Cold weather--really cold weather

[teach1rusl]

With temps THAT cold, for THAT long, I would definitely find a way to expand your coop, as I worry that you would have serious behavior issues due to confinement/overcrowding. If your chickens are young, they MAY do okay with another coop added, sharing a run...but I think you'd have to keep them shut inside for a week or two to retrain them. You might even temporarily divide the run so that they HAVE to go back to the new coop. Is there a way of expanding the coop?? I know it's harder to modify and insulated coop, but we're doing so with ours...knocking out most of a wall and expanding another 4 feet for our expanding flock. With winters like yours, I would want much more than the 4 sq. ft. minimum that's recommended for areas that get winters.
I would definitely wrap your run in tarps so that there'd at least be windblocks to encourage them to get outdoors. There's also those clear roofing panels - I screw those onto my smaller run to block wind, because they still let the sun in - but they're costly. Or there's always downsizing by a few chickens...many old time chicken owners would keep a larger flock during the summer, but downsize come winter time.

 

[Duramaxgirl]

Quote:
Well, 4x8 is smaller than 6x6, or am I missing something?

Nah your not missing something! I'm just dumb at math! But they recomend 4sq feet per bird here on the forum.

good luck with your coop!

 

[True Grit]

I kept my birds food and water in the covered run except for the coldest days so that is where they hang out but I also had plastic all the way around so they didn't get snow sifting in and wind ruffling their feathers. If your run is only partially covered doesn't snow get in anyway? My chickens won't walk on the snow. I kept straw on the floor of the run as it is much warmer than sand. I also had a heat lamp in the coop and it rarely got below 8 degrees inside, even when it was minus 20 outside. Minus 40 is whole different kind of cold, as you know. If I were you I would go for a large coop with insulated windows facing south so they could spent their time in the coop, protected from the bitter cold.

 

[forestrymom]

Well, the run is on the lee side of the barn, and is mostly sheltered from the snow/wind. I think we'll be okay, if they'll still go out when its cold. I can put up a tarp to help reduce drafts on the one side that might be in question (or the whole thing for that matter).

I was thinking I might build a little tractor, for the chicks I have in the brooder right now, but I don't want to go to a bunch of trouble if it won't be useful in the future. Can I insulate it for winter time use? I was thinking of doing something that's like 4x4, which would be enough for only 4 or so chickens in the summer, right? I want it at least for right now because I'll have chicks in a couple weeks who need something more than our basement kennel/brooder, and I was thinking it would be useful in the future for such things (or a breeding pair if I decide to have that at some point). And then we could do a really nice job expanding the coop (which reminds me--what do we do with the chickens while we do something like that?).

Anyway, I'm hoping this thread convinces dh we need more.

 

[ranchhand]

I have a friend in eastern MT who has chickens. Last winter they very rarely left the coop, because of the winds. And the coop could get pretty funky, even using deep litter.

The more time they will spend in the coop, the more space per bird needed. Otherwise, you face a big risk of feather picking. I probably wouldn't put but 6-8 standards in a 6' x 6' coop in your climate, at least to start.
It sounds like you have a good solid plan, but a bit more space would be good. A lot of keeping chickens is trial and error- find what works best for you and your birds!

 

[patandchickens]

There is a thread you might find by searching, it is in this Coop Design/Construction section of the forum, and was started a couple years ago although it may have had posts as recently as this past winter I dunno, that is Alaskan BYCers talking about their coops. I believe it has Alaska or Alaskans in the thread's subject line? Of course those in the coastal and southern part of the state really don't get all that terribly cold but there ARE several members who are in the northern/inland region and get -40, -50, -60 type weather. Seriously, see if you can find that thread.

My general impression from reading those type threads -- I can't relate all that much personally, the coldest it gets here is barely into the -30s F -- it seems that unless you are willing to go to lengths that people usually aren't, you kind of have to expect the chickens to winter rather roughly with a certain degree of pecking and so forth, even if they have considerably more space per hen than you're proposing.

So in significant part I think it depends how much these are pets vs an agricultural crop so to speak. Personally I would NOT AT ALL try keeping chickens mostly-indoors for months on end with only 3 sq ft per chicken unless it were a matter of utter survival (mine I mean, not theirs), but everyone's after a different thing, so, <shrug>

It would be VERY VERY SERIOUSLY worth getting a relatively frostbite-resistant docile breed, I would in particular suggest Chanteclers.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[bryan99705]

Quote:
Well, 4x8 is smaller than 6x6, or am I missing something?

I'm not sure what a bell tower is--I'll have to do some searching. I actually have a roost ladder/tower thing that dh built. It takes up floor space but they like to use it. That's what gave me the idea for the loft.

Loft and bell tower, basically the same concept - a small glassed in room sitting on the roof.