Introducing new chickens - Where do they sleep?

[aart]

I have a coop big enough for 8-10 chickens.

According to whom?
How big is it in feet by feet?
Pics would help for us to give advice.

 

[BDutch]

I have a coop big enough for 8-10 chickens.

Is this what you counted from the requirements experienced chicken keepers gave on BYC or what the manufacturer/reseller told you?
If you give sizes of the coop in sqft and available roost space in ft. It gives more info for us to work with.

The outside run 30x30 ft is large enough for 8 chickens. Hope its covered somehow to keep the flock safe during the day.

Some pictures and your location in your profile would help too.

My original chickens are 13 mos old. I will be purchasing 5 mos old chickens.

This is a good age to add younger chickens to your flock with older pullets.

I had trouble with chicks who were not allowed to roost in the coop near the existing flock. Not once but several times the hens expelled youngsters who wanted to roost. I don’t have a large coop. The roost area I have has room for 8 bantams. But only 4 sleep in there.

This summer I bought a children’s playhouse and adjusted it. Costed only € 120 and a little work. The newcomers and their foster mother (ex-broody) roost in there and there was no fighting this time. Jo

If you could add something like that in the run, the new chickens have a choice where to sleep. An extra (small) coop can come in handy later on as well.

 

[Lrnadoon]

Is this what you counted from the requirements experienced chicken keepers gave on BYC or what the manufacturer/reseller told you?
If you give sizes of the coop in sqft and available roost space in ft. It gives more info for us to work with.

The outside run 30x30 ft is large enough for 8 chickens. Hope its covered somehow to keep the flock safe during the day.

Some pictures and your location in your profile would help too.


This is a good age to add younger chickens to your flock with older pullets.

I had trouble with chicks who were not allowed to roost in the coop near the existing flock. Not once but several times the hens expelled youngsters who wanted to roost. I don’t have a large coop. The roost area I have has room for 8 bantams. But only 4 sleep in there.

This summer I bought a children’s playhouse and adjusted it. Costed only € 120 and a little work. The newcomers and their foster mother (ex-broody) roost in there and there was no fighting this time. Jo

If you could add something like that in the run, the new chickens have a choice where to sleep. An extra (small) coop can come in handy later on as well.

Excellent. I have been looking for a small used coop to put in the run. Our long term plan is to make one of our runs into the actual coop. I have 2 runs with a door between them. So hopefully the following year I can get even more chickens and then turn that 16x8 run into a coop. Very spoiled chickens. They mostly free range but I like having the option to keep them locked up in their runs if needed.

 

[Lrnadoon]

Is this what you counted from the requirements experienced chicken keepers gave on BYC or what the manufacturer/reseller told you?
If you give sizes of the coop in sqft and available roost space in ft. It gives more info for us to work with.

The outside run 30x30 ft is large enough for 8 chickens. Hope its covered somehow to keep the flock safe during the day.

Some pictures and your location in your profile would help too.


This is a good age to add younger chickens to your flock with older pullets.

I had trouble with chicks who were not allowed to roost in the coop near the existing flock. Not once but several times the hens expelled youngsters who wanted to roost. I don’t have a large coop. The roost area I have has room for 8 bantams. But only 4 sleep in there.

This summer I bought a children’s playhouse and adjusted it. Costed only € 120 and a little work. The newcomers and their foster mother (ex-broody) roost in there and there was no fighting this time. Jo

If you could add something like that in the run, the new chickens have a choice where to sleep. An extra (small) coop can come in handy later on as well.

The chickens have a 5x5 coop for just sleeping and laying and then the 2 runs that are attached to each other that is 30x30. They also free range most days. One of the runs is covered. It is 16x8 so they have plenty of space when the weather is bad.

 

[BDutch]

. I have been looking for a small used coop to put in the run

Better not buy a second hand coop if you don’t want to risk bringing in mites (or other parasites) into your flock. Or it must have been empty for over a year.

A second hand playhouse, dog house or rabbit hutch with a few weeks rest is okay.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have been looking for a small used coop to put in the run.

At 5 months they do not need a coop, which implies nests. They need a predator-proof place to sleep. Having a second coop with a nest is not a bad idea, it can come in very handy if you ever need to separate a hen later, but for right now it is not necessary if that makes it easier. I have a separate 4' x 8' shelter without a nest that I use for juveniles or older cockerels but no place for a pullet or hen to lay. I also have a separate 4' x 8' shelter that I can put a nest in that I use for broody hens or a hen that is laying but needs to be separated.

I appreciate you telling us the size of that coop. A lot of people on this forum can't or won't answer questions. That 5'x5' coop may be big enough for eight once they all reach laying age. Some people on here that believe in magic numbers will tell you there is no way, but some people do manage like that. In some ways it depends on which magic numbers you believe. You may get lucky or not.

But it takes more room for integration that once they are all of an age and integrated. Until my pullets start laying they avoid the adults. If they invade the adults' private space they are likely to get pecked or worse. Of course there can be exceptions, there are always exceptions to behaviors. But for mine it doesn't take long for the chicks to learn to keep their distance. I have over 2,000 square feet available outside. During the day the chicks can keep their distance fairly easily. You have a lot of room outside. I suggest setting up multiple widely spaced food and water stations so the chicks can eat without having to challenge the adults.

My coop is 8' x 12'. My chicks can find a place to sleep that does not impede on the adults' personal space while sleeping or, more importantly, getting ready to sleep. In a 5x5 coop that would be really hard. I consider having a separate place for them to sleep as a great idea. The way I'd try would be to set up that extra coop and a small run inside one of your runs. House the chicks in there until they know to sleep in that coop instead of in their run. You may have to train them. After at least a week of the adults and chicks seeing each other across the run fencing let them mingle during the day. Give them as much room as reasonable. Occasionally you may get a hen that is a brute toward them and goes out of her way to attack them but with that much space they should very soon set up two different flocks. At this stage, as long as no one is getting hurt I am extremely happy. Let them roam as they will during the day and sleep separately at night.

When they reach laying age they will probably take lessons from the hens and use those nests but even if they are sleeping in the same coop that is not always a guarantee.

Once they start laying it is possible the pullets will move into the main coop on their own or you may need to move them yourself. That may work out fine, it does for mine, but your coop is pretty small. I don't know how that will work out for you but this is how I'd try in your circumstances.

Good luck!

 

[BDutch]

At 5 months they do not need a coop, which implies nests. They need a predator-proof place to sleep. Having a second coop with a nest is not a bad idea, it can come in very handy if you ever need to separate a hen later, but for right now it is not necessary if that makes it easier. I have a separate 4' x 8' shelter without a nest that I use for juveniles or older cockerels but no place for a pullet or hen to lay. I also have a separate 4' x 8' shelter that I can put a nest in that I use for broody hens or a hen that is laying but needs to be separated.

I appreciate you telling us the size of that coop. A lot of people on this forum can't or won't answer questions. That 5'x5' coop may be big enough for eight once they all reach laying age. Some people on here that believe in magic numbers will tell you there is no way, but some people do manage like that. In some ways it depends on which magic numbers you believe. You may get lucky or not.

But it takes more room for integration that once they are all of an age and integrated. Until my pullets start laying they avoid the adults. If they invade the adults' private space they are likely to get pecked or worse. Of course there can be exceptions, there are always exceptions to behaviors. But for mine it doesn't take long for the chicks to learn to keep their distance. I have over 2,000 square feet available outside. During the day the chicks can keep their distance fairly easily. You have a lot of room outside. I suggest setting up multiple widely spaced food and water stations so the chicks can eat without having to challenge the adults.

My coop is 8' x 12'. My chicks can find a place to sleep that does not impede on the adults' personal space while sleeping or, more importantly, getting ready to sleep. In a 5x5 coop that would be really hard. I consider having a separate place for them to sleep as a great idea. The way I'd try would be to set up that extra coop and a small run inside one of your runs. House the chicks in there until they know to sleep in that coop instead of in their run. You may have to train them. After at least a week of the adults and chicks seeing each other across the run fencing let them mingle during the day. Give them as much room as reasonable. Occasionally you may get a hen that is a brute toward them and goes out of her way to attack them but with that much space they should very soon set up two different flocks. At this stage, as long as no one is getting hurt I am extremely happy. Let them roam as they will during the day and sleep separately at night.

When they reach laying age they will probably take lessons from the hens and use those nests but even if they are sleeping in the same coop that is not always a guarantee.

Once they start laying it is possible the pullets will move into the main coop on their own or you may need to move them yourself. That may work out fine, it does for mine, but your coop is pretty small. I don't know how that will work out for you but this is how I'd try in your circumstances.

Good luck!

^^
Great advices Ridgerunner. With a few adjustments you can post this as an article with a few photo’s to accompany it. And a nice title of course. Maybe something like : Requirements Adding juveniles to your existing flock.

Btw: This is the childrens playhouse I use(d) as juvenile coop. It has no laying nests.

 

[Lrnadoon]

At 5 months they do not need a coop, which implies nests. They need a predator-proof place to sleep. Having a second coop with a nest is not a bad idea, it can come in very handy if you ever need to separate a hen later, but for right now it is not necessary if that makes it easier. I have a separate 4' x 8' shelter without a nest that I use for juveniles or older cockerels but no place for a pullet or hen to lay. I also have a separate 4' x 8' shelter that I can put a nest in that I use for broody hens or a hen that is laying but needs to be separated.

I appreciate you telling us the size of that coop. A lot of people on this forum can't or won't answer questions. That 5'x5' coop may be big enough for eight once they all reach laying age. Some people on here that believe in magic numbers will tell you there is no way, but some people do manage like that. In some ways it depends on which magic numbers you believe. You may get lucky or not.

But it takes more room for integration that once they are all of an age and integrated. Until my pullets start laying they avoid the adults. If they invade the adults' private space they are likely to get pecked or worse. Of course there can be exceptions, there are always exceptions to behaviors. But for mine it doesn't take long for the chicks to learn to keep their distance. I have over 2,000 square feet available outside. During the day the chicks can keep their distance fairly easily. You have a lot of room outside. I suggest setting up multiple widely spaced food and water stations so the chicks can eat without having to challenge the adults.

My coop is 8' x 12'. My chicks can find a place to sleep that does not impede on the adults' personal space while sleeping or, more importantly, getting ready to sleep. In a 5x5 coop that would be really hard. I consider having a separate place for them to sleep as a great idea. The way I'd try would be to set up that extra coop and a small run inside one of your runs. House the chicks in there until they know to sleep in that coop instead of in their run. You may have to train them. After at least a week of the adults and chicks seeing each other across the run fencing let them mingle during the day. Give them as much room as reasonable. Occasionally you may get a hen that is a brute toward them and goes out of her way to attack them but with that much space they should very soon set up two different flocks. At this stage, as long as no one is getting hurt I am extremely happy. Let them roam as they will during the day and sleep separately at night.

When they reach laying age they will probably take lessons from the hens and use those nests but even if they are sleeping in the same coop that is not always a guarantee.

Once they start laying it is possible the pullets will move into the main coop on their own or you may need to move them yourself. That may work out fine, it does for mine, but your coop is pretty small. I don't know how that will work out for you but this is how I'd try in your circumstances.

Good luck!

Thank you for all that information. I may need to turn my 8x16 run into a coop sooner than I wanted to. We will see if this coop will work for the 8 girls when I get the additional 3. I don't want to get the new hens until I have an established set up and plan. Your guidance is very helpful!

 

[Lrnadoon]

Is this what you counted from the requirements experienced chicken keepers gave on BYC or what the manufacturer/reseller told you?
If you give sizes of the coop in sqft and available roost space in ft. It gives more info for us to work with.

The outside run 30x30 ft is large enough for 8 chickens. Hope its covered somehow to keep the flock safe during the day.

Some pictures and your location in your profile would help too.


This is a good age to add younger chickens to your flock with older pullets.

I had trouble with chicks who were not allowed to roost in the coop near the existing flock. Not once but several times the hens expelled youngsters who wanted to roost. I don’t have a large coop. The roost area I have has room for 8 bantams. But only 4 sleep in there.

This summer I bought a children’s playhouse and adjusted it. Costed only € 120 and a little work. The newcomers and their foster mother (ex-broody) roost in there and there was no fighting this time. Jo

If you could add something like that in the run, the new chickens have a choice where to sleep. An extra (small) coop can come in handy later on as well.

I think i will try to find a large dog kennel for them to sleep in at night and then transfer them into the coop after a few weeks. Thanks for your help in answering my question.

 

[Lrnadoon]

^^
Great advices Ridgerunner. With a few adjustments you can post this as an article with a few photo’s to accompany it. And a nice title of course. Maybe something like : Requirements Adding juveniles to your existing flock.

Btw: This is the childrens playhouse I use(d) as juvenile coop. It has no laying nests.
View attachment 4052236
View attachment 4052242

I love the playhouse