Moving to Maine; What do I need to know

[IamRainey]

Not sure if this is the right place for this but I couldn't find a better one.

I live in Southern California. I'm moving to Maine. Two spots about as different as they can possibly be.

So far my biggest challenge has been keeping my chickens cool in 100˚+ weather. I won't know a damned thing about how to protect them from cold. Naturally, before I do ANYthing I want to know I'm taking the specific needs of that climate into consideration when I'm planning to site and to build my new coop.

Of course, besides daunting it's a rather exciting possibility. I'll be able to plan in all the things I didn't know about when I built my present one. I just need to be sure I'm not caught with a whole different kind of things I didn't plan for. So let me know what it's like there, if you please. And thanks in advance!

 

[aart]

I live in Southern California. I'm moving to Maine. Two spots about as different as they can possibly be.

WOW!!!!
ME can be brutally beautiful.
Where abouts?

Go BIG!
Walk-in, twice as much space as the 4/10 rule.
Large(12") roof overhangs with open soffits.
Power for heated waterer.

Or you could do a Woods coop, I believe it was designed in Maine.
Intriguing design for max airflow, different than any other type coop.

 

[aart]

A pitched roof makes absolute sense! What do you guys think of a metal roof? I mean to shed snow.

You'd need metal roof if you expect snow to slide off....and it would have to be very steep.
Better to build your roof to handle the snow load than try to pitch it enough, IMO.
If you do use metal roofing be sure to install wood or foam board under it to avoid condensation dripping on the birds.

 

[aart]

great heat or insulation.

Nah...neither. Good ventilation makes both moot.

 

[IamRainey]

Ah! A pitched roof makes absolute sense! What do you guys think of a metal roof? I mean to shed snow.

Never been a fan of feathered legs. It probably isn't a fair opinion but they're always struck me as a little too precious and fussy.

We won't move the birds we have. It will be a few years before we actually make our move. When the time comes to sell, I'll offer our coop and flock with our present house. If the buyer isn't interested I'll rehome. Moving 3K miles with a flock of birds doesn't make sense to me. We once moved 3K miles out here with 3 cats in the cab of a rented truck. That was enough adventure for me when we were much younger and more apt to cope with crazy.

When the time comes we'll get settled, build the right coop and then get birds.

I presently live in the Los Angeles area. Our suburb in called Woodland HIlls. Not sure how that came out as "Redwood Coast".

I've only seen snow here twice in 40 years and that didn't last through a day. But my husband is from the Rochester area (MAJOR snow belt) and I'm from the Hudson Valley area of NYS (moderate snow). We've also lived through British Columbia winters (pretty moderate winters from ocean currents but still snowy). I've only known Maine in the summer but we're both pretty comfortable with the idea of real weather. In fact, we've been looking forward to having some again since the 70s.

 

[Ted Brown]

I live near Ottawa, Ontario on the Quebec side; depending on where in Maine you move you could be either north or south of my location. Similar weather although Nor'easters tend to bypass us.

I built my 1st coop about a year ago and have a winter with birds under my belt. I spent more than a year reading about coop construction and predators (one needs to build for what one has to protect against) before I decided on a design.

Many (all?) coops that are described on this forum seem to evolve; whether from a new or existing shed or "coop in a box" or "custom builds". I decided early on to build a proven design suitable to my climate and environment. From recommendations of people on this site I found and chose the Woods fresh air style and built a 10' by 16' KD (Knock Down). While applicable to many climates it is particularly suitable to harsh winters such as Maine or where I live.

IMHO one's choice in coop design is critical in allowing focus on the birds rather than annoyances arising from a bad design. However, I am also shifting my flock to include only birds that are tolerant of cold weather (why fight city hall?) initially focusing on White Large Fowl Chanteclers (I now have 15). I also have an interest in both Icelandics and Hungarian Yellows.

I decided to elevate my coop off the ground; my rationale was deterrence of pests and predators and use of the space underneath as an "instant and secure" run. Mine is three feet+ off the ground to make access easy for maintenance.

I used metal roofing over membrane over wood. My slopes do not cause the snow to slide off on it's own but the coop is low enough that I could clear if a particularly bad winter called for it.

I have electricity but NOT TO HEAT! I have lights, heater for water, plugs.

I also heeded the observation that one should be able to stand erect inside the coop. In mine about one third of the floor space allows this while the rest can be easily reached on the occasions where it is needed (I need to bend over to clean my drop boards).

I recommend that one does not short change on the robustness of the build. In the winter I can have several feet of snow on a roof, that snow will be alternating layers of ice and snow and at times will be sopping wet because IT BOTH MELTS AND RAINS IN THE WINTER.

As to runs mine are still a work in process. The run under the coop was a no-brainer: minimal cost/effort as all I needed was 1/2" by 1/2" HC around the perimeter and apron areas; however it does not provide enough space for the number of birds I can hold in my coop. I recently decided to free range in response to feather pecking problems, early stages and I worry about predators but it has impacted how much additional run space I think I need to build out.

FWIW I am building a 2nd smaller 8' by 12' Woods KD, this time on a trailer so it is "easily" moveable and still elevated. While the footprint is smaller I will replicate wall heights of my larger coop. This decision for a second coop is because of a new found interest in heritage breeds and a possible desire to contribute to their preservation.

Which brings me to another consideration. I realized that I needed "pens" in addition to coops/runs. If one wants to hatch chicks one needs to be able to isolate for a period of time for a variety of reasons (broody hen, injured/deficient birds, pre-integration with flock). I will want to segregate "families" of particular breeds in order to control which roo mates with which hens. Initially I have built pens inside my coop and under the drop boards but current thinking is to build six small (4' by 6'?) HC/wood frame pens to be used during the spring breeding periods. These will be separate from both coops and runs but close by.

As you can see space evolution afflicts me as well but in my case it is functional rather than corrective.

Best of luck with both your move as well as your new flocks.

 

[BuckeyeAmy69]

Aart gives good advice. I’m in NW Ohio and I don’t use heat or insulation. I have electricity for a heated base for the water. I only raise birds that are known to do well in cold climates and I prefer pea combed breeds but have straight combed breeds too. I also avoid feather shanked birds due to the possibility of ice forming on the feathers. Congrats on your move! I’d LOVE to live in Maine!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

What do you mean by "steep slopes"? What happens if the lot is relatively flat? How would we simulate a slope? What advantage does a slope provide?

It's the pitch on the roof. Allows for rain and snow to fall off. As well hot air rising creates a convection circulation. Flat roof leaves room for stagnant air.. more risk of frostbite.

Birds are already insulated by their feathers.. proper ventilation is key to keeping the coop dry inside.

Message me I will explain

Why not share on the open forum, we are all here to learn as well.

Can you explain more about a feather shanked bird? I don't know what that means.

I disagree though think it's a fair concern.. some birds in the snow specifically have feathered shanks and feet like the snow grouse..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_ptarmigan

Hope you move goes off without a hitch! I like the Woods style coop also, If you are planning to take your current flock with you, then you will need to get a health certificate from a vet in order to cross state lines legally.

 

[Madie'sOddFlock]

Well, all of our coops have done great through winter and we actually lose less birds in the cold months than we do in our warm months. We have one coop that's an 8x10 metal shed with some 2x4 and 2x3 reinforcements, and cube shelving put in for nesting boxes, as well as 2 chest freezers for our grain storage. The birds in this coop free-range and do just fine, although we set up a heat lamp in their coop for a few hours in the morning and a few hours at night to keep them laying(whatever you do, don't leave it on all night, our birds have a tendency to party all night when we do that). No, the metal roof does not help snow slide off, but it is at a very small slant. Another coop is approximately 8x5, is all wooden with a shingled roof, and plastic siding. The roof is much more sloped than the metal coop, but being shingled it doesn't let snow slide off of it either. This one does not get a heat lamp because it's wooden and rather small. Then we have a wooden coop with a clear plastic roof that covers the run and the coop, and it's built in a lean-to style. The coop is off the ground by about a foot(I don't recommend unless you block off that part of the run, even the little kids are struggling to climb under there to get stray eggs now). There is plenty of ventilation from the top as there are multiple chicken wire covered windows. The next coop is approximately 10x10 and is made entirely of wood, the siding being plywood, the roof made of a layer of plywood covered in a tarp. This is our worst coop, and it has very little ventilation, but it certainly keeps the birds warm in the winter. The only reason we have this one is that we were in a rush to get birds into a coop for winter, a family friend was selling it for $150, gave it to us for $100 and it had close to $80 worth of plastic nesting boxes in it... This is never the way to go though... We all hate that coop and just haven't gotten a new one for those birds yet. For our guinea hens, we have a wooden outhouse, with a metal roof which works great since it allows them to stretch their wings. They aren't allowed out of their pen because they have a tendency to fly off and disappear, or to freeze their feet off in snow banks(we had one named stubs for a while, I'll let you figure out that story on your own...). Then my bantam coop is about 5x5, is all wooden with a slightly sloped roof and shingles. Their run is covered in random boards of wood and is made of chicken wire covered pallets, and they all do great.
We've had a bit of a problem with frostbite in the comb, but never horrible and it always goes away after a few months(don't ask me how... I don't know). We never use insulation since most kinds hide mites and our chickens have proven time and time again that they will eat almost anything you have for insulation one way or another. We have no heated waterers since the only one we ever had lasted about a month before everyone was pissed off with it and someone kicked it and broke it(I don't remember who but that's not important) Instead we use a lot of rubber bowls, which are easy to break the ice out of... also we carry a lot of warm buckets from the shower to the coops.
Really, we lose more birds to summer heat than we do to winter cold, most breeds are built to survive the cold, even my brown leghorns do just fine. If you have any more questions or ever need help with an issue, feel free to message me, I'm glad to help.

 

[IamRainey]

P.S. This sounds really glum, but to put it into perspective, we free-range and we lose more birds to old age than we do to predators.

Not really. Here in Los Angeles we have most of the same ones. The weasels, and foxes will be a new challenge, but in Vancouver I dealt with bears. Not with respect to chickens but they were a constant threat to my trash and I spent many a morning cleaning up after they'd tossed the cans up and down the driveway to break them open from all my various locking strategies.

Memories! Not sure these are the happy ones, but they're memories.

So, shall I assume hardware cloth isn't strong enough and do hog wire panels reinforced with hardware cloth?

Also, here in LA I have a bare earth (clay) floor for my run with the hardware cloth dug in 12". Is there a better strategy for a really cold climate?