# expanding the chicken coop



## Spear (May 8, 2016)

I have just set up a second henhouse for my girls but now the question is how do I get my ladies to accept the new henhouse? Should I just let them discover it by them selves or should I lock some of them up in it over night?


----------



## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Welcome and congrats on your coop expansion. You didnt mention if the new coop was fenced and penned in by itself or if it's in the same pen as the old coop. 
If the new coop is in the same pen as the old coop, birds will continue to use the old coop and integration into the new coop aint gonna happen. Unless you're planning on removing the old coop and leaving the new coop in place, it'll be easier for the birds to go into the new coop for the night especially if it looks similar to the old coop.
If the new coop is separated and has its own pen; make sure you have feeders/waterers in the new pen and you'll have to lock some of the birds up for the night inside the new coop, probably repeating this for a few more nights until they get used to it. Good luck.


----------



## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

Yeah,what Dawg said.


----------



## Spear (May 8, 2016)

Well the old coop was just too small for the 6 hens that I have so I bought a new coop that has more nest boxes and I opened the run up so that they have free range in my garden and set up the new coop in the middle of the garden across from the old coop. Now tonight before going to bed I captured 3 of the birds and locked them up int the new coop ad will do the same tomorrow night and so on until I'm sure that they accept the new coop...


----------



## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

If you get the chance, please post some pics of your birds and coops. Everyone here loves pics of chickens and coops.


----------

