Here's my set up right now: 1 EE Cockerel and 8 Barred Rock/Barred Rock cross hens. They are in an 8X4 coop with a covered, attached run that is about 30-40 square feet. The BR's and cross hens have been in this coop since spring of last year. The EE was recently acquired, and has been in that coop since December. 1 Chocolate Orpington Bantam cockerel and 1 Chocolate Orpington Bantam pullet (not laying yet). They are in a 8X12 coop. I just got this pair in December, and since the other chickens beat the crap out of both of them when I tried integrating, I put them in the bigger coop. No run is attached to this coop. All these chickens free-range from noon to dark. Inside my house in a brooder: 2 Tolbunt Polish (1 cockerel, 1 pullet) about 5 months old. Acquired in January. Also, 5 Barred Rock chicks that are 8 weeks old. Here's what I WANT to do, but have no idea HOW to do it: I want to move the EE roo and BR girls to the 8x12 coop, and the bantams to the 4x8. I wanna do a switcheroo. The reason being: I'm going to be hatching eggs for Easter, and some of them are going to be bantams, possibly some silkies, but I also am going to be hatching some large breeds as well. So the large breeds will eventually be integrated with the EE roo and hens. So they need more room. The bantams/polish/possible silkies take up LESS room, and I won't have as many of those, so they can make it in the smaller coop. So how do I do this? The bantams put themselves to bed in the bigger coop, and the EE and BR's put themselves to be in the smaller coop. How do I get them to switch...meaning, how can I get to the point where after free-ranging, the EE and BR's put themselves to bed in the BIG coop, and the bantams put themselves to bed in the smaller coop???? TYIA EDITED TO ADD: Both of these coops are one building, with a wall separating the two parts. I was also considering cutting an opening...a chicken door...in the wall so that the chickens can go from one coop to another, but I don't know if that will work, or if it will cause territory issues with the chickens, since they are 2 separate flocks (even though one flock only consists of 2 chickens). I am definitely building a covered run for the big coop, once this polar weather goes bye-bye.
I had a coop for 10 chickens. 4 x 8. I added 6 more to the flock in a separate coop that was adjacent to the old coop with a fence separating the two runs. After a few weeks outside, of them getting to know each other through the fencing, I opened a passageway between the two runs. Slowly, the new bunch gravitated to the old coop. Despite there being little roosting room for the new ones, they all moved in. I added some roosting bars to allow more room. Eventually, the new chickens moved into the old coop and went back to the new coop rarely. After a couple of weeks, I closed off the new coop. They weren't using it for anything. I don't know why they moved. The old coop had a rooster and they were all pullets, so that might have done it. Anyway, good luck getting part of the flock to go into one coop and the rest into another. Chris
