mixing flocks

[hesterken]

I have three separate coops and runs at present. each has about 8 hens and 1 or two roos. two groups are laying age and the 3rd group is only about 3 months old. We're getting ready to move and our new home has 5 acres all fenced in so I want to free roam all of my chickens together. I'm pretty sure they'll have enough room during the day but I'm worried about how to get them all to go in one coop at night. I can't take any of my present coops with me and only have one coop at the new place. The new coop is 10x20 so I'm pretty sure it's big enough for 40 birds but it doesn't have a run and I would prefer to free roam everyone. There's also a 4 stall horse barn which will have one stall open so I guess I could make that stall a coop but would rather try to get all the girls and boys to live together in one coop. full grown birds = A. 1 cuckoo roo, 2 cuckoo hens, 3 RIR hens, 4 Americana hens, B. 5 Phoenix hens 1 Phonenix/old english roo 3 americana hens C. 14 sex links pullets 2 sex link roos (group C are all 12 weeks old) do I just take them over and let them all roam together on the 5 acres and hope they go in the one coop at night or do I need to do some kind of training to get them to go in the coop ? I guess I could down size but I really like all of them and would have a really hard time getting rid of any of them.

Ken

 

[The Zoo]

Don't they say that to get your chickens used to a coop (as their new home) that you lock them in it for a couple of days? After that they know it's 'home'.
Worked when I moved my 14 week old chicks from the baby coop to the big girl coop. 3 nights of me putting them in there and they started going in on their own.

 

[hesterken]

I usually do keep them in for at least a week when I put them in a new coop but with them all being from different flocks and the age difference I was worried there would be too much fighting to keep them cooped up that long