Do any of you have...

[Hobbley_Farm]

a few small chicken houses along with a larger one?


I have a small chicken house that houses (at night) 3 polish. A larger one that houses (at night) 4 to 5 hens. And yet another one that houses (at night) 10 2 mo old chickens and a 3 mo old cockerel.


We're building an 8 X 8 (its just lacking the roof) I'm wondering if the chickens will choose it freely over their exiting accommodations or if they will stick with what they have.


I also my laying hens laying in three different spots with no real consistency to which place. I have an outdoor nesting box, that they use. The hen house they are in right now has a large nesting box, that they use. And for some reason they are laying in the small house that the polish normally use at night.


Do you think there is any reason to MAKE them use the new coop, or just leave it to each individual chicken to decide?

 

[Bec]

I have 2. I have a smaller one and a big one. They kind of pick and choose where they want to sleep. The Orps,rir and cochin usually sleep all together in the big one and my 8 del blues and 2 ees sleep in the small one...

 

[dbcooper02]

I have several small coops and one large one. I let all the birds free range together during the day. They all know where they "live" and in the evening they all go "home" to be shut in for the night.
I kind of think that unless you move them into the large house for a while and hold them there to convince them that it is their "home" they will likely stay where they are comfortable now.
db