I would heavily suggest a walk-in size coop, and then just make an insulated hover or 'coop within the coop' to trap their body heat around them on the roost. Then you can have much more chicken-friendly ventilation; also you will be INDOORS when tending the chickens, which believe me counts for a lot
Be worth having electricity available, as there may be some times you wish to run a lamp.
Design the roof so it won't dump vast blobs of snow in front of the people door
Consider a strong (for snowload) roof over at least part of the run, or at least a windbreak.
I'd for sure insulate, floors/walls/ceiling.
If you are *really* concerned about cold (although, despite the -30F record low, your climate seems less-thoroughly-cold than many, from those numbers), you might consider whether you can design for maximal thermal mass, because it sounds like you get good warm periods amongst the cold weather, when you could be 'storing up heat'. A dirt or slab floor helps (in that case, obviously you would not insulate it, unless you insulated vertically around the perimeter of a slab being poured); rock, cinderblocks, gravel, water-filled containers also all have varying worthwile amounts of thermal inertia if they can be squirrelled away here and there. Since you are at a relatively low latitude your winter sun should still be fairly high and a popcan-style solar heater might be worth considering if you want additional heat.
Good luck, have fun, we have 6" of snow on the ground right now if it makes you feel any better
,
Pat
Be worth having electricity available, as there may be some times you wish to run a lamp.
Design the roof so it won't dump vast blobs of snow in front of the people door
I'd for sure insulate, floors/walls/ceiling.
If you are *really* concerned about cold (although, despite the -30F record low, your climate seems less-thoroughly-cold than many, from those numbers), you might consider whether you can design for maximal thermal mass, because it sounds like you get good warm periods amongst the cold weather, when you could be 'storing up heat'. A dirt or slab floor helps (in that case, obviously you would not insulate it, unless you insulated vertically around the perimeter of a slab being poured); rock, cinderblocks, gravel, water-filled containers also all have varying worthwile amounts of thermal inertia if they can be squirrelled away here and there. Since you are at a relatively low latitude your winter sun should still be fairly high and a popcan-style solar heater might be worth considering if you want additional heat.
Good luck, have fun, we have 6" of snow on the ground right now if it makes you feel any better
Pat
