New chicks, new coop, old flock!

[andrinaden]

Hey peeps (pun intended),

We have 4 one-year-old hens, one pain the butt rooster, and 6 new three week old babies! I'm posting pics of our newly assembled coop as well as the old. Our goal would be to get them all in together now that we have the room. (Holds up to 14 in the new one). Should we get the existing flock situated first, then in three weeks add the others? Or....wait until the new ones are ready and add them all in together with the chicks in a smaller cage inside for a while beforehand to get acquainted? ( Will do this step either way). Another question we have is do we really have to lock them in for a few days so they know the new coop is "home:. Or....can we just put food in, and every night lure them in until it becomes routine? They free range in the backyard during the day.

 

[4 ever Orpington]

Hey peeps (pun intended),

We have 4 one-year-old hens, one pain the butt rooster, and 6 new three week old babies! I'm posting pics of our newly assembled coop as well as the old. Our goal would be to get them all in together now that we have the room. (Holds up to 14 in the new one). Should we get the existing flock situated first, then in three weeks add the others? Or....wait until the new ones are ready and add them all in together with the chicks in a smaller cage inside for a while beforehand to get acquainted? ( Will do this step either way). Another question we have is do we really have to lock them in for a few days so they know the new coop is "home:. Or....can we just put food in, and every night lure them in until it becomes routine? They free range in the backyard during the day.

 

[Jenna1414chickens]

If you are adding new chickens with the older ones than I would wait until the new ones are ready to go outside and then add them all in the new coop at the same time. You may still have problems with pecking order since you are adding new chickens with the older ones, but if they all move to a new coop at the same time they may be "nicer" to each other than they would normally since they are all getting a new place to explore and live at. Also from the pictures I am not sure if that coop can hold 14 chickens but maybe not. It just looks a little small from the pictures. What are the dimensions?

 

[blackdog043]

The new one is not big enough for 14, not even for just laying and roosting. How big is the coop part 4' x 4' , 4 x 5?