Cold climate coop design questions

[kimbobim]

RE the door/flap on the outside of the nesting boxes: I'm thinking that since we're going to build it tall enough to walk in now (DH agree to at least 6 feet tall inside), I'll gather the eggs from inside during the colder months. I'll figure out some kind of temporary insulation panel to fit against the outside wall of the nesting boxes to keep them warmer, and just not open that door/flap at all when it's cold.

thanks again for all the help!

 

[waibel zoo]

Quote:
I am in Sandy too.

 

[CityChook]

You'll be glad to have a coop you can stand up in. It's nice to walk in and close the door when the temps are nasty. I was surprised at how *warm* 0F felt inside the coop vs. outside.

Put in the largest vents you can and then make covers for them so that when it's REALLY cold you can cover them up. We simply used some trim scrap and made little "slides" for the covers. We did open/close the vents frequently this winter depending on temperatures. In addition to gable vents, we also have soffit/ridgecap ventilation. I was very happy with the results.

PS - there is no such thing as a "too big" coop. Yes, it will be harder to keep warm when it's bigger. But I like the philosophy of giving them plenty of space to run around inside when it's too cold outside. Not all chickens like going out in the snow even though it was offered to them. And if they are cramped up inside, they'll start picking on each other...

 

[kimbobim]

Thanks so much for all the suggestions! We had hoped to get started last night, but ran into a couple of delays. Our oldest chicken, Pearl, passed away yesterday afternoon

- so we've had some grieving kids, a few hours on the internet and phone calls to our chicken friends trying to figure out what might have happened, a very sad Speckles (how does one help a chicken that seems to be mourning? she keeps going back to Pearl's favorite spot under the butterfly bushes.). We scrubbed and sanitized the coop and feeder/waterers, put down all new shavings, etc. And to top if off, this afternoon we had our daughter's birthday party - Chef's theme. Twelve nine-year olds making their own pizzas and decorating their own cakes. I'm still scraping frosting off the dining room floor. Oh well, this gives me a few more days to refine my design, and hopefully the weather will continue to warm up. I'd rather do it right the first time than have to re-model it in a few months.

 

[LynneP]

I'm very sorry to hear about Pearl. It's hard to put on a brave face with kids gathering, but you did it...take care and enjoy the process as you develop a new space...

 

[CityChook]

I'm really sorry to hear about Pearl. It's even tougher when there are kids involved, I know. Sorry you had such a rough day. Hope your Speckles can get a new friend. Chin up -

 

[kimbobim]

Thanks for the kind thoughts. Speckles seems somewhat better today. She and Pearl were 'sisters' from the same hatching day and have never been separated. We do have some younger chickens, but she was not as bonded to them as she was to Pearl. I'm just concerned that there's going to be a fight over who gets to be the Empress of the Coop now that Pearl is gone. Speckles is older, but Lola is more assertive (especially when it comes to food - she's laying 5-6 eggs a week, so that gal is hungry!).

The kids are doing OK. We were actually already planning to visit a place nearby and pick out a few new chicks (got to fill up that new coop once it's built!), so I guess we'll pick up one more and call her Pearl, Jr.

 

[big greg barker]

6 x 12 is a good start for 6 chickens, and yes you want to go tall enough to walk around inside. Let's see, that's 72 square feet, so you will have room for 10 more............
My coop is 8 x 12, and divided into 2 5 x 8 pens, plus a storage area of 2 x 8. It isnt insulated, but is draft free, and dry. I also have electricity to keep the waterers ice free, and lights for winter. We had a steady dozen a day from 19 layers all winter long. We had many sub zero days and nights, and they were fat and happy. The only problem I had was my hens didn't want to go outside unless I shoveled the runs down to hard packed snow.

 

[StrawberryHouseMouse]

Our winters dont get all that bad. But cause I worry too much for my birds . When we had cold weather I would put a heat light inside the coop and leave it on at all times. For the younger ones I usually made sure they were kept inside our chicken shed at all times.

That was in the past though. Now I have a part built onto the side of the house for young birds to stay in during cold weather. And it will stay heated the same as our house. Cause our venting runs to it. As for the older birds. They have small little coop to go into. I made the coop small for a reason. Its easier to keep warm in a smaller area then it is in a larger area. Less room to have to heat.