Nevadans?

[SunnyDawn]

I agree Missy. Vents are best on the top of the side walls. We used the kind meant for cement foundation venting (for a crawl space foundation) because it already has the heavy duty screening on it to prevent critters from getting in and also has the downward facing slats to prevent rain from getting in. You won't need heat out there unless we get some freaky weather that brings the coop temp to zero or below and even then you can always heat rocks or socks filled with rice to cover such an unlikely emergency.

The carpet will insulate the coop some so I seriously doubt you will ever have a problem. Water may still freeze but Elizabeth has an easy fix for that. If you ever get to the point where you want to avoid ever hauling water to the coop you can always adjust later. There are a lot of different solutions out there for keeping water from freezing.

 

[sherylreno]

Missy, venting must be on top. I sorta showed you the build up litter method but I didn't show you the side where the birds mostly sleep, that area is almost 9" of straw and manure layered beneath them and the top of my coop is open from the front to the back. I close the door when it gets below 20 degrees other than that the coop stays pretty warm for them. If you can afford the DE I highly recommend it too. Most of us use DE here in Nevada to help dry out the manure in the coop. I put DE in there once to every other week and layer more straw every so many weeks as needed.

In the Summertime I open the coop up all day long. I have doors on both sides of the walls and all along the backside as well and with the front door being open it gets tons of air in there and cools it down some.

 

[SunnyDawn]

 

[Penturner]

Not really sure how big your coop is. But generally when you think you have enough, you don't. All 4 walls of what could be my coop, some would call it a pen. are 1/2 inch hardware cloth year round. The chickens do have a tiny box on legs that they can get into in the case of cold nights and windy weather. they either use it or they don't. We are also able to place a heat lamp through a hole in the top of this box if necessary. we have actually found it works better if we place the heat lamp in the corner of the pen. There is a sheltered corner where the pen is up against the wall of my shop that proves protection from wind, rain and other nasty things. This serves well as a cozy spot we can heat for them on the coldest nights. Otherwise they seem to do better with the open air than they do when we try to move them into the shop where it is 70ish degrees all year round.
It used to concern me but I have come to realize that they are built for a little variation in temperatures. By they way the girls have started laying in the last few days again.

 

[2seth2]

184 posts tell me never to be gone for a week agian

please tell me any thing that applies to me

i am just looking at pictures cool chickens aubrey and i wish i was getten eggs like all of you.

if you haven't heard i lost my silkie auction so i m still chicken less

tell me what everyone got at the show.

 

[SunnyDawn]

Aubrey got some cool leghorns and a silkie. Not sure what else she or anyone else got.

 

[sherylreno]

184 posts tell me never to be gone for a week agian

please tell me any thing that applies to me

i am just looking at pictures cool chickens aubrey and i wish i was getten eggs like all of you.

if you haven't heard i lost my silkie auction so i m still chicken less

tell me what everyone got at the show.

I'm sorry you didn't get your silkie's Seth.

I didn't find anything at the Poultry show but Lacey did find a OEGB rooster & pullet.

 

[wolftracks]

184 posts tell me never to be gone for a week agian

please tell me any thing that applies to me

i am just looking at pictures cool chickens aubrey and i wish i was getten eggs like all of you.

if you haven't heard i lost my silkie auction so i m still chicken less

tell me what everyone got at the show.

What Silkies? Eggs or birds?

 

[wolftracks]

Posted about my cemetery trip on the California thread.

 

[NevadaRon]

Well I'm still not getting the notifications!

The Unsubscribe/Subscribe trick didn't work this time.