Rangergord
Songster
Live north of 55 degrees on a homestead in the Rocky Mountain foothills of BC, Canada, Z2 on the plant hardiness scale with low temps of -50C (-60F), and lots of wind and snow for 5-6 months a year. The rest of the year it’s mostly spring or fall weather except for about 6 weeks in the middle that are like summer. That usually results in floods of melting mountain snow followed by drought and then forest fires.
I grew up on a homestead looking after a free range flock of RIR. At age 52 I finally got around to building a chicken tractor and borrowed a trio of BO from my daughter. She has a winter coop and is addicted to chicken math. my interests are in having them in my orchard/ garden to control competing vegetation and bugs and build soil. I like the eggs but I don’t eat chicken so keeping only a limited number of hens and no roosters suits me well. I like being able to control exactly where they work and want them to kill the grass. I currently have a quartet of ISA browns. Good temperament and amazing egg production for the feed consumption. I feed fermented whole grain with 36% poultry supplement and oyster shell. At least a third of their diet is scratch grain and bugs. Grass, fruit and vegetables in addition result in very well fed birds for low cost maintenance.
This spring I feel the need to build a winter coop/run for my small layer flock. My daughter really does not have enough room for more birds and I want the winter eggs. So I am studying up on coop building, with generous space allowance and ventilation but also insulation! A de-icer for the water and a heat mat near the roost for the minus 20 plus months are in the design. I am considering a mobile house modeled after the stress free chicken tractor for a covered run on deep litter with an insulated coop inside for cold days and nights. The roof slope will be steep to shed snow and will be covered in greenhouse glazing so it protects the birds from the wind and serves as a greenhouse in the growing season. I have a 4x8 tractor right now to develop new raised bed gardens and will build another 3 foot wide rover tractor to get into tight spots in my orchard. The pic shows the 4x8.
I grew up on a homestead looking after a free range flock of RIR. At age 52 I finally got around to building a chicken tractor and borrowed a trio of BO from my daughter. She has a winter coop and is addicted to chicken math. my interests are in having them in my orchard/ garden to control competing vegetation and bugs and build soil. I like the eggs but I don’t eat chicken so keeping only a limited number of hens and no roosters suits me well. I like being able to control exactly where they work and want them to kill the grass. I currently have a quartet of ISA browns. Good temperament and amazing egg production for the feed consumption. I feed fermented whole grain with 36% poultry supplement and oyster shell. At least a third of their diet is scratch grain and bugs. Grass, fruit and vegetables in addition result in very well fed birds for low cost maintenance.
This spring I feel the need to build a winter coop/run for my small layer flock. My daughter really does not have enough room for more birds and I want the winter eggs. So I am studying up on coop building, with generous space allowance and ventilation but also insulation! A de-icer for the water and a heat mat near the roost for the minus 20 plus months are in the design. I am considering a mobile house modeled after the stress free chicken tractor for a covered run on deep litter with an insulated coop inside for cold days and nights. The roof slope will be steep to shed snow and will be covered in greenhouse glazing so it protects the birds from the wind and serves as a greenhouse in the growing season. I have a 4x8 tractor right now to develop new raised bed gardens and will build another 3 foot wide rover tractor to get into tight spots in my orchard. The pic shows the 4x8.
Glad you joined.
Hello from NS 
and welcome to BYC! You’ve joined a great and resourceful community! Enjoy your journey!!!
