Incorporating hens into one coop

[TheSpiceGirls]

A little background. I have a 20' by 14' predator proof run with two hen houses.

Three big hens sleep in the bigger house. And three 20 week old Andalusian's sleep in the smaller house. And the smaller house I'm thinking is too small for them. They don't like it and try to sleep outside. Which isn't the end of the world because their run is predator proof so I think they'd be okay. Unless they got all the way up to the top of the ladder or tree where a raccoon could reach through the welded wire.

But I worry about them out in the cold and rain when I have these two perfectly good houses.

So how so I redirect them to sleep in the bigger house? There is a hen in there who will likely peck at them a bit but she's more bark than bite.

I suppose I could pull her out and put her in the small house. She roosts all by herself anyway. Maybe she'd be happier in there by herself.

But how do you redirect chickens to sleep in a different location?

 

[Den in Penn]

Lock them in the larger coop for a couple of days. Closing up the smaller coop is also a possibility.
I connect the grow out tractor to the run for the rest of the flock when the chicks are old enough. If after a few weeks of inter mingling the pullets haven't moved voluntarily from the grow out tractor to the pen in the barn, I'll throw them in the barn one evening and then close and move the tractor out of sight.

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

Good advice. I feel bad locking them up if my grumpy BO decides to really peck at them. I think the first few nights I'll do this just as it's dark and put the young ones in w/ the big hens so that the big hens can't really see to peck much and give the little ones sort of used to the big coop. Then I'll shut off their old coop.

I just don't want them to all decide to go sleep in the tree.

I guess I just need to do it and figure out subtle modifications as we proceed.