Hello from Minnesota!

[lvie]

Hello, BYC!

We're a pair of prospective backyard chicken enthusiasts and are excited to join this community. Now that the sun has finally come out in the frozen North, we're looking forward to starting a flock of 3-4 hens in our smallish urban backyard. Our main holdup: the coop. Other local chicken people have encouraged us to build our own coop, claiming that the prefab coops available at Home Depot, ACE and the like aren't appropriate for our climate. We have absolutely no experience building large structures, however, and are intimidated at the prospect of creating something from scratch.

Can anyone from Minnesota or a similarly chilly locale provide any insight? Is building our own absolutely the way to go, or are there adequate prefab options (that don't cost an arm and a leg!)? What do you think about purchasing a prefab coop and adding extra insulation?

Thank you!

IF you can find someone to help you build - do that - talking from experience here. The coop kits will not last and need something more substantial added to them. There are many instructional videos on u-tub and BYC that are GOOD tutorials. You won't be sorry.