Adding a second coop

[Patty914]

We are having so much fun with our 9 chickens that we are adding a second coop. Any ideas on where we should put it in relation to the first coop? Will the chickens know who's coop is who's ?

 

[CHICKLOVER69]

Do they share the same run or free range?

 

[Judy]

A lot of chicken people make the second one the main one, and save the first one for the occasional misbehaving, ill, broody, or whatever, or for store bought chicks, to raise them, if needed

If they are connected, you can also let them choose which one they want to sleep in. They may well appreciate this choice.

 

[Patty914]

They free range during the day and I lock them in the coop at night.

 

[CHICKLOVER69]

cool coop. I would assume the pecking order would decide who sleeps where. Time will have t o tell. Looks better than a few hotels I've had the pleasure of staying in.

 

[Patty914]

Thanks, it is a really cute coop. Here is a pic of what the second coop will look like. More open air and much bigger!

 

[sunflour]

Since they are used to being together, I would doubt they will divide up into the two separate coops to sleep. They do flock together at nite, likely a survival instinct of safety in numbers. Bet they all continue to use roosts in first coop unless the two are connected and perceived as one larger coop, like a mansion with multiple rooms.

 

[Patty914]

Thanks so much for the advice. We are now going to enlarge the first coop. Basically combine the two coops. This will achieve what we want in having a larger area and more chickens. I will post pics when complete. You have saved me a lot of time, grief and money. Thanks.

 

[sunflour]

Thanks so much for the advice. We are now going to enlarge the first coop. Basically combine the two coops. This will achieve what we want in having a larger area and more chickens. I will post pics when complete. You have saved me a lot of time, grief and money. Thanks.

Please do post pictures when you get it going, love to see creative housing.

 

[biteme2134]

I would enlarge the first! We added a second coop onto the first one as you can see by the separate colors (didnt want to buy more yellow paint). We added 13 chickens we hatched to our existing 4. I made a 2x2 foot pass through door inside the walls of the two coops so they could move between coops. It worked great as the little ones had a place to sleep away from the old timers and could range together inside the run with an escape place if needed. The downside now is that the little girls are joining the old 4 chicken flock. We're down to 13 total chickens and 9 of them are sleeping in the 4x4 yellow coop! They've slowly been shifting over there and the giant coop 4 times the size is barely being used! So I may have to take down the whole wall to make it one giant coop... not sure yet...

Hi there in MACON THO! we're not too far from ya