Right now I have two coops. They(coops and runs) are right next to each other only about 4ft apart. I got them within a few weeks of each other. I would like to have my mixed flock,( banty mixes, EE, RIR...) in the coop that my leghorns and sexlinks are currently in. I was going to switch them tonight once they roost. But I have a few questions. I am going to clean out all shaving and put fresh tonight but there will probably be a few poops in each coop before I get a chance to switch them. Is that a big deal? I have one hen that has 6 babies under her, they are 3 1/2 weeks old. Currently they still fit through the run wire and have gone into the other run. Will moving them A) Upset the momma(she is going with them though) B) Be a danger to the chicks because the other hens have pooped in the run/coop even though they have been in the run? Can i get away with just cleaning out the shavings since the coops are so close and the birds have had contact with each other? Or do I need do a complete scrub down? Sorry for all the questions I could just be overthinking it but i want to make sure. They have all freeranged on the same pasture just on different days..... so wouldnt , with everything else, mean it should be okay?
They will be fine, especially since they are only 4' apart and the chicks have been visiting the other run. Unless you have been washing your hands, changing your clothes/shoes, and sanitizing any tools between the two coops/runs, you have carried any organisms or anything else back and fourth between the coops/runs anyway. Good Luck!
thanx thats what i was thinking too but i always overworry I went ahead and moved them tonight after dark. I figured I was moving them all around anyway it would be a perfect time to dust them all with some DE. HA HA HA when I was finished I looked like a ghost. None of the girls really complained. They were not to happy about being taken off thier roosts but calmed down fairly quick. Two of the leghorns screamed bloody murder the entire time I was carrying them. I would catch two from one coop dust them and put them in the other coop then catch two from that coop and dust them and put them in the opposite coop. So all in all I moved 10 from one coop and 13 adults plus 6 babies from the other coop. I feel this setup will work better for me as all my leghorns were laying in the same box and the eggs were getting cracked. The coop I moved them to has more nests and they are more "private" The hens that were in that coop are almost all molting or broody so I am not getting hardly any eggs so they will be finding new homes and I will just keep the mamma with the babies to replace them. It took me about 30-45 min to do the switch.