Dual coops

[Rick589]

Just curious, does anyone see any downside or issues with having two coops accessible to the flock? We have our original coop(about 18 sq.ft.) which we blocked off so the flock would learn to go to the new 120 sq.ft. coop, which they have. Both coops enter into the same fenced in area. I’ve been debating on whether or not to open both and let the chickens decide where they want to go.

 

[azygous]

I have two coops, and have had two coops since very early on in keeping chickens. It has been nothing but a huge advantage.

Originally built to house two roosters, it now houses one rooster and two little hens that voluntarily moved in after roosting competition became too exhausting in the main coop.

My opinion is that you can't have too much space for your flock, and the more options chickens have, the more peaceful the flock will be.

 

[Rick589]

I have two coops, and have had two coops since very early on in keeping chickens. It has been nothing but a huge advantage.

Originally built to house two roosters, it now houses one rooster and two little hens that voluntarily moved in after roosting competition became too exhausting in the main coop.

My opinion is that you can't have too much space for your flock, and the more options chickens have, the more peaceful the flock will be.

Thank You. I just needed to hear from someone that actually had this set up to confirm my thoughts.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have three "coops" available from the run but none are left available all of the time. One is my main coop 8 ft x 12 ft. One is just a 4 ft x 8 ft shelter used in an emergency if I need to isolate one or more chickens. It is seldom used. Another is a 4x8 grow-out coop, used to integrate brooder raised chicks, isolate problem chickens, or as a broody buster as it has a wire floor. It has a run with it that can be shut off from the main run. Having this flexibility makes managing them so much easier.

The only downside I can see to having two coops open all of the time is that you will need to clean and manage two coops instead of one. If you feed and/or water in your coops you have more feeding and watering to manage. If they lay in two coops you may need to collect eggs in two coops instead of one. If you lock the pop door at night you have two pop doors to manage, morning and evening.

That extra work would bother some people but others not at all.

 

[TXchickmum]

We originally had three small coops that opened onto one large run. Two housed large fowl, the other housed bantams. No issues. I eventually went to one large coop with a separate section specifically for the bantams. Everyone was fine in the run or on the yard, but at roost, the bantams did better with their own space. I concur with what was posted above. It is pretty much just a preference for cleaning, feeding, watering in one place v. two. Don’t think there’s issues with either.

 

[Rick589]

I have three "coops" available from the run but none are left available all of the time. One is my main coop 8 ft x 12 ft. One is just a 4 ft x 8 ft shelter used in an emergency if I need to isolate one or more chickens. It is seldom used. Another is a 4x8 grow-out coop, used to integrate brooder raised chicks, isolate problem chickens, or as a broody buster as it has a wire floor. It has a run with it that can be shut off from the main run. Having this flexibility makes managing them so much easier.

The only downside I can see to having two coops open all of the time is that you will need to clean and manage two coops instead of one. If you feed and/or water in your coops you have more feeding and watering to manage. If they lay in two coops you may need to collect eggs in two coops instead of one. If you lock the pop door at night you have two pop doors to manage, morning and evening.

That extra work would bother some people but others not at all.

Actually not concerned about the extra work, it gives me an excuse to be out with them more. We see our flock as pets with benefits so we like to interact with them. Regarding the pop door, we have an automatic door on the main coop which I end of closing manually in the evening (I’m anal about getting a final head count at the end of the day), however having to let them out every morning isn’t something I want them to depend on me for so another automatic will be need to be installed to replace the door we moved from the original coop to the new one. Thank You for your reply.

 

[amarsano]

Ive ended up with, essentially, 5 coops over time, all open into the same area. Its fantastic. The birds choose where they want to sleep and the lower pecking order girls get to feel safe at night.

 

[Rick589]

Ive ended up with, essentially, 5 coops over time, all open into the same area. Its fantastic. The birds choose where they want to sleep and the lower pecking order girls get to feel safe at night.

Curious, Do you have multiple roosters? If so how do the multiple coops help with hen/rooster interactions?