New chicken owner - first coop. Advice?

[JuttaV]

For all of you:

If I were to put a heat source in for winter, what would be best? It does not get super cold here normally. Mostly stays above freezing but we do get a little bit of snow. I'm looking for something that's less of a fire hazard than these big reflector things . What's the safest way to heat the coop? Most of our winter temps are between 30-45 deg. So I don't need a LOT of heat - something adjustable maybe? The cieling is pretty high in there so I could hang a light of some sort from the roof.

They don't need heat in the winter. It gets to -40C here and my six are fine in an uninsulated, unheated coop. Just make sure there are zero drafts and good ventilation.

 

[Vicker]

Looks good. I'd like to see them have more space to roam around. I don't know if you plan to give them a larger pen for excursions or to supervise some free-range time. As for the heat, fully feathered chickens don't require supplemental heat at the temps you mention. A heated water container can be your best friend in the winter, though.

 

[countryladyNH]

We have 8 hens and live in New Hampshire. We would STRONGLY advise that you get that heat lamp out of the coop now. They don't need it. PLEASE DO NOT put a heat lamp in the coop in winter. The hens will not need it and you are only creating a situation for potential disaster. It is MUCH colder here than in NC and our hens do not have heat in the coop---(We do have one of the very safe flat panel screen heaters that we can put on the wall for the rare times it is below zero. Our coop has south facing window and is nice on sunny days even when it's very cold).
All hens will perch together on the roost bars. They generate a lot of heat. It's easy to think of them by our 'people standards', but trust us, they will NOT be cold. We agree also that you must have enough ventilation for them.

 

[countryladyNH]

It's now on a 4x4 base and there are pavers surounding the bottom but I do plan on getting a roll of hardware cloth to put under the 4x4's to be extra safe. I also want to put a heavier gauge hardware cloth around the bottom of the run. (it's expensive though so right now they are getting locked into the coop at night) just in case of preditors. I have reinforced the hardware cloth that came with it already with washers and screws.

Always lock hens in the coop at night! They should NEVER be confined only to a run at night.

 

[countryladyNH]

I feel like a mom who’s kid is going to school for the first time lol!!! I could hear them out there screaming for me for hours. It broke my heart

They might have been screaming because the heat was almost cooking them...

 

[3KillerBs]

Always lock hens in the coop at night! They should NEVER be confined only to a run at night.

This can't be laid down as a universal.

If the run is hardened as predator-proof as the coop -- and you must remember that in hot climates many people use open coops with one or more wire-only walls -- then the chickens can be allowed free access to their run.

I did this for several years with my in-town chickens where my predator load was coons, possums, and roaming dogs. We had one attack on the defenses, which was unsuccessful. A probable coon, which could just as easily have tried to go in through the coop ventilation as through the run wire.

In my new, country setting we have a higher predator load and will be adding electric wire to the defenses of the new setup because I do not want to lock chickens into a coop when the summer nighttime lows are over 80F.

 

[paintedChix]

Ditto what 3KillerBs said.

All of our coop/pens are "open air" here in the sweltering (& currently massively wide swinging temps) heat. Gets way too hot w/ an enclosed coop.

They do need shade, some areas have utilized misters & fans in the run & fans in the coop - more to pull hot "stale" air out.

This is the first i've actually heard of putting air conditioning in a coop, though.

 

[Onyxflock]

Thanks so much! I'm planning on building one of those PVC/hardware cloth and bird netting runs that are pretty cheap to make. I can't free range because of hawks and ospreys in my yard. There's a BIG ole nest in my back yard. I want them to have as much space as possible. And yes, I agree this will not fit any more than what I have! It says up to 8 on their website but them must be talking about Brahmas. lol. not full size chickens. one of mine is small but not that small.

as for the run, it's pretty cheaply made but I think it'll last longer with the waterproofing, and raising it off the ground, and gluing all of the pieces together as I joined them with screws. I like the overall design. I did add a latch so that I can open the glass part of the window without it flopping around if it gets windy!

as far as covering it, I think we are gonna get some heavy tarps because we get bad hurricaines and tropical storms here constantly in the fall. I am also going to stake it to the ground although, since I added a 4x4" base, I doubt it's light enough to raise off the ground as it could have before.

I bought a house with similar materials - very flimsy. But I took extra time and insulated it before I assembled it - especially the floor. Tarps are a good but really a pain in windy weather - which we also have here. In my long 9 months of chicken raising, we've replaced 2 of them so far. I really like the shower curtain idea!
If the house is more insulated, rather than heated, the girls will keep warm. They'll roost and heat rises, so you can adjust with the little vent to let more or less warm air flow out.
You could make plywood panels cut to cover from ground to eaves on each wall of the house. Add latches to hold the sides in place and drive in 3' stakes in against them to hold on the outside against the walls. This would help to keep cold air from under the house and add a layer of insulation to the outside. Paint it pretty - to match the house and you can take it down when it warms up. Much better protection against the wind - and you can glue styrofoam insulation to the panels to be in between the walls if you think it needs more.

 

[neo71665]

Ditto what 3KillerBs said.

All of our coop/pens are "open air" here in the sweltering (& currently massively wide swinging temps) heat. Gets way too hot w/ an enclosed coop.

They do need shade, some areas have utilized misters & fans in the run & fans in the coop - more to pull hot "stale" air out.

This is the first i've actually heard of putting air conditioning in a coop, though.

Ours are open air because of the heat and humidity here. My run is also chain link even on the top with proper protection on the lower 4 feet over the chain link.

 

[Onyxflock]

We have 8 hens and live in New Hampshire. We would STRONGLY advise that you get that heat lamp out of the coop now. They don't need it. PLEASE DO NOT put a heat lamp in the coop in winter. The hens will not need it and you are only creating a situation for potential disaster. It is MUCH colder here than in NC and our hens do not have heat in the coop---(We do have one of the very safe flat panel screen heaters that we can put on the wall for the rare times it is below zero. Our coop has south facing window and is nice on sunny days even when it's very cold).
All hens will perch together on the roost bars. They generate a lot of heat. It's easy to think of them by our 'people standards', but trust us, they will NOT be cold. We agree also that you must have enough ventilation for them.

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Very beautiful setting! You and your family have a gorgeous home.