Changing up the coop

[Kneiley1]

May be way over thinking this but...

I am thinking about opening up moving things around in the coop so I can have more chickens, have 6 thinking 6+ more. LOL should have known I would want more! I have a contained run/coop area. The run is 12 ft long (expanding to 16 ft to put a baby chick area) and about 5 ft wide. Sand floor with building built on a foundation of blocks so vermin can not dig under. The raised part is too small. 3x5 or so. Chickens are let out during day into a great sized open area 30 or so by 12 or so with a shed for them to get underneath or back into run/coop. I know a lot of detail but want to get feed back on closing up whole coop so its 16x6, then moving roosting area out of shut up place and opening that up so nesting boxes there but roosting places out in the main area. Will they just figure it out? It will be 16 weeks or so til we try to integrate new birds so thinking I should adjust by 3 year old hens to new place not change all at once or throw them in all together? So many details...Love to start some dialogue so I can think this through

 

[lilwildrabbit]

I don't think it matters as to change I had changed my coop and built a 8x8 coop and put all mine in the new coop it has a 20x50 run they took a couple days to figure it out but no problem once they were used to it they took to it good started laying in the new nest boxes that day

 

[TalkALittle]

It is always better to have the housing completed well before you acquire any new birds. The last thing you will want is to be up against a time crunch with new birds ready but no coop (or an unfinished coop) to put them in.

Make your changes now. Observe how your current birds adjust to and use the new space. You may find you need to make further modifications that you didn't anticipate. Seeing how they use the space will let you troubleshoot possible integration problems before they even happen which will ultimately make bringing in new birds less stressful for everyone.

 

[lilwildrabbit]

It is always better to have the housing completed well before you acquire any new birds. The last thing you will want is to be up against a time crunch with new birds ready but no coop (or an unfinished coop) to put them in.

Make your changes now. Observe how your current birds adjust to and use the new space. You may find you need to make further modifications that you didn't anticipate. Seeing how they use the space will let you troubleshoot possible integration problems before they even happen which will ultimately make bringing in new birds less stressful for everyone.

 

[coloradowildflower]

I think I'd go with TalkALittle. Get the old girls settled, then the new setup will be old to them by the time you bring in the new.