Can two runs/coops be connected with walkway to maintain "one flock?"

[Happy Novogens]

I currently have a 10' x 20' enclosed run that includes an airy roosting area (we live outside Phoenix -- it's 112 F right now). Also contained in that area are the nestboxes, food & water buckets (4 total), wading area (in summer), and dog crate (broody breaker or intro cage). I mention this because all these items do take up space. [The flock is usually let out 2-3 hours before sunset to free range in our fenced yard.]

At some point we plan to hatch some of our eggs and expand our flock. Extra roos will become dinner. But I feel as though our run will get crowded despite the "square footage per bird" recommendations since much of the space is taken up with the above mentioned items.

Our run is not conducive to being expanded. I could duplicate the run, though, and wondered whether we could connect them with a runway/walkway. I was picturing a 18" tall wired walk-thru "tunnel" to span between the two runs.

Has anyone ever done this? Would chickens figure it out? Would this be a way to keep them as one flock? I'm thinking I'd rather have one larger flock than two separate flocks. We've only had chickens for less than a year, so would love to hear opinions and advice on this.

I also wondered whether it would be advised to have the roosting area in only one of the two runs to facilitate that "one flock" mentality for the chickens.

If we had two separate flocks, would free-range time become a problem?

It's nothing pretty, but here is a pic for context.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I've done this for years as we grew.

I now have 3 separate coops. The original old one (that is slowly falling apart but proves useful at times), a side broody hutch built across a small run (to allow private brooding and better success rates), then another new coop across the fenced run yard that is quite large.

I have a divider I can put up in the chicken yard between the new coop and the 2 connected by small run coops to create 2 separate flocks when I want to. (At one time I was trying to keep a blue layer line separate from a brown layer line). THAT didn't work as well as I liked as they kept flying over into the wrong partition.

When the brown line rooster died from old age, I just took the partition down and made one flock. They had choices of old or new coops. Sometimes I had almost evenly divided, other times most of the flock would be in a coop. Eventually most of the flock is in the new coop.

Getting tired of keeping up 3 coops, I've closed the broody coop to be used only when I've got a flock, and I've used the old coop only when I have a broody.

So yeah, they figure it out. Just be prepared to laugh as you see some funny dynamics as the flock will oddly shift from one location to another with absolutely no apparent reason.

LofMc

 

[Happy Novogens]

Anyone else? I was picturing a walkway similar to this to go between the coops. Would they use it?

 

[LaFleche]

They would. It might take them some time, but chickens are very curious and adventurous creatures that love to explore

 

[Sueby]

Yes, they will use it. I used to have a temporary 'chunnel' going from one run to another till we got the run fence finished. I did lose a chicken in it, a bobcat pounced on the tunnel & tore the birds head off but couldn't get the body out. Sprinkle a little scratch the first time & they'll be pros quickly.

 

[Chicken Chat]

I had a tunnel as well connecting two coops for a long time. It’s dismantled now. I only made mine a couple feet wide and a couple feet tall. I have bantams. I found some hens would block others from going between or the roo would corner them. If I did it over I would go wider and taller to help with blockages.

 

[Happy Novogens]

I had a tunnel as well connecting two coops for a long time. It’s dismantled now. I only made mine a couple feet wide and a couple feet tall. I have bantams. I found some hens would block others from going between or the roo would corner them. If I did it over I would go wider and taller to help with blockages.

That is good to know! Thanks for sharing! My chickens are full size, so I'll definitely have to keep that in mind. I would have gone smaller had I not heard this.