoon, we can have up to 11 of our 21 chickens in a coop built for 6 . We don't have an automatic door, so I go out at sundown to let the original girls in their coop. Fortunately, they all get along and we have plenty of ventilation, so if we aren't going to be home it isn't a big deal to have an overstuffed clown car for a single night.

 

[TheMic434]

I have two small coops, we connected them through the runs. So the chickens can choose which one they want. All but one sleep on roosts in the run. But at least we know they have the option if they need it.

 

[Shadrach]

Chicken sociology question here. We have a fair-sized flock of chickens sharing a single coop and we're thinking of adding a second coop to provide more room. All of our chickens free-range all day long and so at night they would theoretically have a choice of the existing coop or the new one. Would we need to somehow encourage some of them to abandon the old coop and go to the new coop or will they figure it out on their own?

Chicken sociology much like human sociology is not an exact science.
So, what is a fair sized flock?
How many roosters are there?
How many different breeds are there?

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

Where, in general, are you? Climate matters.

Flock details and photos of the current setup would help us help you.

 

[Shadrach]

Yes it can be done.
A few couldn't wait to move out of the old coop.

 

[Shadrach]

You might also find this interesting. Under the right conditions groups of chickens will organise themselves into tribes.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/shadrach’s-multi-coops.74344/

 

[SueT]

We built a new smaller coop for chicks I hatched in 2020. The run adjoins the main run, with a gate between. When the pullets began laying, I opened the gate to combine flocks. Eventually they all moved into the big coop with the rest of the flock! (The pullets all vied for a spot next to the rooster.) They kept laying in the little coop that year, but eventually began laying in the main coop.

There is one old hen who is now bottom of pecking order. She has decided the small coop is a safer place for her to sleep, and goes in there every night, by herself.
So it wasn’t all for naught, but I think we could have managed without building the extra coop.