Adding a second coop

[JeffandLori]

Chicken math has struck again. We're at nine birds now with a 4x6 coop attached to a 6x16 run that is surrounded by 164' of poultry netting. The actual run is just a place to hold the feeder and waterer and a couple of perches for the girls to get away from the bonus rooster we got(he's on the middle shade house). The fenced in area goes all the way down behind the coop to provide lots of shade.

I need to increase the coop size as this fall we'd like to add five more dual purpose birds to the flock. I have a couple that may pass due to old age by the- but you can't count on that. I think I should plan to support 15 or so. Things are a little tight now with nine. Fortunately, I use poop boards and clean them out every morning.

My wife has the idea to build another coop, mirror imaged, on the other side of the run for "symmetry". I'm afraid if we do that, they'll just go up into one anyway.

What are your thoughts? If I build a second one- can I train the next group "this is your house, this is where you sleep and lay eggs".

Alternate idea is to push the run to the left and expand the existing one(cheapest option) or just start over with a whole new design for the coop.

I really prefer not to sink $1-1,500 or so into building a new coop from scratch, but we want to move to dual purpose breeds where we rotate five in and five out every year as opposed to the ISA browns that lay like crazy and then go into "hentirement". (Yes, we could just cull them when they stop laying, but that's been ruled out.)

Interested in thoughts.

 

[Lor]

I don't know if the new birds would stay with the new coop. You also might have some of the others wanting it too. LOL Chickens are strange critters.
If it were us I would opt for expanding the original coop for $$ reasons. But that will also come with it's own problems for your situation. The main one being introducing new birds every fall. I hated the integration process. LOL

 

[Perris]

you seem to have masses of space there; why don't you just let them roam free? Multiple mobile coops works for me.

 

[aart]

expand the existing one(cheapest option)

Yeppers.
It's all about your skills and resources.

If you do build a new coop big enough for all and future additions,
you can train them to only use the new coop.
Lock them in the new coop for a week(might be hard n FL) and remove access to the old coop.

 

[JeffandLori]

Thanks, all. It's looking like expansion or all new. Skills are average (don't zoom in on the photos).

@Perris unfortunately, free ranging isn't much of an option here. There's too many hawks flying around. I have a slow learning neighbor who lets his guinea flocks free range and they come in our yard which is fine, but we've watched more than a few get pounced on by hawks. I think he's gone through two complete flocks of a dozen each in the last five years.

I was standing by the fence charger one lazy Sunday morning just admiring the morning and heard a WHOOOSH go right over my shoulder as a hawk swooped down to about 6' level and scooped up into a tree on the property line and came down with a Blue Jay he saw in the branches.

The guy across the street seems to do it ok, but his birds stay close in and around his horse barns.

The other reason I prefer not to free range is we have about a 2' barrier of cypress mulch all around the house to act as a pest barrier. Guess where the FIRST place they go when they get out is. lol

 

[3KillerBs]

Being in south Florida, you don't need a closed coop.

You only need a roofed structure with a windbreak to protect the roost from blown rain and storm winds and wire to keep the predators out. It's more suited to the climate and less expensive to build.

Sometimes people are able to obtain dog kennel panels free or low-cost on Craigslist, etc. that can be covered with finer mesh wire to keep out smaller predators.

 

[JeffandLori]

Being in south Florida, you don't need a closed coop.

You only need a roofed structure with a windbreak to protect the roost from blown rain and storm winds and wire to keep the predators out. It's more suited to the climate and less expensive to build.

Sometimes people are able to obtain dog kennel panels free or low-cost on Craigslist, etc. that can be covered with finer mesh wire to keep out smaller predators.

Wait. What?
So, what you are saying is....since the overall "run" portion of this is already predator proof now (1/2" hardware cloth, etc.). I could get away with putting some extra roosts in there and let those that want to go into the coop do so, and those that don't...not. And just make sure the doors on the run portion are secured each night? Whoever goes in the coop...goes in the coop?

I'd be up for trying that and if they all end up going in the coop and crowding, then decide to expand.

 

[3KillerBs]

Wait. What?
So, what you are saying is....since the overall "run" portion of this is already predator proof now (1/2" hardware cloth, etc.). I could get away with putting some extra roosts in there and let those that want to go into the coop do so, and those that don't...not. And just make sure the doors on the run portion are secured each night? Whoever goes in the coop...goes in the coop?

I'd be up for trying that and if they all end up going in the coop and crowding, then decide to expand.

I don't have a coop page article finished for it, but you can see my big, open air coop featured in this article:

Hot Climate Chicken Housing and Care

 

[JeffandLori]

thanks, @3KillerBs, I may just close off the west wall (left in the picture), add some more roosts and see how the existing birds like it. I could even take the west wall off of the enclosed section and connect roosts all together. I just have to get over the idea that they are sleeping "outside". Granted, you can see the meat chickens in the photo as well.

Since we rarely see temps lower than 45 and generally only get VERY light frost once or twice a year that's gone by 8:00, cold isn't an issue.

You may have saved me a ton of money!

 

[3KillerBs]

Since we rarely see temps lower than 45 and generally only get VERY light frost once or twice a year that's gone by 8:00, cold isn't an issue.

You may have saved me a ton of money!

Here's are a couple threads you might find interesting. I do add a tarp to the opposite wall for hurricanes and winter.

10F in Central North Carolina in an Open Air Coop
Open Air Coop in the Snow
Prepping Coop and Run for Wind