Separating breeding groups in a small space

[BuckeyeFoodie]

Ok, so my coop is set up that half is open to my mixed egg-laying flock, and the other half is predator-proofed to protect my Silkie and Ayam Cemani's - a 6x12 foot space that is mostly open floor, with a re-purposed rabbit hutch for shelter (that I plan on throwing out and replacing... some day). As we come into prime breeding season I would like to separate my AC pair from my Silkies as I don't want mixed-breed chicks. I tried to put the AC pair in a 24x24x36 crate, and they ended up destroying the two eggs my girl laid in that 36 hour period.

Should I try and isolate just the roo in the crate and let the hen run the floor with the Silkies, giving the boy some weekly "conjugal visits"? Should I try to combine two crates to give them enough space for a nesting box? Put the Silkies in the crates? Or should I try making a temporary divider to split the area in half as needed?

 

[CindyinSD]

You’re best option would be to build a separate small coop so they could each have a space. It will be useful always, for all sorts of things. You could divide the run in half with some chicken wire, giving each group an access to its share of the run. Each group will need a nesting box to help keep the eggs clean.

It takes about two weeks for the hen to lose fertility after mating, so if you’re looking for pure breeds and your hen has been exposed to a rooster you don’t want her with, you need to wait a couple weeks before starting to incubate eggs she lays while with the chosen mate.

 

[aart]

Do you only have the one cock/erel?
Can you easily tell the AC eggs from the silkie eggs?
If yes to both, no need to separate them at all.

 

[BuckeyeFoodie]

You’re best option would be to build a separate small coop so they could each have a space. It will be useful always, for all sorts of things. You could divide the run in half with some chicken wire, giving each group an access to its share of the run. Each group will need a nesting box to help keep the eggs clean.

Sadly I don't have the space to build a second coop - it's a small horse farm (6 acres with 14 horses) ,and every square inch is grazing or working space. My full coop is 12x16x8 feet tall, I'm sure I can make it work.

Do you only have the one cock/erel?
Can you easily tell the AC eggs from the silkie eggs?
If yes to both, no need to separate them at all.

I only have one AC cock, and two Silkie cock's. I have never seen the Silkie boys go for the AC hen - she's too quick, and they are too passive. I'm more concerned about keeping my AC cock away from my silkie hens until later in the season when I'm more willing to experiment with cross-breeds to pretty up my free-ranging egg flock.

 

[aart]

I only have one AC cock, and two Silkie cock's. I have never seen the Silkie boys go for the AC hen - she's too quick, and they are too passive. I'm more concerned about keeping my AC cock away from my silkie hens until later in the season when I'm more willing to experiment with cross-breeds to pretty up my free-ranging egg flock.

then you'll have to keep them separate for 3-4 weeks to ensure pure crosses.

My full coop is 12x16x8 feet tall,

Can you split the coop, and run, halves?
Pics of it all might garner some suggestions.

 

[BuckeyeFoodie]

then you'll have to keep them separate for 3-4 weeks to ensure pure crosses.

I know, lol

Can you split the coop, and run, halves?
Pics of it all might garner some suggestions.

The coop is split in half with a walkway down the middle. "Top" half is fully predator-proofed and does not open to the run, which is the area the AC and Silkies share. There is currently an old rabbit hutch in there that the birds go into at night, that I plan on replacing with a multi-level cage system this summer.

The other half of the coop is currently occupied by my Cochin breeding trio, a one-eyed RIR roo, my Phoenix girl, and a few random hens from my layer flock that wandered in before I "shut up" the coop for winter (most of my free-rangers prefer to roost in the horse barn). It has the only opening into the fenced run, and is not currently closed-off from the walkway as I am in the middle of replacing the wire for that "wall".

I was thinking of creating some sort of temporary wall in the top half to separate the flocks?

 

[aart]

I was thinking of creating some sort of temporary wall in the top half to separate the flocks?

I have one of those, took some tweaking but works pretty good.
Chicken wire tacked to two 2x2's that are attached to coop walls with a couple of screws.
Wood barrier at bottom with tiny doors for chick integration, and more mesh up top to close gap at ceiling.
You can kinda see it in a couple of the pics here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/

This might be a better pic, you can see the whole thing, piece of foam board at top to block gap:

Not sure what you mean by 'top'.....in the top part of your diagram?

 

[Ridgerunner]

You probably can split that 6x12 coop into two separate sections, not sure how that would affect the dynamics of the birds when they are split and the area each is in is reduced. You have several males in there, not sure how old they are. They are locked inside, no access to the outside, so space is limited more when you fence it off. I'm sure you can figure out all the stuff you need, nests, roosts, food, and water. The hardest part may be figuring out how to do your door to give you access. I think it is a viable solution, at least short term.

How big is that secure-ish run? I think my long term solution would involve getting rid of or relocating that hutch, fencing off a section of that run, and putting a pop door into it. I'd create a breeding trio area in your 6x12 section. Not sure how big to make it, I'd think a minimum of 4' x 6' depending on how your windows and doors are situated. That should give you enough to room to work though I always think bigger is better. To me it sounds like you are going to be doing more breeding in the future and this set-up should give you a lot of flexibility in separating breeders and maybe with integration.

That 6' wide area is not big enough so you could split it down the middle and give you two 3' x 12' coops with a section of run for each. Three feet is just not wide enough. But another possible long term solution might be to tear down the wall between your secure area and that walkway. I think that walkway is wasting a lot of your space. It's what, 3 feet wide? Put a food storage area in the top right of your photo and create two coop sections out of that walkway and what's left of your 6'x12' area. If you want you could section off some of that run for each, one, or none of those two coops. You'd have enough width inside to work with.

Short term I think dividing that 6 x 12 area will work but maybe some other things to think about long term.

 

[BuckeyeFoodie]

How big is that secure-ish run? I think my long term solution would involve getting rid of or relocating that hutch, fencing off a section of that run, and putting a pop door into it. I'd create a breeding trio area in your 6x12 section. Not sure how big to make it, I'd think a minimum of 4' x 6' depending on how your windows and doors are situated. That should give you enough to room to work though I always think bigger is better. To me it sounds like you are going to be doing more breeding in the future and this set-up should give you a lot of flexibility in separating breeders and maybe with integration.

That 6' wide area is not big enough so you could split it down the middle and give you two 3' x 12' coops with a section of run for each. Three feet is just not wide enough. But another possible long term solution might be to tear down the wall between your secure area and that walkway. I think that walkway is wasting a lot of your space. It's what, 3 feet wide? Put a food storage area in the top right of your photo and create two coop sections out of that walkway and what's left of your 6'x12' area. If you want you could section off some of that run for each, one, or none of those two coops. You'd have enough width inside to work with.

Short term I think dividing that 6 x 12 area will work but maybe some other things to think about long term.

I'm loving the ideas!

The plan is to definitely ditch the hutch. I hate that thing, and I've only kept it around because it was good storage space or a spot to keep an injured bird. It's going bye-bye as soon as it is dry enough outside to drag it away without taking half the county with it...

The secure-ish run is in sections that are currently all open - the part that is directly next to the secure coop is 16x16 (great for Silkies), the other part is about 20x50. I would like to add a pop door from the secure coop to the 16x16, but I call it a "secure-ish" run because it's secure in the sense that it keeps my horses out and my birds in, but it is not predator proof. And we have predators. I am planning to enclose the whole kit and caboodle with electric fence later in the year, just working out how to manage it given the location of things like permanent fences, gates, and trees.

Ideally I would like to make a secondary coop in the now-unused run-in stalls and paddock that are adjacent to the coop for my egg flock, and move the AC's to the "not secure" half of the coop and run. Right now I'm just looking for quick and dirty ideas for this spring!