moving hen to new coop advice

[lv9777]

I have three hens and two coops. My top hen has been alone in her coop after the loss of her sibling. I added two adult Cochins (full size ) and have integrated them during the day but not at night. It is time to move my alpha hen to the new coop, but she is not going to like it. I have let her explore it during the day. Do I just pick a day and put her in at night. I am a little nervous about how she will treat the other two in a smaller space. The indoor area in the new coop is small 4 x 8. There is a lot of vertical space, but the Cochins do not fly at all. They won't even roost on the perch that is 6 inchesIs of the floor. My alpha hen is a BR and will eventually love the high roosting options. Is there anything I can do to make this initial adjustment easier?

 

[azygous]

You're needlessly concerned. Coop arrangements are much easier than day time in the run. If all of the chickens have adjusted to one another during the day, night time in the coop should be anticlimactic.

Two ways you can handle it. First thing, though, is to close up the old coop. Then you can either put the hen into the new coop at roosting time, expecting she will run back to the old coop, but trust she will end up in the new one.

Or, what I would do, put her into the new coop a couple hours before sunset and let her explore the coop at her leisure without being bothered by the Cochins. This usually works out well, and when you let the Cochins in at dusk, they probably won't hassle the hen, being more focused on settling in for the night.

I have two coops, one for all the adult hens, the other divided between this years chicks and two adult roosters. When the chicks reach adulthood, I move them into the main coop, and the adjustment is usually very smooth and brief. The key is to close up the second coop so the hen will have to sleep in the new one.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I was anxious about moving my boss Sussex and her enforcer into a bigger coop with 10 other hens. I did a few days in the yard and then popped them into the new coop at night and they did just fine. It doesn't sound like there will be a squabble for the roost and that's usually all I watch for. Once they settle down IF that happens I leave them be.

 

[lv9777]

Thank you!! I feel much better about it and will just get it done. Appreciate the reassurance.