@RobVT My coop is a converted horse stall in an old barn. No insulation, no heat (attempting that would be folly) but I do have power for keeping water from freezing. I do not provide unnatural light. The girls have been fine in all temperatures including the -22°F we had Saturday a week and a half ago.
The chickens have the run of the alley during the day though only the 6 that I got last April will go to the north end where the 2 seven year old alpacas have their "personal space". The alpacas also have a door that is open 24x7 so they come and go as they please. Those 6 pullets will go out the alpacas' door but none of the older girls do, they are afraid of the alpacas. The difference is that the alpacas came in Oct 2016 and chased the older hens when they were out back behind the barn, the 2017 chicks grew up with them and were less afraid of them than they were of the older hens.
I have a PulletShut auto door that opens and closes via input from a photocell, I think it is a $15 option, well worth it. The door has been running on the same two 6V alkaline lantern batteries for over 2 years. Yes I am surprised as well, I bought 2 new batteries in Nov 2016 expecting the 1 year old batteries to die around that time. The batteries before those were used and lasted 6 months. The "normal" way to run this door is with their 12V battery and 12V charger, either 110V or solar input. I didn't have power in the barn when I got it and was afraid maybe there wouldn't be enough charge from the small solar panel. I would not have that concern now seeing how little power the door uses.
I don't know why you want your coop distant from the house but remember you will need to trudge out there several times a day even in the worst weather. And your girls' eggs will freeze if you don't get to them often enough. Of course lots of hens don't lay in the winter, I have only 1 of 17 currently laying. Sure would hate to lose that 1 egg though so I have my Mama Heating Pad out in the enclosed nest box, set on 2 (second lowest of 6).
Since you are building your coop, yes make sure you have southern exposure. You can make use of that for solar gain that can help keep the water from freezing. Passive solar homes have "mass storage" in the form of stone or water walls that are warmed by the sun during the day and the heat released at night. In this case, if you insulated well around a water container (beware chickens LOVE to eat rigid foam, cover it!!) that had glass on the south side you might be able to limit the number of days you need to deal with frozen water. Use horizontal nipples. This would have to be an experiment with several retries I'm afraid.
I would personally never build a raised coop. The only "value" in them is where one has a very small yard and needs the under coop area for additional run space. If you can't dig an 18" deep trench from the house to the coop to run power, you clearly have enough space for a walk in coop. Easier to build, easier to maintain. Make your life easier by designing it to use dimensional lumber in standard sizes. Things that can be made with multiples of 4'x8' make for a lot fewer cuts. And please don't use OSB, it is just plain nasty and if not sealed really well will get wet and rot from the inside out.
FYI, my coop has a dirt floor, I covered the bottom with 1/2" hardware cloth poultry stapled to the walls about 6" up. That is covered with rubber horse mats then 4-6" of pine shavings. I rake through the shavings every morning and replace it maybe once a year. My girls free range all day as they like though they stick to the barn alley (also a dirt floor) when there is snow outside.
The chickens have the run of the alley during the day though only the 6 that I got last April will go to the north end where the 2 seven year old alpacas have their "personal space". The alpacas also have a door that is open 24x7 so they come and go as they please. Those 6 pullets will go out the alpacas' door but none of the older girls do, they are afraid of the alpacas. The difference is that the alpacas came in Oct 2016 and chased the older hens when they were out back behind the barn, the 2017 chicks grew up with them and were less afraid of them than they were of the older hens.
I have a PulletShut auto door that opens and closes via input from a photocell, I think it is a $15 option, well worth it. The door has been running on the same two 6V alkaline lantern batteries for over 2 years. Yes I am surprised as well, I bought 2 new batteries in Nov 2016 expecting the 1 year old batteries to die around that time. The batteries before those were used and lasted 6 months. The "normal" way to run this door is with their 12V battery and 12V charger, either 110V or solar input. I didn't have power in the barn when I got it and was afraid maybe there wouldn't be enough charge from the small solar panel. I would not have that concern now seeing how little power the door uses.
I don't know why you want your coop distant from the house but remember you will need to trudge out there several times a day even in the worst weather. And your girls' eggs will freeze if you don't get to them often enough. Of course lots of hens don't lay in the winter, I have only 1 of 17 currently laying. Sure would hate to lose that 1 egg though so I have my Mama Heating Pad out in the enclosed nest box, set on 2 (second lowest of 6).
Since you are building your coop, yes make sure you have southern exposure. You can make use of that for solar gain that can help keep the water from freezing. Passive solar homes have "mass storage" in the form of stone or water walls that are warmed by the sun during the day and the heat released at night. In this case, if you insulated well around a water container (beware chickens LOVE to eat rigid foam, cover it!!) that had glass on the south side you might be able to limit the number of days you need to deal with frozen water. Use horizontal nipples. This would have to be an experiment with several retries I'm afraid.
I would personally never build a raised coop. The only "value" in them is where one has a very small yard and needs the under coop area for additional run space. If you can't dig an 18" deep trench from the house to the coop to run power, you clearly have enough space for a walk in coop. Easier to build, easier to maintain. Make your life easier by designing it to use dimensional lumber in standard sizes. Things that can be made with multiples of 4'x8' make for a lot fewer cuts. And please don't use OSB, it is just plain nasty and if not sealed really well will get wet and rot from the inside out.
FYI, my coop has a dirt floor, I covered the bottom with 1/2" hardware cloth poultry stapled to the walls about 6" up. That is covered with rubber horse mats then 4-6" of pine shavings. I rake through the shavings every morning and replace it maybe once a year. My girls free range all day as they like though they stick to the barn alley (also a dirt floor) when there is snow outside.
