I need some chicken coop advice

[Wladson]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the chicken business and I would like to build a chicken coop initially for 3 chickens and can increase to up to 6.

I live in central Quebec in Canada and last year we had a record high of -45 Celsius (-49F), so I believe insulation and a heat source will be necessary.

First I did all the electrical work of making a trench, to add electrical conduits, wiring and protected sockets.

Now I'm in the design/construction phase and I've been thinking about something with an area of 4ft x 5ft elevated 2ft off the ground and another 4ft high. Additionally, a covered and fenced outdoor area for them to take a walk and enjoy the outdoors while they are still chicks. When it's autumn/winter I'm going to surround this external area with plastic to cut the wind.

I can't decide if these measurements are appropriate for the number of chickens and another factor that keeps me up at night is the addition of a window. I can't find a used window that fits the bill and the only one I have found are shed windows made from PVC/Plexiglas and I'm not sure if I would be losing much heat through these Plexiglas windows.

Ahh yes, I'm going to make internal insulation with foam sheets and cover it so it doesn't turn into chicken food

Any advice would be welcome and sorry for the spelling mistakes

Wladson

 

[aart]

I live in central Quebec in Canada and last year we had a record high of -45 Celsius (-49F), so I believe insulation and a heat source will be necessary.

Do you mean a record low?
A heat source might be good, maybe even insulation.
But remember you'll need good ventilation all year long too.
You'll need to power to keep water thawed anyway, so good move getting it installed.

Additionally, a covered and fenced outdoor area for them to take a walk and enjoy the outdoors while they are still chicks. When it's autumn/winter I'm going to surround this external area with plastic to cut the wind.

Excellent idea. Make sure you make the framing strong enough to hold up to snow loads.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Read this. This person lives in a climate similar to yours. Trust them more than anything I tell you. I've worked in a climate like that but never had chickens there.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/

Personally I'd make the coop bigger. I suspect you see some pretty vicious winter storms. That plastic might not hold up very well. I'd want six chickens to have more room than 4x5 if they might be stuck in there 24/7 for days on end.

I would not elevated the coop. Insulating it helps of course but elevating it allows air to get under it. Even if it is frozen your ground will be warmer than your air during a cold snap. I think you would lose less heat during cold snaps if it is on the ground.

I can't remember what is in that article or if Alaskan mentions it. I'd want it higher than 4 feet. One of your dangers is cold winds hitting the chickens. You want your ventilation high enough that any breezes coming through are well above their heads on the roosts.

A huge risk is frostbite. Moist air is much more dangerous from a frostbite perspective than dry air. Warm air rises and holds more moisture than dry air. Moisture comes from their breathing, poop, and any thawed water in the coop. That's why Aart said you need ventilation, to get that moisture out. You want your warm moist air to escape so have your opening up high.

I'm not that worried about keeping that area warm, I'm more interested in helping them keep themselves warm. Even with ventilation open up high insulation can help a lot with that. It reduces you radiating heat out through the walls. It stops cold winds getting through cracks. Even with no heat source good insulation can increase the temperature inside be a noticeable amount.

You need natural light in there. They need to be able to see what they are doing. I would not depend on electric lights for that, power might go out. That's a reason I would not count on electricity to heat their area, instead set them up to keep themselves warm. A double paned insulated window would reduce heat loss but I think natural light is much more important. Plexiglas can work.

Integration takes extra room. Only do that in good weather months when you can supply extra room outside.

Again, I have not kept chickens in your climate so take everything I've said with two grains of salt and a dash or pepper. Some of my personal preferences will come through also. Good luck with it and please read that article.

 

[Penpal]

Which direction do the strong winds come from? On that side make the wall curved so the wind will go around it. If you can't make a curve, then put a corner on that side so the wind hits the corner and goes off the right or left. Make these walls longer than the walls they are attached to so that the attached wall has some protection. Put the doors, human and chicken, on a different wall than the wind side.

A steep roof for heavy snow. Big overhangs to help keep the rain and hail out. If you get vertical rain, no openings on the windy side.

I believe that is -42F, which is also very very cold.

Deep litter acts as insulation. I don't know if you need insulation because your chickens wear down coats. Remember that as the manure decomposes in the straw a chemical reaction takes place, which is warm. Fresh manure is body temperature. This helps to warm up the coop.

 

[Penpal]

How dry is the area? I have heavy clay and in the spring new ponds appear. If you have a septic field, that will be the highest place and probably a good place to put the coop, it is where we put ours.

If your spring is wet and muddy, you need a place for melting snow and ice to go. Think about tile (like farmers use) or a French drain on one or both sides of the coop and run. Iris can be planted over the French drain. It will be pretty, and you will always know where the drain is.

 

[Wladson]

Thank you everyone for the information shared. This weekend I went to my neighbor who has been raising chickens for many years and inspected his chicken coop to find out the key points. I also read the links and my plan is fitting in with the recommendations, so apparently all I need now is a hammer and nails. In fact, I went to a garage sale and was lucky enough to find a great double-glazed window that would be perfect for the purpose.

The location of the chicken coop has good drainage and during the thaw it does not accumulate water or mud, I would say that the only negative point is the presence of raccoons due to a tiny stream nearby, so security will have to be reinforced

Quite excited to complete the project.