Double Coop Breeding Pen Designs?

[hannahsocal]

Hello! I have barred rocks and leghorns and I’m trying to think of a good design for a “space-saving” double coop (aka 2 hutches that are connected) so that each side/hutch/coop can house one breed of chicken. Every design I come across is either too small or has a shared run (which wouldn’t be ideal because the breeds could mix and I wouldn’t want a BR breeding with a LH). I have a free range setup where I’d like to open each coop during different hours so each side can get their time outside free ranging separately. Has anyone ever had a similar setup or have any good ideas to maybe build something that could work? I’ve come across designs like these (see attached photos) but they are either too small (I have 7-10 hens of each breed) or share a living space. Ideally it would be great if I could make the nest boxes on the same side so I could put the coops against the side of the barn. Any ideas would be much appreciated thank you all!

 

[Tonyroo]

They look nice for bantams.

 

[hannahsocal]

They look nice for bantams.

Yeah but they are connected somehow and I don’t have bantams :/

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Why not just have a breeding pen or two and a large common coop for the flock when not breeding or for egg production?

Two coops is really just one building with a divider and a divider for the run.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/2-jpg.7948154/

Hopefully that image loads, taken from BYC. It shows the basic setup of breeding pens. The birds are in it long enough to clean out unwanted genetics then you collect eggs to hatch. Once your hatching season is over you put the birds back in your flock.

 

[hannahsocal]

Why not just have a breeding pen or two and a large common coop for the flock when not breeding or for egg production?

Two coops is really just one building with a divider and a divider for the run.

I breed year round so would have to be separate:/

 

[JacinLarkwell]

So build one coop and run, then build a second connected to it.

 

[HipMystic]

You could do more of a shed-type coop with a divider wall in the center, and then have two runs side by side against the barn. It’s not the best, but I tried to make a grid so you can kind of see what I mean.
You could have one coop (blue) with a divider wall in the center, attached to a run (green) that is also divided in half. I assumed you would want the nest boxes (brown) accessible from outside the coop, but if they were inside you could flip the whole thing around so that the coop(s) are against the barn (red) instead of the run.

 

[AnnPann]

I didn't build it for breeding purposes specifically, but just finished building 2 of these side by side. The coop and run have plastic chick wire panels dividing the 2 coops. The one inside the coop is semi-permanent (ie hard to remove b/c roost and poop trays are in the way, but not impossible), and the run has 2 wire panels on hinges, so I can open/shut as needed.


this was taken from the chick side, before they'd moved in.


Each side has its own main door so I can let each flock out independently. Right now I have 7 hens on one side, and 7 chicks on the other side. Once the chicks are integrated, I'll remove the divider panels and they'll all share the whole space, unless I have a need to separate one/some from time to time.

this was taken before i added a ramp/pop-door to the chick side, but it's a mirror image of the hen coop.


the nesting boxes in the plan (and where i kept them) are on the outside ends of the coop, but it would be pretty simple to move them elsewhere.

The plans from this guy are REALLY well written and detailed. I made a lot of modifications, but it wasn't complicated to figure out how to work them in because his plans are so detailed. I could easily figure out the downstream effect of any modification I planned to make.

 

[hannahsocal]

So build one coop and run, then build a second connected to it.

That’s what the plan is but I was hoping there was a better way to build together so it’s easier to work with.