How to move flock to an entirely new coop?

To me the precise procedure will depend some on what the new coop and run look like and if the old coop shares the same run. But those are mostly just details.

My general procedure for older ones is to move them from the old to the new after dark. They are easier to catch after dark. They may freak out some but it's probably less than doing it during the day. They will get over it. They will not suffer any long term psychological damage either way. They will be OK, sounds like it will bother you more than it will them.

My grow-out coop shares a run with the main coop. When they wake up the nest morning I open the pop door and leave them on their own. I close the old coop so they cannot go back in there. Sometimes they put themselves to bed in the new coop the next night, sometimes they try to go back to the old coop. If they do I wait until after dark and they are easy to catch and lock them in the new coop overnight. It usually doesn't take them long to make the switch themselves.

When I move the chicks from my brooder to my grow-out coop I do that during the day. They are easy to catch in the brooder. I often leave them locked in the grow-out coop only for a week before I let them out into a section of run that is isolated from my main run. When I let them into that run section they often want to sleep in the run instead of putting themselves to bed in my grow-out coop. So I go out after dark when they are easy to catch and lock them in the coop section overnight. They may get that message pretty quickly or it may take a while before they put themselves to bed on their own. But if you are consistent. they will.

I'm different to you in that I have mature chickens in the main coop and run. That affects some of my details. But the general procedure is the same. Move them when it is most convenient to you and consistently put them to bed where you want them to sleep.
 
My coops have attached runs, so I just lock them in the coop/run for a week or so. Make sure the old coop and run are not accessible if you let them out to free range. Chickens roost naturally, so they’ll figure that out on their own.
 
Last time I moved the chickens into a new coop, it was a new coop in the same run (new on left, old on right).

coopold.jpg


Old coop was removed, chickens were locked in new coop for 48 hours. After their first day out, two of them tried to return to the old coop location and just sat on the ground, so we picked them up, stuffed them into the coop, and they adapted to the new digs fully after that.
 
Last time I moved the chickens into a new coop, it was a new coop in the same run (new on left, old on right).

View attachment 2292098

Old coop was removed, chickens were locked in new coop for 48 hours. After their first day out, two of them tried to return to the old coop location and just sat on the ground, so we picked them up, stuffed them into the coop, and they adapted to the new digs fully after that.
Ok, thank you! This would be a bit of a chaotic move for them- we'd have to move the current coop/run (It's movable so not a huge problem) Then we'd have to build the new one, then move them in. I"m very anxious to get going on that as the new one would have loaaaaaaads more space, in the coop and the run.
 

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