And consider having roosters, at least, with small combs and wattles, when living in a very cold climate.
Mary
Mary
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HI Mary!Your chickens will eat any insulation not covered in plywood, so leave that out for now.
Here we use rolled sheet vinyl, doubled, on the run walls, leaving the upper foot or so open for ventilation. All tarps will be very dark in there, not good.
Snow load!!! Chickens hate walking in snow, and a tarped flat roof will collapse unless you are out there shoveling in blizzards, maybe at 2am. You will want them in the run, preferably all the time, so predator proof and roofed will matter a lot.
You will want a heated waterer, or plan on taking fresh water to them three times every day. They shouldn't actually need a heat lamp for them out there. Having the dark side/ foil sided tarps are nice for the roof, if it's possible to use tarps on that roof, and maybe the north and west sides, but then clear on the east and south sides, with those gaps at the top.
my biggest concern is that snow load issue...
Mary
HI Mary!I don't remember where we bought the stuff; plastic sheeting from a big box store probably. the nearly clear stuff, thick enough to staple and then attach with wood strips, screwed into the framing.
Not beautiful, but it works well.
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Ventilation is the most important thing to avoid frostbite in the winter. But just in case, keep some Bag Balm handy. You can put that on their combs and wattles before bed to avoid / treat frostbite and it’s a wonderful salve for wounds.
Huge Kudos for getting the coop built right before getting birds!Following thread - can you provide or point me to a thread on ventilation? I don't have chicks yet. I thought it best to learn as much as I could and build my own coop before getting them. Thanks