coop design

[js87]

Im going to build a coop thats 5x10 I have 9 amerucanna chicks now! My question is that I have a big shed that I was going to put the coop in mainly for winter and insulate the th exterior wall and put in windows with fencing for a screen. Will this be suitable for winter and summer? I have a huge yard so the run size can be as big or as little as it needs to be! I guess what im wondering is for more winter time if they'll b warm enough inside if I let them out and if insulation is a good idea? Thank you

 

[NovaAman]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Second, you are going to get a lot of opinion, and you asked for it. LOL.

I have a coop with NO insulation. None of them do, I have 4. HOWEVER, I have good ventilation, and that is the most important part. I also have electricity running to the coop so I can hook up fans for the summer, a brooder bulb in the winter, I have hens that think the winter is the perfect time to go broody. They'll be warm enough if the coop is secure, and well ventilated. Chickens are hot, they will bunch up together, fluff up their feathers and keep quite warm. Just provide a wide enough roost so they can cover their feet. It'll also be nice if you provide a covered run, even partially covered for the winter, so they'll have an area outside their coop that is snow free. I have am 8x11 area that is roofed, and I put up plastic in the winter to cover the sides to provide a completely snow free area. Save up bags of dry leaves and put them in the run to give them something to scratch at through the winter. Put your windows to the south and east for the best morning/afternoon winter sun. ALSO use hardware cloth behind those window screens. Coons will take out chicken wire very quickly. There are several threads on how to best use the hardware cloth securely.

But thats the main thing... a secure coop at night time. Nothing should be able to get in except you.

Have fun.

 

[flewdacoop]

 

[js87]

Thank you for the info!

 

[JackE]

You really don't have to worry about insulating the coop. The chickens have their own built in insulation, and they don't need any help from us. Also, adult chickens don't need a heatlamp or any other added heat to make it through the winter. More than one coop has been burned down because somebody wanted to keep the birds warm with a heatlamp. Cold temps are not a big problem to chickens, It's the summer heat that can be a real problem. We have people on this site from Wyoming, they get temps down into the -20s. They say their chickens go outside and pick around with no problems. As the other poster said, ventilation is VERY important. You can make the birds sick, or even kill them if you pack them into a poorly ventilated coop in the wintertime, in some misguided attempt to "Keep them warm". Check out my coop below, the front is wide open year round. I get temps sometimes into the lower digits, with a lot of wind blowing, and the birds don't have any problems.
Jack