New Coop Ideas For A Northern Climate

[Alaskan]

I never get -40. Rarely I can get to -20F, but that is very rare. -10 for a week is probable, but we usually go between the single positive digits and the twenties.

 

[Rooster Rules]

I never get -40. Rarely I can get to -20F, but that is very rare. -10 for a week is probable, but we usually go between the single positive digits and the twenties.

Well there you go, your in a section of the balmier parts of Alaska, not quite like Fairbanks, or Whitehorse, or Prince George BC.
We have friggin cold, lots of 0f to -20f, for the most part, but gets those -30 to -40 nights each year, sometimes a nioght here or there, some times 2 weeks straight.
Ask any North Dakotan, or someone from Hibbings Minnesota, can get drastically cold, but usually hot in summer.
You are near Anchorage, thought it was on the cold side these days? But not so bad, Juneau seems to be 1 of your warm spots for winter, much like the BC coastline.....havea good one, and keep those husky sled dogs well fed...

 

[Alaskan]

Nah, I am south of Anchorage, but on a high bluff kinda mountain close to the water. So, mighty winds and such, and buckets of snow (nothing like Cordova though) because i am at 1,300 ft above sea level.

 

[Rooster Rules]

It is wicked cold today. 2 factors, cold arctic air, high winds, high humidity. not that cold air temp, 5f, but close tom -15 windchill......Brrrrr, water in run not frozen, sitting over 3 hours too..

 

[Alaskan]

We had been around 5F all last week, having to do the poultry water at least twice a day..


But now we gave warmed up and gotten snow.


Not such a good thing since I am very behind this year, and don't have any if my snow removal stuff operational.

I feel for you.... I think the strong blasting cold wind is the hardest to deal with.

 

[Rooster Rules]

We had been around 5F all last week, having to do the poultry water at least twice a day..


But now we gave warmed up and gotten snow.


Not such a good thing since I am very behind this year, and don't have any if my snow removal stuff operational.

I feel for you.... I think the strong blasting cold wind is the hardest to deal with.

Were tough stock up here, and used to it.....LOL Today My wife, drove 75 miles south to Pembina ND to pick-up Xmas parcels, but it is multi-lane highway all the way

 

[adacombe]

I hear ya, I built an insulated coop, and I'm glad I did, we've had a rough, cold winter here as I am a fellow Manitoban. My well insulated coop keeps the hens warm and the water stays unfrozen. I often work out of town for two weeks at a time, so with a large feeder, and watering system using heat tape, all I have to do is get someone to collect the eggs daily. Here is my design, with attached run that I enclose with tarps in the winter. The large window facing south also helps!

 

[blucoondawg]

I built a 12x12 coop with a slanted roof, front wall is 8 ft tall back wall is 6 ft tall so its basically a 2/12 pitch roof, I left a good foot of over hang on the front and back of the roof and left it open for airflow, I covered it with hardware cloth to keep weasels and squirrels and whatever else from climbing in. I did not insulate the coop at all yet, just a good bed of wood chips on the floor. I may at some point put in some insulation as it will stop some heat loss however with the ventilation that is required in a coop it will still get quite cold inside, my chickens did fine this winter and we had many extended stretches of -20 to -30, it was the coldest winter in recent memory. I do put an electric heat pan out in winter that my galvanized 8 gallon waterer sits on, I don't want to be continually having to run fresh water out there. I was going to go with an outside nest but am glad I didn't, I was having some trouble with frozen eggs during the really cold times and I think it would be worse with outside nests, this is one area where insulating the wall behind the nest boxes may be a big improvement as well. I didn't have any problems with frostbite on the hens but I did have minor frostbite on one rooster just the very tips of the comb of a BR and my NH rooster got frost bit worse as they must have been in a fight and the NH got the worst of it cuz his comb was bloodied and that bloodied comb in the cold is just like water on the comb, gonna freeze. I am going to butcher this NH as he is kind of a poor example of a rooster anyways and likely replace him with some sort of brahma rooster with a smaller comb, my brahmas and wyandottes did very well in the cold.

I am also considering installing a removable hover for next winter which will decrease the area around the roost bars and old the body heat around the birds while still allowing for good ventilation in the coop.

 

[adacombe]

Ventilation is key, but with -40 for months on end, the air is so dry here it soaks up any moisture that birds give off. I can keep the coop buttoned up tight except for the small pop door, and never have a moisture problem in the winter.

 

[blucoondawg]

We can't do that here especially with a decent sized flock, maybe if I just had 6 or 8 chickens it would be ok but it has been my experience with a larger flock a sealed heated coop makes for a slimy poopy nasty stinky mess in the winter, my parent's coop was insulated sealed and heated and it was a constant hassle trying to keep it clean.