Flock layout

[GreenValleyHomeStead]

I currently have 12 hens for 2 roosters. The one rooster is going on 1 in may.
Chick days got me good this year, but it always does, so no surprise . I am working on a layout idea though. I need some help, and chicken people to run my ideas by!

I want to order a chicken coop from Tractor Supply, it houses about 14 chickens.

I ordered 5 Speckled Sussex and 5 Welsummers, and I want to take the younger rooster and will put him in with them, when the time is right.

I would like to put the new coop, right next to the other coop. My issue is that I do free range. The chicken coop that I’m buying has an attached run, but I don’t like that it’s smaller and I want my Chickens to forage.

I do keep them in the coop for awhile before letting them go free outside. My plan is to keep them in the brooder until the middle of May (that’s about 3 weeks) and then put them in the new one, and keep them in their until about 12 weeks.

questions thoughts? What’s your ideas?

should I introduce the rooster while in the coop or introduce all of them at the same time? Ultimately I want them to be a large family, but have two separate coops, until someday I can buy a massive chicken coop . Attached a picture of the coop I am buying, and the current coop with my kiddo driving his Chevy pickup

I somehow need to figure out how to attach it to the other chicken coop/run

 

[VeryHappyHens]

I currently have 12 hens for 2 roosters. The one rooster is going on 1 in may.
Chick days got me good this year, but it always does, so no surprise . I am working on a layout idea though. I need some help, and chicken people to run my ideas by!

I want to order a chicken coop from Tractor Supply, it houses about 14 chickens.

I ordered 5 Speckled Sussex and 5 Welsummers, and I want to take the younger rooster and will put him in with them, when the time is right.

I would like to put the new coop, right next to the other coop. My issue is that I do free range. The chicken coop that I’m buying has an attached run, but I don’t like that it’s smaller and I want my Chickens to forage.

I do keep them in the coop for awhile before letting them go free outside. My plan is to keep them in the brooder until the middle of May (that’s about 3 weeks) and then put them in the new one, and keep them in their until about 12 weeks.

questions thoughts? What’s your ideas?

should I introduce the rooster while in the coop or introduce all of them at the same time? Ultimately I want them to be a large family, but have two separate coops, until someday I can buy a massive chicken coop . Attached a picture of the coop I am buying, and the current coop with my kiddo driving his Chevy pickup

I somehow need to figure out how to attach it to the other chicken coop/run

Thats exciting!! I have no idea how to attach maybe someone else might help.

 

[GreenValleyHomeStead]

Thats exciting!! I have no idea how to attach maybe someone else might help.

I keep going back and forth with what I want to do. The old coop was there when we bought the place and we almost need to replace that one too. I don’t want something to nice, because chickens poop on everything .

I was thinking about buying a wood shed from Home Depot and then updating it to a coop, and then put all of them in together??

I seriously can’t make up my mind!

I currently have 9 silver laced Wyandotte’s
1 white orpington (I think, white hen, brown egg)
2 Easter eggers
2 Roos (one is a backyard barn mix that I have had for 2 years, the other was with the white orpington chicks when I bought them last may).
I might look into incubating some eggs, but am okay with a barn yard mix of chicks.

I just need some ideas on what I should do! I am good at “helping” build stuff, but can’t really do it on my own!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I was thinking about buying a wood shed from Home Depot and then updating it to a coop, and then put all of them in together??

I'd go this route, unless you want to keep two separate flocks. If you want them to be completely separated, then 2 coops would be fine, but if they're allowed to mingle there's a good chance they'll all try to fit into one coop, regardless if they actually fit.

 

[3KillerBs]

I want to order a chicken coop from Tractor Supply, it houses about 14 chickens.

Just a note,

There is no way that any prefab coop is actually suited to house 14 chickens. It would have to be 8'x8' in order to provide the 56 square feet needed at the recommended 4 square feet per chicken.

The specific coop in your photo is so small that it's measured in inches not feet.

Since you currently have 12 chickens and ordered 10 more you're going to need a coop with 88 square feet, minimum -- 8'x12' -- and you have to be prepared for the likelihood that your roosters will fight and need to be separated.

 

[aart]

Great advice in the 2 posts above.

Welcome to BYC! @GreenValleyHomeStead
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!

 

[GreenValleyHomeStead]

Just a note,

There is no way that any prefab coop is actually suited to house 14 chickens. It would have to be 8'x8' in order to provide the 56 square feet needed at the recommended 4 square feet per chicken.

The specific coop in your photo is so small that it's measured in inches not feet.

Since you currently have 12 chickens and ordered 10 more you're going to need a coop with 88 square feet, minimum -- 8'x12' -- and you have to be prepared for the likelihood that your roosters will fight and need to be separated.

We currently have a coop that holds 14 chickens. The other coop would hold the 10. The run size doesn’t matter much, as we can always add on.
I just need a separate coop for the “nursery coop” and then a coop to house half of them or all of them. As we already have the one.

my chickens are free ranged, so the run size doesn’t really matter to much, not much issues with predators. Doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but they are happy to forage.

 

[GreenValleyHomeStead]

I'd go this route, unless you want to keep two separate flocks. If you want them to be completely separated, then 2 coops would be fine, but if they're allowed to mingle there's a good chance they'll all try to fit into one coop, regardless if they actually fit.

This was my first plan, but then I have to enclose a run, which would be fine.

 

[aart]

We currently have a coop that holds 14 chickens.

How big is that in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help immensely here.

I just need a separate coop for the “nursery coop”

..or you could make a 'nursery' right in the big coop and integrate early.
A bit more work before hand, but much easier way to integrate new chicks.
Here's 3 set ups for
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/

 

[GreenValleyHomeStead]

Great advice in the 2 posts above.

Welcome to BYC! @GreenValleyHomeStead
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!
View attachment 2566282

I live in the Midwest, cold winters.
i just need to figure out what I want to do, if I want to add an additional coop, or just one big coop. But then I need a coop for in between leaving the brooder and being introduced to the flock.