Canadians check in here....

[jdial]

Hi, can't really help at all with weather proofing but I wish you luck! I have friends in fort McMurray and family in fort Simpson NWT and Whitehorse YK and you and your winters have my respect.

I'm sure someone on here will give you some great ideas, I know my uncle in the YK runs a coop but he gets his stock early and then butchers them all before winter. Its the neighbors unfortunately that he's had more problems with then anything though, he's trying to sell his 70 acres and get out as the neighborhood isn't what it used to be.

Insulation and a dependable power source? I know I had one friend keep sheep with their chickens and the extra body heat kept everyone happy and safe.

The dependable power source is an issue with me as well - we are on solar. In the winter we don't have a lot of sun, so there isn't any extra power to be running a power hungry item such as a heat lamp.

What your Uncle is doing, butchering the flock every fall, is quite common here. I'm hoping to be different .
I have one friend who keeps the chickens in a coop that is poorly insulated and they somehow survive. They don't thrive, and they don't lay, but they make it. I have another friend that keeps hers in an insulated and heated coop and they happily lay all winter, but like I said...heating is an issue with me. I'm sure I'll figure something out, but I'm always interested in hearing what others are doing and ideas they have.

 

[hennible]

Heats not really a necessity until it's about -23 then it's pretty helpful, as long as there are no drafts and good ventilation thing should be just fine, i've never had an insulated coop, I try to only heat when it's really cold and I use heated waters located in the run ( not in the coop because they add to the humidity issues of winter). With some added light, just from a regular lightbulb most of my birds lay right through the winter, and stay healthy.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...led-look-at-the-question-of-supplemental-heat

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

These are handy articles

http://www.alaskanthefrostedflake.com/?s=Cold+coop&submit=Search
Handy blog post here too about heating etc

 

[new2pheasants]

Wow, that was a huge duck! So sorry to hear that he died... 

I was sad too, Precious was a beautiful duck but he also lived a solid pampered life, he even fought off a mink to save his ladies, brave boy.
Some Greenpeace do gooders released all the minks at a mink farm near my house, they got the chickens but my Drake kept them off his lady loves.
It was so stupid those minks killed so many pets and livestock it was sad.

 

[jdial]

Heats not really a necessity until it's about -23 then it's pretty helpful, as long as there are no drafts and good ventilation thing should be just fine, i've never had an insulated coop, I try to only heat when it's really cold and I use heated waters located in the run ( not in the coop because they add to the humidity issues of winter). With some added light, just from a regular lightbulb most of my birds lay right through the winter, and stay healthy.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...led-look-at-the-question-of-supplemental-heat

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

These are handy articles

http://www.alaskanthefrostedflake.com/?s=Cold+coop&submit=Search
Handy blog post here too about heating etc

I assume you're talking celcius with the -23 (being the Canadian thread) our winter averages -20 to -25 and dips to -40 for up to a week at a time. Based on that...heat is a good thing, yes?

Well...that's one of our issues. We are off grid. We heat with either wood or propane and our power comes from solar or generator. Electric heat of any kind is the biggest consumer of electricity. Toaster, hairdryer, heat lamp, heated water dishes, these eat up power faster than a rabbit in a carrot patch. We have light for less than 7 hours on our shorter days and those are precious. I just can't use electric heat. In the summer I could, when we have 22 hours of sun every day...and don't need heat. Lol. Oh the quandary of solar power and and heating.

Thank you for the links though! The Alaskan one is very helpful! Our winters are very similar, but Alaska has more humidity. Super helpful stuff there!

 

[hennible]

I think the heating panels consume less power than lamps, also less risk of fire... My birds have been through -40 but it was under a week, with a heat lamp. Apparently the deep litter method can raise your coop by 10 to 15° in the Fahrenheit scale so that's something to think about too

 

[hennible]

Sorry I missed what kind of birds you had ( or if you have any yet ) but avoiding the big single Combs, look for breeds with button or rose combs, that will definitely help in your cold temperatures... Without the big combs you probably will only need to worry about their feet, and that can be helped with perches that are a minimum of 4 inches wide...

 

[jdial]

Sorry I missed what kind of birds you had ( or if you have any yet ) but avoiding the big single Combs, look for breeds with button or rose combs, that will definitely help in your cold temperatures... Without the big combs you probably will only need to worry about their feet, and that can be helped with perches that are a minimum of 4 inches wide...

Yes, thank you for all of your help . I've arranged to hatch some Partridge Chantecler eggs in May. A good, hearty, Alberta made bird. They are supposed to be very cold tolerant with a pea comb.

The Alaskan blog has given me more hope with my birds and some more insight. If she can overwinter hers with non-insulated coops in a humid region, my super dry region should be a cake walk.

 

[StephBout]

Hi, I think I am the only one from Halifax NS.  I haven't got chickens yet because I have to have the coop and pen done and ready for them before they arrive.

Is anyone out there in my neck of the woods and what type of chickens do you have?

I'm in the HRM area!!! Just got my eggs in an incubator now!

 

[wyandottegirl]

That's so cool! What breed are they? I just got 6 little dark brahma chicks the other day.

 

[pondrosapoultry]

Hello I'm from sudbury ontario. It's about 4 hours north of toronto