New member from Canada...finally about to pass the planning phase :)

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Marie_123

Marie_123

In the Brooder
Dec 24, 2018
3
29
45
Alberta, Canada
Hello, I'm a new member who has been doing a bunch of reading and planning to get chickens, for about two years :S I do not yet have chickens but spring is what I'm aiming for for new chicks. Part of my hesitance was the time factor, both working full-time and in grad school full-time, but things have eased a bit now...yippeeee! I live on a small acreage with some dogs, cats and sheep...but the cold weather here also made me concerned about doing things right, and I want to ensure I don't cause any unnecessary harm to my first birds. I've got my eyes on some orpingtons, wyandottes, and plymouth rocks for now. While I'm interested in what many people are doing to raise and care for their birds, I'm mainly interested in what people in Canada are doing, as we do get some extreme cold weather, and here in southern Alberta, we get some extreme variations of weather, that can change quickly. I'm also very interested in predator control, because we have lots of big and little ones to contend with. Can't wait to engage many of you in some interesting chicken convos!!! Thanks for letting me hop on board!
 
Marie_123 said:
Hello, I'm a new member who has been doing a bunch of reading and planning to get chickens, for about two years :S I do not yet have chickens but spring is what I'm aiming for for new chicks. Part of my hesitance was the time factor, both working full-time and in grad school full-time, but things have eased a bit now...yippeeee! I live on a small acreage with some dogs, cats and sheep...but the cold weather here also made me concerned about doing things right, and I want to ensure I don't cause any unnecessary harm to my first birds. I've got my eyes on some orpingtons, wyandottes, and plymouth rocks for now. While I'm interested in what many people are doing to raise and care for their birds, I'm mainly interested in what people in Canada are doing, as we do get some extreme cold weather, and here in southern Alberta, we get some extreme variations of weather, that can change quickly. I'm also very interested in predator control, because we have lots of big and little ones to contend with. Can't wait to engage many of you in some interesting chicken convos!!! Thanks for letting me hop on board!
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Welcome to BYC! I'm from NS, Though I spent several years out in SK. The biggest thing you'll want to incorporate into your coop is going to be ventilation that can be open during the winter something that faces away from prevailing winter winds.

:D
 
Hello and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.
I applaud your restraint in waiting for chickens until everything has been well researched, thought out and built. I thought researching for 9 months was sufficient to get things right the first time. Although my current set up is great for the chickens, it is not for me! I am going to be converting my shed into a new coop this spring and I will be incorporating everything I learned since getting my chicks in April.
I encourage you to read many of the coop articles here on BYC as well as the reviews. You will learn a lot of information and the pros and cons of various design ideas.
As for predator protection, I use 1/2" HC to enclose the run and all openings to the coop as well as a 2' predator apron around the perimeter of the coop/enclosed run. My coop/run are contained within 1/4 acre pen protected by poultry netting with a 10,000 V charger. Nothing has gotten past this. I have a "large" covered run but the chickens are out of that and in the pen the vast majority of their day so I do have the ever present threat of aerial attack.
 
Rose Quartz said:
Welcome to BYC! I'm from NS, Though I spent several years out in SK. The biggest thing you'll want to incorporate into your coop is going to be ventilation that can be open during the winter something that faces away from prevailing winter winds.

:D
Click to expand...
Good point! We get some serious winds here and I'm particularly concerned about the humidity factor too (with the cold)...so a good approach to ventilation will be key, I suspect..All suggestions are welcomed!!!
 
Marie_123 said:
Good point! We get some serious winds here and I'm particularly concerned about the humidity factor too (with the cold)...so a good approach to ventilation will be key, I suspect..All suggestions are welcomed!!!
Click to expand...
there should be a map you can find online of your local prevailing winds for winter, it changes throughout the year, I'm not sure what they are out by the mountains.
 

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