I was thinking about building a coop for chickens to lay year round in. Anyone have any experiance

[guineafowlguy]

I have been building 8x8 coops for a while know and have been happy with them. I like to build them so i can stand up and walk around easily

I was going to build a new coop similar to the ones i always build but i wanted it to be specifically for chickens to lay year round in.

I heard if you give them light for a few more hours and warm water they would lay.

I have never done this before.

How warm do i need to keep the water?

Do i need to keep the chicken warm too like in summer?

What are the basics that i should know.

Thanks

 

[ernndbrtt]

Our Buff Orps have been laying since fall when they started and haven't missed day since, we got them in July as day olds. We get between 12-15 eggs a day from 17 hens. We do keep a heat lamp on them all night long just to keep their water from freezing, northern Ohio gets chilly. On the coldest days, 20's in the coop, below teens outside, the water does start to freeze a bit around the edges but the girls continue laying anyway. I built our coop out of pallets I got from work and covered them with OSB. We also have a dirt floor covered with shavings and no nest boxes, just roosts and a few "private" areas where they all lay their eggs. Water temperature doesn't matter a whole lot cosidering they eat snow. I built our coop so I could stand up in it as well, much easier for cleaning. You can see it by following the link in my signature.

 

[4 the Birds]

Our Buff Orps have been laying since fall when they started and haven't missed day since, we got them in July as day olds. We get between 12-15 eggs a day from 17 hens. We do keep a heat lamp on them all night long just to keep their water from freezing, northern Ohio gets chilly. On the coldest days, 20's in the coop, below teens outside, the water does start to freeze a bit around the edges but the girls continue laying anyway. I built our coop out of pallets I got from work and covered them with OSB. We also have a dirt floor covered with shavings and no nest boxes, just roosts and a few "private" areas where they all lay their eggs. Water temperature doesn't matter a whole lot cosidering they eat snow. I built our coop so I could stand up in it as well, much easier for cleaning. You can see it by following the link in my signature.

+1 I have a similar set-up but my coop(s) are pole construction with beadboard. A coop that you can stand up without hunching over is definetely nice to have! Mine is this way and I continuously bump my head in a lower head clearance goat shed. Our girls lay year round without a drop in egg production in the winter months. I run a heated water dispenser in the coop along with light areas and dark areas. Divider walls or connected rooms would help give them choices to roost or nest.