New coop build for new chicks

[Nodakj]

 

[Alaskan]

Because when its -40°f for a few weeks it is colder than my freezer. My coop is raised up on legs and will be sealed off from vermin with hardware cloth.

My older sis lives at a high elevation in Northern Minnesota... stupid crazy cold at her place.

She doesn't insulate... but IF you can keep rodents out of the insulation, and IF you have lots of wind, I do find insulation useful. However, it doesn't make the coop warmer, it just keeps wind from blowing through the coop.

My older sis lives in the trees, so has little wind. Her dog keeps bears away, but she has wolves that run through... she always has to be really careful because of predators.

Hardware cloth is great against rodents, but for dogs, wolves and coyotes a second layer of stronger wire is best. So, you need a double layer of wire. Hardware cloth to keep out rodents as well as paws, beaks, and teeth, and then a stronger wire or wood strips that will withstand biting/tearing and animals banging up against it.

Anyway, with stupid cold (below -20F for extended periods) you need to way up the protein and fat that they eat.

Also, as previously stated by @Ted Brown they will need more snow free and wind free area in the winter. In too small of an area they will start to eat each other.

 

[Nodakj]

Gotta get this coop built ! My girls are getting big !

 

[Melissa93063]

Wow! This is great work! I wish I had seen your posts before I started on my own hen house project! That said, I am coming to understand that half the fun of having chickens is undertaking various projects to accommodate them - again and again!

 

[Ted Brown]

I just had a look, Fargo ND never gets -40F, your coldest month is January average temperature is -7F.

Also, I counted 9 chickens in your pictures. Your coop will house 8 birds at a maximum IF they also have 10 sq ft of outside run space that is usable through the winter (chickens do NOT like snow and will spend most of their time inside unless it is covered).

Overcrowding leads to aggressive behaviours.

I am not being critical simply to be an a-****, trying to provide information that will make your chicken journey successful.

 

[Ted Brown]

I am able to buy feed with up to 22% protein at my local feed store. "Normal" feed is 16%; check with your supplier I suspect they will have feed available with elevated protein levels.

I am not certain about the best ways to provide fats. I do know chickens will devour any fat cutoffs from human food and love you for it. Does not have to be a regular occurance just for those extra cold periods. @aart, @Kiki, @NatJ may be able to provide better guidance.

Bears can be a particular problem as they are very strong and can break through sheds, houses if they think there is food to be had. However, I have black bears locally and they tend to avoid humans except in unusual circumstances (garbage with food castoffs left in accessible locations). Five big dogs will certainly help. The usual advice given on BYC for the larger predators is high voltage electric fencing, not expensive and very effective properly installed and used. You may want to ask others who keep chickens about practices in your local area.

Best of luck.

 

[Nodakj]

 

[Nodakj]

Have to get my chicken door put in. And then start put hardware cloth underneath and build the run. Then insulate and cover the inside.

 

[Ted Brown]

Curios where you live that has -40F for a few weeks?

There is a member @Alaskan who has some very good advice on how to care for chickens in very cold environments. I live in Canada, our winters are 5 months long, average -15C but we do get into the -30Cs for days at a time. I have a coop that is open on the front, not insulated; my flock survives without any issues.

Insulation will NOT protect from cold temperatures, the inside will be the same absolute temperature as the outside. You need to ensure that you have proper ventilation 24/7, that your birds are not exposed to drafts. Proper ventilation (1 sq ft per bird) will keep the coop dry which is key to healthy birds.

HC around the bottom will not exclude mice and other critters if they want to dig into the cozy spaces you are providing by adding insulation. Having your coop elevated will help but will not eliminate their ingress.

 

[NatJ]

As to upping the protein and fat levels. Yes i been thinking i do need to do so. Any recommedations on how to do so ? The last bag of feed i got from town didn't have a very high protein content.

I don't think they need special food in the winter, they just need enough of it. If they eat more food, they get more of everything (protein, fat, general calories, etc.)

Water is VERY important. If the chickens get thirsty, they will not eat dry food either, which makes two problems at once.

I think it's helpful to give them a wet mash in cold weather-- just their normal chicken food with warm water added. That lets them get water and food at once, and they can fill their crops quickly instead of going back and forth between water and dry food. Of course provide the normal dry food and water too, but mash is nice in the morning when they wake up and especially in the evening so they can stuff themselves before going to sleep.