Building 2nd coop! How to split flock?

[smott]

I have a mixed flock of 14 birds that are all 3 months old. 6 are LF, 8 are bantams (including 4 silkies). They are currently all in one coop/run area. I know two of them are roosters, 1 RIR and 1 BLRW bantam. I also have 4 new chicks, 2 polish and 2 d'uccle that are currently in a brooder. I have decided to build a 2nd coop, with the intentions of having a LF coop and a bantam coop. Reasons for this are primarily about space, but also my concerns about keeping the RIR roo in with my tiny bantams. The 4 new chicks will go into the bantam coop when they are ready.
My question is how to go about separating the existing flock. How upset will they be if I move some of them to a new coop? What is the best way to do that? Should I do it before or after I move the new chicks in there? Will they accept the new coop as "home" or will they continue to go to their first coop? I do allow all of my chickens to free range with supervision a big part of the day. We have plenty of property for them to wander, but they will not be kept separate while free ranging unless problems present that require me to free range each flock at different times (which i hope is not the case). Any recommendations and advice appreciated!

 

[Rancho Sundown]

Keep the bantams in the other coop and don’t let them out for about a week, after that they will most likely return to it at night when you let them out

 

[electrycmonk]

What's your coop footprint & eagle eye view map gonna look like?

 

[Mrs. K]

I agree separating the LF and littles is a good idea. I would do all the switcher roo-ing all at once. The more strange it is to everyone, the better.

I may be misinterpreting your set up, but do you have two coops and a single run, or no run at all? If you have two coops, and single run, I would let one group out to free range, shut up the run let the others out in the run for the day. Wait till close to dark, get the ones in the run in their coop, shut it up, let the others in. If you want, next day, let the others out vice versa. This will allow you to keep the flocks separate, and keep the birds you want in which coop. After several nights of this, then I think they will go to the right place, or at least most of them.

However, do not be surprised if over time, they do not re-arrange themselves. If that doesn't bother you, you might just put some in the other coop, for a few nights, and then let them work it out. Sometimes chickens have a different notion than us humans as to what is right.

Mrs K

 

[smott]

@Mrs. K
@electrycmonk
Current setup is 8x4 coop with attached 8x20 enclosed run. New coop will be within sight with it's own enclosed run...haven't decided exactly on the size yet.
I do allow them out to free range when I am home, and I would like it if I could let them all free range at the same time. There is plenty of space (many acres) although they generally stay within the 1 acre immediately surrounding our house/yard now.
I would like the bantams to stay in their own coop, although I guess if some of them decide they would rather stay in the original coop, it would be ok.

 

[Mrs. K]

If you get them situated and basically separated for a week or even two, they might stay that way. If I am reading you right, you want to mix them free ranging, but want them to return to their coop/run on their own. I am not sure that will happen. But I am pretty confident you should keep them strictly separate at first, or it will never happen. In fact I have heard that they all wound up in one coop, terribly over crowded, even though the other coop was right there. Chickens are crazy.

 

[NatJ]

14 birds that are all 3 months old... 8 are bantams (including 4 silkies)... 4 new chicks, 2 polish and 2 d'uccle that are currently in a brooder....new chicks will go into the bantam coop when they are ready.

I suggest you move the new chicks into the bantam coop first, and give them a few days to get used to it. Do not let them out to range during this time. [Now they feel comfortable in this space.]

Then move in the four silkies. Wait a few more days, again not letting them out. [Silkies feel like newcomers, so they hopefully don't pick on the younger chicks. Within a few days, they're all used to living together.]

Then move in the other four bantams. [Recently-added bantams are newcomers and outnumbered, so hopefully don't pick on the younger chicks or on the silkies.]

Keep them all in for a week or two before letting them out. By then, they should all be used to sleeping there, and will hopefully return to this coop at bedtime, rather than trying to move back to the other coop.

(Or you could do as Mrs. K suggested, and put the new chicks and the older bantams all in the new coop at once. It might work equally well, and would certainly be faster.)

 

[electrycmonk]

I would agree with both above as viable options or some mixed up of the two is also possible. Butidigress