Advice regarding COOP

[no1male]

Started building an 8x4 COOP for our 4 ISA Browns (We will eventually get 4 more chickens)

We need to do it as cheap as possible as i was recently made redundant.

We are using feather Edge to board the outside of the coop, similar to a shed (See attached pic)

Above is similar to how we are going to attach the feather edge (Obviouslly we will add vents e.t.c)

What we want to know is, will this be warm enough for the girls?

 

[alicefelldown]

Well, I guess that would depend on what your weather is like.

 

[CheerfulHeart2]

Yes, do tell us what the weather is like where you live. Here in Arizona most have open coops to keep the chickens cool.

 

[Baymen Moe]

That should be fine depending on your breed selection. I don't know what your coldest temps are in the UK but for comparison, I'm 30 miles south of Boston Ma. My lowest temp this winter was 5 degrees farenheit. I have 14 birds in an 8x8 coop with no heat or insulation and my birds were fine.

 

[fldiver97]

You are in the UK....you will have winter but not of the worst kind. It depends some on the breeds. Breeds with large single combs may ae more pone to frostbite. I would think your ISA Browns should be fine. As long as the vents are up high and the chickens have a draft free roost and shelter from wind and rain/snow you may not have to worry. My 12x8 coop only has partial insulation, I have 5 large chickens and we have harsh winters. I did not use heat, only heated waterer during the winter. The temps were below freezing inside the coop for quite a while but no drafts, dry, very deep shavings and straw on the floor helped a lot. No frostbite or problems. I did use a 250 w red light for almost 4 weeks during the worst cold over the area for feeding but I don't think it was needed. I kept several vents open all winter long for good ventilation.

 

[no1male]

Sorry for not stating the obvious, the average low during the winter is 2°C.

The lowest i have ever known it is -6°C.

The birds are Isa Browns, so not sure if they are a "hardy" breed?

Thanks for the help