Built my new coop. Winter run suggestions?

[Yooperfresh]

So I built my first coop with a rough idea of what I wanted. Luckily I had the help of a local who was willing to barter in about 5 days. Minus I forgot to take photos the last day before I put up the interior sheets of OSB and put r13 fiberglass insulation in the walls.

Cost me between $450-500 to build. I found the metal for the roof and windows for free.

I chicken tractor and decided to do an overwinter coop since the non insulated barn with tarps didn't really cut it prior years to attempt overwinter. Although they do love the barn in winter. I've found It is very costly to bed, very time consuming to clean in spring, takes too many birds to keep warm with out supplemental and I don't want to heat the barn which is also lots of $$$... with that said, We have some amazing stock and I really want to over winter in the U.P.(upper peninsula) of Michigan. So I decided to try to take what little cash I had and buy the supplies I needed to build the biggest coop I could afford. While staying manageable. It's roughly 7.5x18.



I just can't come up with a good idea now on how I should do a covered run for winter. I originally had planned to put it near the greenhouses. But it's now 100yd away from that spot. And was just too unrealistic for us to try to make and maintain a path and be able to feed day and night with the unknown potential hazards of winter. I want to minimize the risk of slipping and falling carrying water jugs+ feed for me and my wife.

I decided to put em near the electric fence in one of the pastures and now I realize this does nothing to help me give them an overwinter run.

I have no shortage of tarps or trees. Probably will try to over winter 60-100 birds of about a dozen breed. So any suggestions are appreciated. I do have spots I can transport them to run. But I'm hoping to make a simple one near the coop. And I can't seem to find any real "deep snow country" suggestions. Well that are proven and not hopeful endeavors rather with no follow-up to success or failures. I'm ok with making repairs in winter. But would like to avoid something completely being destroyed by a large snow fall. So any help or suggestions is greatly appreciated.


My brain is fried as I've spent too long now trying to turn this abandoned farm around. I'm starting to learn the days are too short to do all the research and all the work. That's where networking with good people like BYC comes in.

Also I'm a long time lurker first time poster to byc.

 

[Alaskan]

It's roughly 7.5x18.

I have no shortage of tarps or trees. Probably will try to over winter 60-100 birds of about a dozen breed.

Well..... with the coop size you have, you have the space for 33 chickens, IF you have a huge covered and sheltered run. With 33 chickens they would have 4 square feet of space in the coop.

I like to aim for 9 square feet of space per bird of covered snow free area. If you followed that rule of thumb, then you are down to 15 birds.

For areas with deep snow, you need to roof the run, or the chickens will not use the run.

I use strong wire over the top of my runs to withstand the snow, but then of course once a bunch of snow enters the chickens don't want to be there.

Also... it doesn't look like there is much ventilation on that coop.

Just how cold does it get where you are?

 

[Yooperfresh]

Well..... with the coop size you have, you have the space for 33 chickens, IF you have a huge covered and sheltered run. With 33 chickens they would have 4 square feet of space in the coop.

I like to aim for 9 square feet of space per bird of covered snow free area. If you followed that rule of thumb, then you are down to 15 birds.

For areas with deep snow, you need to roof the run, or the chickens will not use the run.

I use strong wire over the top of my runs to withstand the snow, but then of course once a bunch of snow enters the chickens don't want to be there.

Also... it doesn't look like there is much ventilation on that coop.

Just how cold does it get where you are?

We have had -40f 2 years ago(might've been with wind chill tho). I think it kind of gets below -0 on average. As the norm.

As to ventilation all the soffets are open currently. And is 3 16x8" vents along the back wall I added when I did insulation.

We have lots of green house space for them to run and lean too. Problem is I have to run them to the space where the coop ended up. Not a big deal. I could always pick the coop up and move it to the green houses which opens up lots of ground space. they are also close enough to the barn that I could let them run in the barn, etc.

So in concept I have lots of space on good dayz they can be moved to and run around. I'm thinking maybe I run a hoop house next to the run and use that as the kind of "lazy run" for days I don't want to move em around. That would be about 5sq ft per bird at 100 birds. In which would make if about 50' shy of another green house. That's kind of how I've been leaning.

 

[Alaskan]

We have had -40f 2 years ago(might've been with wind chill tho). I think it kind of gets below -0 on average. As the norm.

Yep, -40F is horribly cold.

-10F isn't bad, but the chickens eat a crazy amount more feed.. Be careful to make sure that they never run out of feed, and up the protein to 20%.

Windchill is only an issue if the birds are in the wind... so.... not usually an issue.

If you are stuck down at -40F for weeks at a time (not counting dips, and don't count windchill) then I would think through some kind of heat.

If you only rarely get below -20F, then I wouldn't bother.

I could always pick the coop up and move it to the green houses which opens up lots of ground space.

Having it set up so that the coop can connect to the greenhouses in the winter time gives them WAY more space. If possible, that would be nice.

That is how my coop is setup.

In the winter they get the greenhouse.

 

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