Should I force division of flock to roost?

[Chickassan]

Question, are the nesting boxes removeable on you coop? If so that would make joining the two much easier.

 

[Perris]

Oldhenslikesdogs: Size is relevant for this discussion but let's not get derailed by red herrings. The coop's capacity is based on the space per bird recommended by the poultry club of GB, not the manufacturer or any other commercial entity: "The Poultry Club, founded 1877, is a registered charity existing to safeguard the interests of all pure and traditional breeds of poultry" who say "Floor area should be a minimum of 1 square foot per bird (large fowl)". Also, remember my birds are only in the coop when it is dark and they can see next to nothing, so do not do much of anything in there; they free range dawn to dusk.
Jolenesdad: I like to move the coop to fresh ground to prevent a build up of pests and diseases. There are plenty of places the coop can go in the garden and they quickly adjust to the new place
That's a great idea Chickassan; if I can work out how to get nesting boxes in the combined structure I might go with that.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Size is relevant because chickens are territorial. Too many birds in one area will cause the flock to attempt to drive out or kill the weakest members. Also just plain comfort on the birds must be considered. Not trying to be a pain, but it may get worse as your chicks get older. I will stay out of it from this point on.

Getting the coops together, and perhaps moving them to a new area at the same time may be a good idea.

 

[centrarchid]

1 square foot per bird (large fowl) is too tight. Are you certain you have that correct? Each comes close to occupying that much area just standing in place.

 

[Perris]

here's the link if you want to check
http://www.poultryclub.org/poultry/housing-equipment-and-feed/
The assumption is that standing/perching is all they do in a coop - when Brits say coop they mean the box-like structure in which birds sleep, and nothing else. In general we refer to any other structure in which birds may be confined as the run, covered or otherwise.

 

[MissChick@dee]

The prefab or manufactured chicken coops grossly overstate how many birds can....fit. Cut the recommended amount in Half. Then use smaller breeds. Mine too is a “sleeping box”. People tried to tell me. Wish I would of listened.

 

[centrarchid]

here's the link if you want to check
http://www.poultryclub.org/poultry/housing-equipment-and-feed/
The assumption is that standing/perching is all they do in a coop - when Brits say coop they mean the box-like structure in which birds sleep, and nothing else. In general we refer to any other structure in which birds may be confined as the run, covered or otherwise.

I checked. Terminology not different enough to cause confusion. Recommendation seems to be similar for caged hens used by commercial egg producers in the US. Too tight unless only a couple birds involved. Scaling up to more than that and birds will have to climb over each other to get around in the "coop". Birds need a little space even when roosting among friends to groom, stretch and move about. Staying too close too long sets up for all sorts of health issues even before invoking aggression. I assume birds only roost in such and if they have a choice, they are likely to choose elsewhere.

 

[aart]

1 square foot per bird (large fowl) is too tight. Are you certain you have that correct? Each comes close to occupying that much area just standing in place.

Exactly!
"Floor area should be a minimum of 1 square foot per bird (large fowl)"
http://www.poultryclub.org/poultry/housing-equipment-and-feed/
That's nuts!

 

[rosemarythyme]

My county's zoning ordinance also only requires 1 sq ft per chicken in housing... because it's covering commercial operations as well as residential. Doesn't mean that that's what one should aim for in a backyard setting.

 

[Mrs. K]

Well ^^ you are all right, but if you look back at the original post, that is what she is trying to fix. She has two coops, and would like half in one coop and half in the other coop. The question is how to get them there.

OP - we might just be making too much of this. Try this for a week, each night, go down and pull half the birds out of one coop and place in the other coop, lock up both coops and let them out in the morning. I don't think it will matter which birds you pull, and I don't think you will need to pull the exact same birds each night to each coop. You really just need to get a couple of them to recognize that the other coops is a safe option.

I think that just maybe by night 3-4 at least some of them will be in the 'new' coop. It may never go 50/50 like people tend to want, but I think if you get 3-4 to take on the new coop, your problems will be solved.... for a while.

Mrs K