Help on design for cold climate

[sarahfvosz]

Hi everyone. Looking for an economical design for a coop for 3-5 egg-laying hens in Alaska, where it gets down to -40 in the winter. We are brand new to this. We will be receiving chicks in about 2 months and want to be as prepared as possible.

Lumber is very expensive here. Any designs involving pallets would be a big bonus! It should also be raised off the ground as we get a lot of snow, and the ground gets quite muddy in the spring. What do you insulate with and how do you ventilate in the winter? Where do I keep the chicks until they are big enough to go in the coop?

Side note: What supplies do I need to get ordered before the chicks arrive? Food? Bedding? Cleaning supplies? Heating lamp?

Very excited to get started!

 

[sylviethecochin]

This one's sort of cute, and it has a few interesting ideas. Not the best-outline process on BYC, but it might give you somewhere to start. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/fates-crooked-chicken-shack.66042/

One thing you might try is searching pallets and ventilation on the "Small Chicken Coops" section of the articles, like so, and seeing what comes up. And here's an article on wintering your coop.

I'd also check out the first aid article, because it's always best to be prepared.

You'll need chick starter, of course, as well as bedding as you already pointed out (some people use pine shavings, some use hay (Me!) some use dirt--whatever suits your fancy.) I like to use a piece of old rubber tarp on the floor of the brooder. When it's time to clean it out, I just lift and dump before returning it and re-bedding everything. That may be convenient, depending on your setup. A heat lamp is good, and I use one, but many people prefer the MHP (Mama heating pad) which you can purchase or make yourself. You can get most of this stuff online, but I personally prefer going to the feed store and buying things.

Have fun and good luck!

 

[aart]

@Alaskan can help.

 

[Alaskan]

Looking for an economical design for a coop for 3-5 egg-laying hens in Alaska, where it gets down to -40 in the winter.

Is that sustained -40, or a few dips to -40?

Lumber is very expensive here. Any designs involving pallets would be a big bonus!

I am pretry sure that most dumps up here let you scrounge. SCROUNGE! If you are close to an actual town with a dump they will have one area for household trash and one area for construction trash. The construction trash is a gold mine. Lots of lumber, some with excellent screws, also roofing and fencing.

Also check the local Craigslist on their free page. Alaska is also huge into Facebook. Find your local Facebook free junk page and look there too.

I made 2 of my coops and one tractor out of scrounged stuff.

It should also be raised off the ground as we get a lot of snow, and the ground gets quite muddy in the spring.

I set up my coops in different ways to deel with that. I really like walk in coops, but I hate to shovel, so yeah. Here is my article on building cold weather coops.

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

What do you insulate with and how do you ventilate in the winter?

eh, read the article above. If you are much under -20 for long then yeah, you need to do more stuff. That is just crazy cold. So, under -20 I would close up most of the vents, except for about an hour a day... and I would feed more fat as treats, and I would give them a bit of heat. Never a heat bulb! But you can vent over heat from your garage, or build the coop up against your house, or put in a heat tape in the perch, or put a heat mat on the floor, or get a rated for outside radiant heat panel.

Where do I keep the chicks until they are big enough to go in the coop?

In the house in a cardboard box or plastic bin. For heating the chicks you can use a heat lamp, but a heating plate or heating pad (that does not automatically shut off) work great and are safer/less fire risk)

Side note: What supplies do I need to get ordered before the chicks arrive? Food? Bedding? Cleaning supplies? Heating lamp?

Do you have a feed store? Our bulk grocery sells feed....

for bedding you should have a sawmill someplace around you, get their sawdust for free.

here is the link to my large coop page... it has links to my other pages. the bantam coop I made from scrap, and the duck coop that is also a scrap coop is on my smaller coop page.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop-journey.66158/

 

[PetitePlume]

How about sitting on the ground with a roof above the entrance? The ground can only get so cold and banking the rest of the coop would help for insulating as well.

 

[Northern Flights]

I'm no expert on neither chickens nor building, but after spending weeks designing a pallet coop I abandoned the idea completely as it limited the design more than we could live with and would lead to a drafty, heavy and shabby looking structure that costs almost as much as stick construction. Most materials I ultimately used were scrounged from all over, including a fibreglass truck box cover for a roof. (Tonneau cover?) I did have to buy 4 sheets of OSB but they were only $20. each, and 20 - 2x4x8's at $4 each. The greenhouse was a donation from a neighbour who shut down his chicken operation and I plan to make a covered run between them for winter excursions into the sun room/storage area .

BTW, I put 2 inches of Styrofoam under the 3/4 inch OSB floor. The main body of the coop is soon to be clapboarded, shingled, insulated, 6mm vapour barrier and panelled inside -- fairly air-tight -- but the used pickets on the top allow excellent ventilation. (Note the pallets laying around all over the place? I will have to find more uses for them as I collected dozens) All in I spent ~$300 which is not all that much more than had I used pallets.

 

[Alaskan]

I'm no expert on neither chickens nor building, but after spending weeks designing a pallet coop I abandoned the idea completely as it limited the design more than we could live with and would lead to a drafty, heavy and shabby looking structure that costs almost as much as stick construction. Most materials I ultimately used were scrounged from all over, including a fibreglass truck box cover for a roof. (Tonneau cover?) I did have to buy 4 sheets of OSB but they were only $20. each, and 20 - 2x4x8's at $4 each. The greenhouse was a donation from a neighbour who shut down his chicken operation and I plan to make a covered run between them for winter excursions into the sun room/storage areaView attachment 1376662 .

View attachment 1376662
BTW, I put 2 inches of Styrofoam under the 3/4 inch OSB floor. The main body of the coop is soon to be clapboarded, shingled, insulated, 6mm vapour barrier and panelled inside -- fairly air-tight -- but the used pickets on the top allow excellent ventilation. (Note the pallets laying around all over the place? I will have to find more uses for them as I collected dozens) All in I spent ~$300 which is not all that much more than had I used pallets.

nice setup and ingenuity.

That doesn't look like near enough ventilation though.

 

[Northern Flights]

The pic doesn't do it justice really. Being rough, used pickets they allow a lot of air movement, on all three sides of the coop they are used. I am actually a bit worried it might breathe a little too good and plan to make up some shutters of sorts to reduce flow come the windy -40 nights. I am closely monitoring humidity at 2 levels and when the coop is closed up it has not gone above 60% near the floor, even with all the thunderstorms lately and now with 4 chickens taking seemingly endless hot baths.

But I can easily modify things a bit should the air get thick in there.

 

[sarahfvosz]

Thanks all. Alaskan, your posts are really helpful. I never thought about rodents getting into the insulation. Ugh. Hate those things. We'll have to keep that in mind.

It gets pretty darn cold here. We have scrounged some lumber from friends and will check the local Facebook page. Unfortunately the dump here incinerates everything and people hoard their lumber scraps.

Good point about keeping water outside. Any suggestion on size of water tray and stock bucket to get for 3 chickens? Would that same de-icer in your post work for a smaller set-up?

We are now planning on a completely covered lean-to style coop/run so all the snow falls off the back, and putting plastic sheeting against the backside of the run to block wind.

Got a great idea from a friend to build an arctic entry on the coop entrance. Thought that was genius.

Thanks for all your help! Back to work and will read more of your stuff later!

 

[Alaskan]

Thanks all. Alaskan, your posts are really helpful. I never thought about rodents getting into the insulation. Ugh. Hate those things. We'll have to keep that in mind.

It gets pretty darn cold here. We have scrounged some lumber from friends and will check the local Facebook page. Unfortunately the dump here incinerates everything and people hoard their lumber scraps.

Good point about keeping water outside. Any suggestion on size of water tray and stock bucket to get for 3 chickens? Would that same de-icer in your post work for a smaller set-up?

We are now planning on a completely covered lean-to style coop/run so all the snow falls off the back, and putting plastic sheeting against the backside of the run to block wind.

Got a great idea from a friend to build an arctic entry on the coop entrance. Thought that was genius.

Thanks for all your help! Back to work and will read more of your stuff later!

not sure about three chickens and water needs.

I guess you need to see what works in your setup.

But the size I use would work for you... just be bigger and take up more space than a smaller one.

One benefit of the bigger size is bigger means it will freeze more slowly than a smaller container.

I like the water outside until about zero... then it is best to keep it inside of the coop so that they get enough to eat and drink. Or if you are getting some of that constant arctic wind... then is also a good time to put food and water in the coop.