Advice about coop, roosting bars, chicken math, etc

[amarsano]

My birds will avoid the snow at all costs! Ive gradually expanded my coops and runs because as I've added birds, they separate into separate flocks. I have 64 birds right now and I have 20-25 that sleep in one run, ~10 that live in another one, 18 that live in a third, 4 roos in their own coop/run area and the rest split between 2 coops. Except for the boys, all coops and runs are in an ~1/4 acre area. They all have space to avoid each other, but it's always interesting to see how they end up mixing up as they grow. I live in the northeast US and it's pretty darn cold. I use plastic greenhouse panels around the runs in the winter. My stupid birds will stay in there year round, despite the coops being 12 degrees warmer, on average. The panels are easy to install. I have metal runs so I punch holes in the panel and zip tie them to the run. I then use greenhouse tape to seal the seams, but leave a small area at the top uncovered for ventilation. I've included a picture to better show my general setup. With your wooden run, you could easily screw the panels over the wire giving the birds more insulated cover.

 

[NetherLeeFarm]

I've included a picture to better show my general setup. With your wooden run, you could easily screw the panels over the wire giving the birds more insulated cover.

Thanks for your input! You've got a sweet set-up - love the photo. Are you talking about polycarbonate roofing panels around your run? In the winter, we cover the coop screened (hardware cloth) door and windows with those. Those are likely too expensive for me to cover the entire run though.

I'm at about 3400' elevation and we get pretty darn cold here also, but our main issue is wind. Can easily have days upon days with gusty 30+ mph winds and last week we were up in the 50+ mph range. We use to cover our run in the winter with transparent 14mil reinforced poly cloth like many greenhouses/hoop houses use. Using it only in the winters, it lasted about 4-5 years. This was when we had a smaller run built out of kennel panels, but the wind eventually shredded it. I liked the poly cloth because it was simple to fold up and store in a bin when the warmer months arrived.

I'd rather not enclose the run, if possible, because I use deep litter method out there (all the crap goes in the run - literally lol!) and the rain/snow blow-in really helps that process along. But it's definitely something to consider if I continue to grow my flock. However, I think my max will be whatever my coop can hold. Although I absolutely love them, I have no desire to make chickens my main job. Plus, if I invest any more into my coop, we're gonna have to sell our house.

But hey, one never knows what the future holds. Again, appreciate the info very much. Multiple coops and year-round "sleeping" run is definitely something to think about if I win the lottery!