coop question for a divided coop

[mjkern3030]

So I am building a coop for two (or more?) tractors. I have a small area in the front (or back depending on what you want to call it) that will house a chick nursery on the top level, under that would be two very small coops for one rooster each (spares), then the very large area of the rest of the coop would be divided between the tractors. The idea is during the winter, the tractors would attach to the coop and then become the run for the chickens and they would be able to go into the coop on their side to sleep during the cold months. During the summer and warm months the tractors would not return to the coop, but tour the acres of the property. The coop is rectangular. The first 3 feet are dedicated to the spare roosters and the chick nursery (or storage when not being used for chick raising). I have another 8 x 8 space that the tractors would feed into, then the end (it is an 8 foot tall by 9 foot wide by 14 foot long rectangle). I have raised floors (planning to have some heating by rocket stove wood fire underneath or perhaps fire heated water pipes, still playing with that). But the door(s) would be on one end and the single males on the other (with the babies). So I need to be able to go to the single males to clean out their little home. I will be able to block the hens from their sight and they will be isolated from hens and not able to access each other. They have a solid piece of plywood keeping them apart. As for the larger area, not sure if I should do two doors and make two separate walk in enclosures and if so, what kind of wall should I use? Can i just do a frame and chicken wire and a tarp to block sight of the other hens and rooster? The single roosters will have their own runs coming out of their small coop separated from each other.

As all flocks have a rooster (and there is a free range flock that has a rooster and their own coop too) how important is separation in a divided coop? is sight separation good enough? If sight separation is fine I can always just chicken wire the divider, put in two doors one to each side and put in a tarp to block view of the other chickens. All the roosters we have crow and they all hear each other, so that won't change much. The runs (which are tractors) will be on opposing sides of the coop.

Lastly don't really need a lot of heating. Will be doing the deep litter or deep 'stuff-for-them-to-poop-on' and the coop will be very very well insolated should i just stick with that? asking as putting in the heating for the floor will probably attract mice and rats. I have barn cats and predatory dogs (that don't go after chickens, but do eat rabbits and mice) should i skip the heating to avoid more rats? as they will not be stationary during the summer months (other than the spare roosters) I should not have much of a mice problem and I can open up some slots for barn cats to sleep too in the coop....any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[aart]

Sounds complicated...and I'm not following the design, got a sketch with dimensions?
Have you had chickens before?

Wood fired heat? Just how cold does it get where you are?
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[mjkern3030]

I am just on the other side of the lake from you a little more west - but a bit further north. the design so far is:

Walls are 14 feet, the three shelves are almost 3 feet wide. One end is currently open as depicted here. There is a floor going almost to the end of the wall. it is just not shown on the drawing. I could put the wood fire in ground heater on the open end. Our winters get to around -50 -70 on the coldest days for several weeks. Otherwise we get a lot of below freezing till sometimes the first week of June.

there will be a sloping roof on top with metal like the barn and other coop.

The open part is where I don't know if i should be putting two doors in and just a chicken wire divider between the two flocks or if i need a board or if i can even do a divided coop with two flocks both with roosters. The coop is 8 feet high probably a little more once i put the roof on. Currently it is 8 feet high so it will at least a little higher on the lower side and at least a foot higher on the high side.