Hiya!
So we have what I feel is a bit of an odd coop situation and I am trying like the dickens to 'solve' it-find a working solution. Sigh.
Ok, so we started out a year ago building an A-frame coop on a concrete pad. The pad/base size of the coop is 4 feet wide, 8 feet long and 8 feet tall at the peak. Inside are multiple roosts staggered so no one poops on anyone else, for the most part, LoL, and nesting boxes. It has served our girls very well. We have 7 hens that currently sleep here. (It was originally 3.) Meanwhile we also have 2 silkie hens and 1 silkie roo. They free ranged with the big girls during the day but at night 2 of the girls lower in the pecking order were excessively aggressive with them, so we got the 3 of them their own little coop for nights. THEN, LoL, we ended up with 2 more hens that while they are full fledged members of the 'daytime' flock, they are chicken-non-grata with the 'night time' flock. Meaning they are VERY not welcome to roost with the big girls at night-despite being big girls themselves. Ugh. So we had another little coop for isolation or whatever, so it became their night time coop. I have 3 coops. They are all together so it is like alittle chicken village! During the day they have a HUGE huge area in which to free range, and when weather is bad they hang out up by the house either under the overhang from the house or in one of the 'shelters' we erected to give them a respite from rain and wind. So they only lay in the coops and sleep in the coops. As to be expected.
My two silkie hens are currently in their little coop with a large run as they now have 9 babies. The silkie roo has been very successfully integrated into sleeping with the 2 hens in their coop-their idea, too! The babies are not yet old enough to join the flock, and as it was the dead of winter we had to bring the Momma hens in to hatch etc. SO we have to reintegrate them now. They are all doing well thru the fence and I look forward to being able to have them all free range together in the future.
Meanwhile I am looking for a coop solution. I have 'shopped' online, and I am still looking at all the amazing photos and plans of coops on here! I really could use some advice/imagination on setting up something that would be big enough for 21 chickens, but not be some massive fixture in the yard, but also, inside, I was thinking of separating the inside into 2 areas with some hardware cloth. The silkie posse on one side and the big girls on the other. I have yet to decide which side the little roo and 2 hens will be on-that will depend on how successful integration goes with the babies!
Ideally I dream of 1 fully integrated flock in 1 coop. Perhaps I am dreaming. But I do know that I could get away with 2 coops instead of 3.
There inlies the problem. How big? Do I build/buy two or make 1 larger with a divider? If I make one my brain is getting very upset at me as I cannot decide on a 'floor plan'. (If you ever saw the program Monk, well, I have issues when I have too many options, too! LoL) How much space do silkies require vs big girls? I have read 4 sq ft per regular size chicken-but is that living space or sleeping space, or is it the same? I cannot seem to retain that bit of info. I have told my husband what I want and he is sketching ideas-some brilliant ones, too, but I keep second guessing what I have going on and what I am trying to do and keep thinking I am not doing this right. Am I totally delusional to believe my silkie posse and the 2 hens might someday be able to join the big girls at night? Should I build toward that goal? See, I read and read and read, and despite my girls, and boy, all thriving and being healthy and happy I just don't have the confidence that I am doing the right thing coop-wise. Sigh.
What would y'all do? I am sitting here staring out at them all happily scratching and investigating whatever it is our roo just found for them and am just baffled. How we got to this point of 3 coops is a long and complicated story that is rather superfluous at this juncture because we still have 3 coops regardless of how we got here. Oh I would so welcome your ideas and love to hear what you would do. If I am doing something that I should do differently, I welcome hearing that! Constructive criticism is gladly accepted!
Thank you for taking the time to read my long post and for any help/advice you may offer!
So we have what I feel is a bit of an odd coop situation and I am trying like the dickens to 'solve' it-find a working solution. Sigh.
Ok, so we started out a year ago building an A-frame coop on a concrete pad. The pad/base size of the coop is 4 feet wide, 8 feet long and 8 feet tall at the peak. Inside are multiple roosts staggered so no one poops on anyone else, for the most part, LoL, and nesting boxes. It has served our girls very well. We have 7 hens that currently sleep here. (It was originally 3.) Meanwhile we also have 2 silkie hens and 1 silkie roo. They free ranged with the big girls during the day but at night 2 of the girls lower in the pecking order were excessively aggressive with them, so we got the 3 of them their own little coop for nights. THEN, LoL, we ended up with 2 more hens that while they are full fledged members of the 'daytime' flock, they are chicken-non-grata with the 'night time' flock. Meaning they are VERY not welcome to roost with the big girls at night-despite being big girls themselves. Ugh. So we had another little coop for isolation or whatever, so it became their night time coop. I have 3 coops. They are all together so it is like alittle chicken village! During the day they have a HUGE huge area in which to free range, and when weather is bad they hang out up by the house either under the overhang from the house or in one of the 'shelters' we erected to give them a respite from rain and wind. So they only lay in the coops and sleep in the coops. As to be expected.
My two silkie hens are currently in their little coop with a large run as they now have 9 babies. The silkie roo has been very successfully integrated into sleeping with the 2 hens in their coop-their idea, too! The babies are not yet old enough to join the flock, and as it was the dead of winter we had to bring the Momma hens in to hatch etc. SO we have to reintegrate them now. They are all doing well thru the fence and I look forward to being able to have them all free range together in the future.
Meanwhile I am looking for a coop solution. I have 'shopped' online, and I am still looking at all the amazing photos and plans of coops on here! I really could use some advice/imagination on setting up something that would be big enough for 21 chickens, but not be some massive fixture in the yard, but also, inside, I was thinking of separating the inside into 2 areas with some hardware cloth. The silkie posse on one side and the big girls on the other. I have yet to decide which side the little roo and 2 hens will be on-that will depend on how successful integration goes with the babies!

There inlies the problem. How big? Do I build/buy two or make 1 larger with a divider? If I make one my brain is getting very upset at me as I cannot decide on a 'floor plan'. (If you ever saw the program Monk, well, I have issues when I have too many options, too! LoL) How much space do silkies require vs big girls? I have read 4 sq ft per regular size chicken-but is that living space or sleeping space, or is it the same? I cannot seem to retain that bit of info. I have told my husband what I want and he is sketching ideas-some brilliant ones, too, but I keep second guessing what I have going on and what I am trying to do and keep thinking I am not doing this right. Am I totally delusional to believe my silkie posse and the 2 hens might someday be able to join the big girls at night? Should I build toward that goal? See, I read and read and read, and despite my girls, and boy, all thriving and being healthy and happy I just don't have the confidence that I am doing the right thing coop-wise. Sigh.
What would y'all do? I am sitting here staring out at them all happily scratching and investigating whatever it is our roo just found for them and am just baffled. How we got to this point of 3 coops is a long and complicated story that is rather superfluous at this juncture because we still have 3 coops regardless of how we got here. Oh I would so welcome your ideas and love to hear what you would do. If I am doing something that I should do differently, I welcome hearing that! Constructive criticism is gladly accepted!

Thank you for taking the time to read my long post and for any help/advice you may offer!