Nebraskans Speak Up!!! NEBRASKA ROCKS!!

[Happy Dad]

I use our old barn for a winter coop. It is not insulted and no heat source. But it has plenty of ventilation, and the birds can find nice draft free places to roost. That is really key, your birds can handle the cold as long as they are dry, the coop has low humidity, and can stay out of the wind. I personally would not insulate your coop, just make sure your humidity is low and they are out of the wind.

I'll second that. No insulation, just make sure you have proper ventilation to keep the humidity down. We have no heat and no insulation and even down to -8 outside temp they have been just fine the past two winters.

Enjoy your coop build and post pics!

 

[JustCallMeMoe]

Hey Jimbob, how far from Omaha are you? I'm building a coop here in a few weeks if you want to help.

 

[WthrLady]

I'd help too if i weren't so far. I loved building mine!

 

[jimbob86]

Hey Jimbob, how far from Omaha are you? I'm building a coop here in a few weeks if you want to help.

Depends upon where in Omaha...... I'm in Murray which is 7 miles south of Plattsmouth........ When I used to work in West O, it took me 45 minutes to get to work from home.

 

[jimbob86]

What were you thinking of building, Moe?

 

[JustCallMeMoe]

I live on the edge of Elkhorn/Waterloo. I was going to build an 8 foot by 4 foot "shed" type thing. Like this:

 

[jimbob86]

Looks simple enough for one trip, I think.

Got materials together yet? I know it's too cold yet to build, but if you eliminate the trips to the store, things go so much faster.


Also, what provisions for ventilation? One square foot opening per bird is the guideline ...... how many birds?

 

[JustCallMeMoe]

Well I was going to start with 6 but everyone keeps saying chicken math is definitely a thing and I'll end up with 12 so I made it bigger. There's going to be a couple windows and also a few vent spaces. I figured it wouldn't be too hard to plan out a couple more. I haven't bought the lumber yet but I'm in the process of trying to figure out how much I'm going to need so I can just make one trip.

 

[jimbob86]

Check out the 70% off bins at Home Depot and Lowe's anytime you are in town .... They toss anything in there that the customers are not buying because it's it's a little warped, checked or has a chewed up edge ..... servicable lumber in there for very little money!

As for ventilation, with a pitched roof like that, it's pretty easy to leave a 1 foot space at the top on the leeward side(s) and cover it with hardware cloth ..... overhang the roof some to keep the rain out .....

 

[WthrLady]

Everyone doing ok? Visibility is only 200 yards. Insanity.