-40 temps, keeping Chickens safe

[prairieacreage]

We live on the prairies in SK and the temperatures range from +30c in the summer to -40c/f in the winter. It is frequently VERY windy here, though our property has a good abundance of trees to help with breaking that wind.

I've read quite a few articles and helpful posts etc. regarding keeping chickens in the cold. A few things I'm planning;
- to insulate the coop on all sides and the roof to prevent heat loss and include ventilation to keep things dry.
- using deep-litter method
- I want to include some well-insulated windows to draw in heat from the sun.
- I want to raise the coop off the ground and build a raised man-entry (Dutch door?) to account for snowfall/ease of access during winter months.
- We plan to get winter-hardy breed(s) from locals.

My question is- would this be enough to keep chickens warm in the dead of winter? Does anyone have experience with temperatures that low without having any electrical heat in the coop? We would prefer not to use heat lamps as I've done lots of research about how they're so dangerous, but I'm not sure that we can get away without using heat when our temperatures get that low- a lot of the articles I read account for 'cold' temps being MAYBE -20c max, whereas we get much lower than that.

I know chickens will produce their own heat- does anyone know statistics on insulating/retaining head vs. heat loss given the temps outside etc? I feel like I'm doing crazy science or calculus here but my worst nightmare is getting a flock of chickens and having the poor things freeze to death/start losing legs mid-winter.

I would prefer not to have to run electric out to the coop as we are planning to place it a bit away from the house/source of electricity and running extension cords that far isn't feasible.

Has anyone ever used solar panels to produce electricity for de-icing water or possibly running a heater if absolutely necessary? They seem pricey but might be a good alternative to trying to get electricity out to the coop.

We are brand new to this whole thing so my apologies if I've overlooked something obvious or have missed a perfectly helpful article on the subject!

 

[wamtazlady]

Is that -40 with or without considering wind chill factor? With you mentioning the wind right after the temperature, I just can't tell.

 

[prairieacreage]

Sometimes it’s -40 before the windchill. I’d say closer to -25 or so with wind going down to -35 more commonly with the wind.
I guess the temperature wouldn’t be as much of an issue if it’s mostly wind and the coop will be *hopefully* draft proofed

 

[wamtazlady]

Chickens can do well in cold temperatures if they have a draft proof coop with lots of ventilation. My coop has no insulation, lots of ventilation, and no source of heat. My chickens spend most of their time, summer or winter, in the run. The run is covered on 3 sides by clear vinyl to stop the wind and it is roofed. The run has their food and water. In winter the water has a stock tank deicer in it to prevent freezing. I use a heavy duty extension cord to get the electricity. It gets down to about -26 F here in NW Montana. Your -40 is lots colder.

Let me add that insulation provides a wonderful cozy place for mice to spend the winter.

 

[AGeese]

Sometimes it’s -40 before the windchill. I’d say closer to -25 or so with wind going down to -35 more commonly with the wind.
I guess the temperature wouldn’t be as much of an issue if it’s mostly wind and the coop will be *hopefully* draft proofed

These are my temps, but -40 before windchill? I'm scared of the answer. Sounds like you're asking the right questions, but we need more details on the coop. I recommend heating their water, it will save you so much time unless you have a sink out there too?

 

[saysfaa]

You may find this thread by someone from the Peace River area helpful:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-before-the-arctic-air-arrives.1497128/page-2

 

[aart]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/

 

[prairieacreage]

I have no coop yet! Trying to get information on how to build the best one for our situation…
I did do a bit of glancing at temperatures and I guess I am wrong about it being -40 before wind (haha sure feels like it though!) we generally just use the temp+wind here since it’s so windy all the time it doesn’t ever make sense to not use the wind-chill temp