Dual Coops?

[natemoore1986]

My coop and run are basically ad hoc in design, expanding as the need arises and time allows. I've expanded it twice now.

The most recent addition was to utilize some unused space because I'm incubating some eBay French copper black marans right now. My buff orpington abandoned the clutch when one of her own eggs hatched early. She's enthralled with her new baby. Hope to have these others hatched and with her while she's still in the mood.

Right now, I've got two buff orpington hens, two cuckoo marans, two easter eggers, a black sex-linked hen from the original flock from 2012, and a handsome, yet dangerous EE rooster, and one little chick.

There are 7 dark chocolate eggs and one of mine in the incubator. I suspect the latter is not fertile. I divided the new addition in two, separated by a fence and a door. The outermost section is where I plan to have momma raise her chicks. There won't be enough room for all the birds in the original coop, so I'm building another one that momma and her kids will use.

My question is this: Once they get used to using that one coop, they'll continue to use it, even if I mix the flock together eventually (assuming none of the French marans are roosters)?

If I'm lucky enough to get a rooster and the rest hens, I'll keep them separate from the existing flock and sell fertilized eggs on eBay or chicks locally, maybe.

Pictures of original coop/run and now with additions:

 

[aart]

My question is this: Once they get used to using that one coop, they'll continue to use it, even if I mix the flock together eventually (assuming none of the French marans are roosters)?

Youngsters will use their coop until they reach laying age, then they may try to go into main coop....could be a problem if main coop is not big enough for all.

My buff orpington abandoned the clutch when one of her own eggs hatched early. She's enthralled with her new baby. Hope to have these others hatched and with her while she's still in the mood.

How many days until the incubator chicks hatch?
I wouldn't count on her accepting them, have a plan B ready to go.

 

[natemoore1986]

Youngsters will use their coop until they reach laying age, then they may try to go into main coop....could be a problem if main coop is not big enough for all.


How many days until the incubator chicks hatch?
I wouldn't count on her accepting them, have a plan B ready to go.

Yeah...one of ours is hatching this Friday or Saturday. The others in 11 days. Would she just neglect them, or would she kill and eat them?

I have a Plan B though.

The existing coop may not be wide enough for another roost. It is tall enough though. Let me measure the dimensions, and you tell me what you think.

Thanks.

 

[natemoore1986]

Approx. interior dimensions: 6' long, 3' wide, 41" high.

I read a couple other posts about roost size. I think I could do two 6' roosts space 12" apart and 12" from each wall. Then maybe two 3' long roosts perpendicular to the long ones spaced 24" apart and 24" from the walls.

That would give me 18 perches, in theory. I don't know how many chicks I'll have in 11 days, but assuming they all hatch and are hens, I'll have one rooster and 16 hens.

I'm sure I'll have a rooster or two from the seven FBC marans, so I could sell or give away a hen or two and a rooster from someone who wants to raise them. I doubt I'll have a flock of 17 in the end.

As far as the nesting boxes go, I have four. None of my hens are daily layers, and two of them don't lay at all. I suspect one of the EE is defective, and the 8 year old black sex-linked hen is just old.

I really don't have the heart to cull the non-layers right now, but eventually I'll be forced to cull or re-home to some person running a chicken rescue. That's how we got rid of the remaining hens from our first flock.

Preditors did a number on it until I got a Pull-it Shut chicken door. The one night I forgot to close the manual door would be the same night that a possum would get in the coop and kill one.

I can always just keep the new flock separate from the old flock, and alternate the middle run between the two flocks.

IDK, I wish I could start over from scratch, but time....money....not happening.