30 below weather

[Funvariety]

Hello
What kind of chicken coop is best for winters that get below 30 in the winter? Will the nesting boxes on the outside work or inside?

 

[DobieLover]

Hello
What kind of chicken coop is best for winters that get below 30 in the winter? Will the nesting boxes on the outside work or inside?

30 below with or without wind chill factor?
Generally dry, well ventilated coops are fine but for extremes, insulation and radiant heat panels during the most bitter nights might be called for.

 

[tralfaz]

Doesn't it depend on the variety? I have RI Reds and they are supposed to be hardy well into the teens. I plan to add a solar system for some heat and deicing when Fall approaches as we don't have electricity than far back in our yard

 

[DobieLover]

I have a RIR who did just fine and dandy down to -17F in a dry, well ventilated coop. My 2 WLHs did too.

 

[Rainkore]

It depends on the breeds you have and their comb size. If they are silkies or bantams, you’ll need to have a good heater. If they have bigger combs, a radiant heater might be a good idea. Ventilation is really important, so heaters would be the best option for chickens that get cold really easily. The nesting boxes sound fine.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Or, if your climate gets to -30F, my position is that you just can't keep fragile breeds unless you are willing to build a house for them where you can completely control interior climate and have a mechanical ventilation system like commercial poultry houses. Otherwise, keep breeds like Chanteclers, Orloffs, Jaerhons, Jersey Giants etc.. Keeping silkies, seramas and big combed Mediterranean breeds in frigid temps will only cause problems that some may find too daunting to continue dealing with.
If one must keep those fragile breeds, it would be cheaper to move to a warm climate.

Solar voltaic systems work great for lighting, electrifying perimeter fencing and operating automatic doors. However, solar can't be used for heating. It just takes too much energy to generate heat. To create sufficient heat in sub-zero temperatures would be impossible for a solar system without at least tens of thousands of dollars of equipment.
There are solar thermal options but they require different equipment than solar voltaic systems. For solar thermal, they only heat a space when the sun is shining and I can't envision anyone creating a stone or concrete heat sink for a chicken coop so that the system would retain enough heat to be of any benefit by dawn in January.

 

[Ted Brown]

I live on the Ontario-Quebec border, our winters are December through early April, temperatures average ~-15C and get as low as -30C for several days at a time.

Forget heat, forget insulation neither is needed or healthy for your chickens. I built a Woods 10' by 16' Knock Down (KD) coop as described in Prince Woods book. It can be built without great expense and is brilliant in every way (summer and winter) both for the keeper and the birds.

Happy to answer any questions you may have.

Good luck!

PS Do get birds that are suited to the climate as recommended above.