First coop build in Michigan - I should have done this years ago. Pics..

[John Smallberries]

Answers:
- Great idea to insulate the water system. The barrel, hose and PCV pipe could all be insulated, like your square bin. This would give the heating cable a fighting chance. If that fails - I'll copy your setup.
- The coop is roughly 4'x8'
- Yes the venting is the gap between the corrugated roof panels and the top roof supports. It should flow quite a bit of air via convection. I wonder if it is too much to allow drafts in the winter???
- I made the duck box out of pink foam board insulation and they pecked it up quickly. I "armored" it with 1/2" plywood and repainted. I don't think they can reach the coop insulation from the floor or the roost bars. We'll see! The solution would be the same - a thin layer of wood/metal.

 

[aart]

Yes the venting is the gap between the corrugated roof panels and the top roof supports. It should flow quite a bit of air via convection. I wonder if it is too much to allow drafts in the winter???

Kinda want that on the lower edge too.
Can always baffle with furnace filters if you get snow blowing in.

 

[alknoll]

Welcome! We too live just north of AA (used to live downtown) and have 6 pullets. Our daughter loves them and seeing your girls enjoying the chicks is heartwarming!

 

[yakitori]

I LOVE it! that duck box is so cute!

 

[John Smallberries]

Lots of coop updates in the last few months.
1) Feeding: My first auto-feeder worked just fine. However, my chicken-experienced neighbor warned me that it would be come a mouse feeder in the winter. Not good. I scrapped Version 1 and replaced it with two SmartStep feeders that are advertised as "rodent proof". They work fine, but I made two upgrades. First: the levers to open the food door are designed for Chickens, not ducks. The distance from a duck's feet to their bill is very large, so they could not use the levers. I had some 1/2" PVC sheet left over from the coop floor and used it to make some extensions for the levers. They work very well, as long as I rake out beneath then occasionally.

 

[John Smallberries]

Next up: automation. What I don't like about the metal feeders is the inability to see the feed level easily. So - I'm throwing some electronics at the problem. I bought two cheap capacitive proximity sensors (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072C35ZDC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) that can detect the presence of chicken feed. I wired them up to an indicator LED that I can see from the house. It took a bit of tweaking - but it worked for the first time over the weekend and came on just as the food level uncovered the sensor.

 

[John Smallberries]

2) Drinking water: I added some insulation wrap to my rain barrel. We had very little rain this summer in Michigan and I have had to refill the barrel from my hose a few times. Also, the Poultry Nipples have gotten stuck once or twice leading to some leakage. As with the food bins, I can't see when the water runs low. I bought simpler float switches for this task: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071ZG4Y34/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I'm only using one now for the very lowest water level. I may add a few more (the package came with six) to get a better warning.

 

[alknoll]

2) Drinking water: I added some insulation wrap to my rain barrel. We had very little rain this summer in Michigan and I have had to refill the barrel from my hose a few times. Also, the Poultry Nipples have gotten stuck once or twice leading to some leakage. As with the food bins, I can't see when the water runs low. I bought simpler float switches for this task: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071ZG4Y34/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I'm only using one now for the very lowest water level. I may add a few more (the package came with six) to get a better warning.

I am an engineer and am loving these coop updates. Genius!

 

[alknoll]

Next up: automation. What I don't like about the metal feeders is the inability to see the feed level easily. So - I'm throwing some electronics at the problem. I bought two cheap capacitive proximity sensors (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072C35ZDC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) that can detect the presence of chicken feed. I wired them up to an indicator LED that I can see from the house. It took a bit of tweaking - but it worked for the first time over the weekend and came on just as the food level uncovered the sensor.
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Question: The nipples look like they are in the run, is there water in the coop house itself?

 

[aart]

Drinking water: I added some insulation wrap to my rain barrel. We had very little rain this summer in Michigan and I have had to refill the barrel from my hose a few times. Also, the Poultry Nipples have gotten stuck once or twice leading to some leakage.

Not seeing the nipples?