Adding a second coop...?

[Ridgerunner]

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?

No one can tell you for sure what your individual chickens (they each have their own personality), with your flock make-up, with your management techniques, and with your facilities will do. As you can tell from these stories different things can happen. Some may split off on their own or you may have to train some to sleep in the other coop. Sometimes they stay trained, sometimes they don't.

I have multiple coops during the growing season, when my flock grows from one rooster and 6 to 8 hens in one coop to over 50 chickens, most growing to butcher size. I train them as to which coops to sleep in. They usually stick with the coops they are trained to but occasionally will spontaneously change, usually to join the main flock in the main coop. Usually I have to retrain them to the main coop.

Are you having problems because of overcrowding or is this something you anticipate happening, maybe as chicks mature or due to winter coming? I tend to not fix a problem unless I have a problem but I do anticipate and prepare for some things. I don't know enough about why you are considering this to give any specific thoughts or recommendations as to possible alternatives.

 

[Joel Just Joel]

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.

5 ft x 8 ft hen house on 2nd floor with 5 ft x 16 ft run beside & below. Way too small for my 45 chickens no matter which rule of thumb you follow.
Current count includes 20 Barred Rock - with one itty bitty chick - and 25 cross-bred Silkie/Phoenix beauties. All are 10 months old or younger and they get along fine, though some of the 6-8 roosters are becoming competitive and will soon be culled for Thanksgiving.
Autumn in East Texas is usually pretty mild, though we had a freak freeze week-before-last that killed what was left of our garden after a scorching & very dry summer. 40-50°F at night right now is fairly typical.

 

[3KillerBs]

Since you're in Texas, consider an Open Air coop.

Being essentially a roofed run with a 3-sided shelter at the windward end they're easy to build.

This is the one that inspired my own Neuchickenstein: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/

I don't have the coop page for mine done, but you can see it featured in my hot climate article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

You might be able to home chickens to the coop you want them in by closing them into the appropriate coop and run for a week or two in order to form the habit of roosting there. I haven't tried it myself, but it's reported to work sometimes and not work other times.

 

[Joel Just Joel]

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

Great advice. Thank you most kindly!

 

[Joel Just Joel]

Since you're in Texas, consider an Open Air coop.

Being essentially a roofed run with a 3-sided shelter at the windward end they're easy to build.

This is the one that inspired my own Neuchickenstein: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/

I don't have the coop page for mine done, but you can see it featured in my hot climate article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

You might be able to home chickens to the coop you want them in by closing them into the appropriate coop and run for a week or two in order to form the habit of roosting there. I haven't tried it myself, but it's reported to work sometimes and not work other times.

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing!

 

[Shadrach]

5 ft x 8 ft hen house on 2nd floor with 5 ft x 16 ft run beside & below. Way too small for my 45 chickens no matter which rule of thumb you follow.
Current count includes 20 Barred Rock - with one itty bitty chick - and 25 cross-bred Silkie/Phoenix beauties. All are 10 months old or younger and they get along fine, though some of the 6-8 roosters are becoming competitive and will soon be culled for Thanksgiving.
Autumn in East Texas is usually pretty mild, though we had a freak freeze week-before-last that killed what was left of our garden after a scorching & very dry summer. 40-50°F at night right now is fairly typical.

View attachment 3306532

If you have a Silki/Phoenix rooster to go with the hens then splitting them from the others should be failry straightforward. I, or rather they, split Marans and Bantams and later the cross breed split from both.
Where I am now an easy split would be Ex Battery hens and Light Sussex with Legbars and the Ex Battery hens would probably go for that without their own rooster.

 

[Ridgerunner]

5 ft x 8 ft hen house on 2nd floor with 5 ft x 16 ft run beside & below. Way too small for my 45 chickens no matter which rule of thumb you follow.

I'd build one coop big enough for all and use your current coop for "specialty" situations. To help with integration or behavior issues, with broody hens, or as a hospital if needed. Now that you have some experience build it in a way that you like.

 

[Joel Just Joel]

I'd build one coop big enough for all and use your current coop for "specialty" situations.

Great idea, thanks. There are a few things I'd do differently in building a new coop, especially size. Now that I know we enjoy raising chickens, we'd like to grow the flock larger.
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"One Coop to rule them all, One Coop to find them, One Coop to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."—The Ring's inscription, transliterated

 

[Pghelp]

I have 2 prefab coops in a completely enclosed large run. I’ve been grateful for the luxury of two coops especially when I have a broody hen raising babies or a chicken who needs to be isolated. I also essentially have 2 flocks, my adult hens and a group of 5 month old pullets. They do mingle but pretty much stay with their own age group. The problem is they all want to roost together. I’ve tried convincing them to split up but they find it stressful to be separated from the big girls. So having 2 coops has been incredibly useful but they still want to cram together to roost and only one nesting box among 5 is the best one for laying so they’ll queue up to wait for that. Chickens!