Introducing New birds

[rosemarythyme]

I agree with above, you're tight on space already so your priority should be to expand coop, roost space and run a bit first. The bare minimum suggested on here is 4 sq ft in coop, 10 in run... but that is often insufficient for integration, so you need to go larger than that if possible. Otherwise yes you will continue to struggle to add new birds to the flock.

I raise my chicks in the run and integrate them early to take advantage of their tiny size, but early integration tends to eat up a lot of space due to the amount of clutter you need to provide the chicks with safe haven. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/short-on-time-recycle-a-prefab-brooder.73985/

 

[Coops Dad]

Roost space is "chicken's choice", and there's no telling. I have two roosts in our enclosed main run, each is 6' long. That run holds 16 hens and two roosters. Three hens prefer the roost on the left, 13 hens and two roosters prefer the roost on the right. 15 full sized (and fairly chubby) chickens crowded onto a 6' roost is pretty much wall-to-wall feathers.

The three that prefer the left roost will choose that roost even if there's plenty of room on the right roost, and if the non-dominant rooster roosts with them, two will leave even if it means sleeping alone on top of a barrel or the feed cabinet.