Thanks for the welcome everyone.
Overwhelmed! So much information to start getting into, but feel fortunate to have a place to start asking away. THANKS!
Since I'm interested in building a coop first, am I naive that I might find plans for different sizes of the woods style coop that was suggested?
Have to ask but are there materials to stay away from in a build? Wouldn't want to be introducing something that could affect the birds health (wood types, etc.)
Also, do people raise the woods coops or keep them on the ground?
There are several discussions about alternate dimensions and downsizing to obtain the same perspective ratio in the following thread. There is also discussion about materials.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...oop-design-amish-built.1211813/#post-19293379
Staying away from aromatic woods like eastern red cedar shouldn't be difficult to do. Just go with standard pine. Don't use any pressure treated lumber in places it will come into contact with the chickens. I use treated lumber for the legs and sometimes corner posts.
I have used treated plywood on the roof and floor but I cover my floors with sheets of HDPE.
I think the building could be elevated. All of my buildings except the one on a concrete slab are high enough for the chickens to hang out underneath to escape heat in summer or to find a dry space to dust bathe in winter.
The downside to an elevated coop in extreme cold is cold coming up through the floor. That can be compensated for by adding more shavings for bedding as insulation.
If you're in southern Ontario, your winters may not be significantly harsher than here. If you are in the north, that would be a different story altogether.
For discussions on breeds, as was mentioned go for breeds adaptable to your climate.
There are lots of cold hardy breeds: Canada's own Chantecler, Buckeye, Wyandotte, Australorps, Jersey Giants, Orpingtons, Sussex, Orloffs and others. As was previously mentioned about barred rocks and Plymouths being cold hardy, they are but they are both the same breed. Plymouth Rocks are the breed, barred, partridge, white, blue, Columbian, silver, and several others are all color variations of Plymouth Rocks.
When looking for a specific color, keep in mind that some breeds come in one color, some breeds come in many colors.
The breed is the shape, the variety is the color.
