Design advice: Winter hay-house in the barn?

[UP Chicken Lover]

I just saw a really wonderful chicken coop made out of one piece of farm fencing. Wish I could find that link again. You make a hoop and attach it to a frame. You cover the top with a tarp - use chicken wire on both ends and put a small door on one side. Anyway - that would do nicely upstairs and on nice days you could open the doors or windows. I live in the UP of Mi and we get some serious cold and snow here too. I made my chicken door HIGH and put a ramp for summer time. I figure this winter they will walk right out the door... lol
I put plastic on the walls and covered that with plywood - so no rain/moisture can get in - but it's not air tight either.
I have plans for a heating lamp on the nights that it gets really really cold - and it's another reason I chose the breed that I did - extremely hardy in cold weather. I gave up getting prolific layers for extremely hardy.
Since I have stored hay upstairs... you can get "tar paper" in a roll from any lumber yard. It's easy to put down - and will keep the hay from falling through cracks - and help keep the warm upstairs. I did this for our garage/barn. You just hammer tack it down.

 

[vermontgal]

UP Chicken Lover,

There is this hoop-coop that is like what you are describing - these folks are only a few towns away from me.

http://sugarmtnfarm.com/blog/2005/12/winter-hen-coop.html

 

[jubylives]

I think you'll be fine with what you had and what you got going now. They are chickens and will be fine up there in winter. I liked the hay/straw coop idea. I can see the benefits of it although for me it's hard to find straw around me. Funny as I live smack in the middle of Iowa. lots of grass hay but straw is tricky to find.

Back to your space. How big is the upper area? I'm imagining 10 by 20 ish is yor car just fits in the door. If that's colse then you'll be just fine with four birds.

Jeremy

 

[pdpatch]

What you do for chickens can depend on what breed they are and how many you have. Some are hardier, in the Winter some are not, and egg production falls off for those that are not. Larger flocks the hens /pullets can huddle together for warmth.

As far as using straw or hay, I just have to any bad thoughts since if it gets to wet and warms up it can and does catch fire. Growing up in rural midwest if have been around one to many straw/hay fires. But other have sussefully use hay/straw and have had no problems.

Red sex links are very hardy, so are Buff Ophantens, Barbed Rock a little less. Our red sex links did skip eggs in sub zero temps, The buffs did a little but not to bad and the Rocks a little more then the Buffs. Inside the coop the coldest it got was around 10 degrees above zero for a day or so.

Ideally keeping the temp up around 45 for less hardy breeds is helpfull. But not always a reality for the small flock owner.

I can remember my uncles coops from years ago, they were not insulated just a roof and wall and with 40 or so hens, so the hens could hudle together, with no electricity or heat. But then again most small flock owners now days don't do that in cold climates.