Can a shelter be too big? Building a new coop (first timers!)

[grullablue]

Thanks! I've seen y'all are enablers on here, nothing wrong with that! I LOVE silkies....not sure if they'd co-mingle, but sure I could figure that out....I will look into heated bases and things too. I would prefer not to use a heat lamp, so rest assured I will do what I can NOT to go that route anyway! We will be insulating this, my husband will be putting soffit on it for ventilation (he builds barns/sheds/arenas for a living? and a ridge vent perhaps...something!) I'm going to try to talk him into a window that we can open in the summertime, or at least a window in teh walk door with a screen that we can open.... I am going to have SO many questions, I'm not sure if I should just continue to add them here or clutter and create new posts, but for the time being, I'm going through old posts.....see if I can answer them that way first!

I'm already becoming SO ADDICTED to this site!
Angie

 

[Homegroanacres]

The bigger the better!

I can't see any reason to add a heat source or
extra light.

For that matter I don't see a need for insulation
either.

Draft could be an issue but I don't concern myself to
much with that either, other than the dead of winter
when I might cover an open window when the wind
is blowin.

But then again my chickens free range during the day and
are housed at nite in a chickin house (barn) that is 20' x 40'.
They only get half that space, the other half is for (when needed)
an overflow of Rabbits, Ducks and baby goats. The goat herd
is housed in a 75' x 50 pole barn.

Geeessshhhhh just about spilled my whole life, must mean I
need to get one!!!!!!!!!!

 

[KrisRose]

That extra space comes in handy during winter. My chickens did'nt want to step outside when the wind was blowing which was most of the winter. Throw scratch in their shavings and it keeps them busy.
Its good you are insulating, the best thing you can do to keep the warmth in. Also one of the best things you can do for summer to ward off the heat.
Use a heat base for water. The heat lamp dosn't work as well.
I use heat for my birds and they are healthy and hardy. The heat lamp just makes a 10 degree to 15 degree difference, making it a little more comfortable for them when it gets down in the single digits. If you use heat then connect it to something like a thermo cube to control the lamp. If the power went out my chickens would be fine. The only one I brought in to a heated garage was my roo and thats because his comb was getting frostbit.