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[city egg man]

Hello Im name is Tim I live in Guelph Ontario. Im new to rasing chickens and looking foward to it. I'm looking at plans for my coop and bilbing it over the winter for my new girls in the spring. My consern is the winters. Some tips and tricks to consiter when bilding the coop would be a great help. Im looking at raising 3 to 4 chickens.
Thanks
city egg man

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC, Tim. Glad you decided to join our flock. You should check out our section on winterizing your coop at https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-coop-temperatures. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Do you have any breed preference?

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! You might also want to check out the coop/run design forum https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/9/coop-run-design-construction-maintenance

 

[pooh092197]

Welcome to BYC! Have fun building your coop.

 

[fawkestheman]

Welcome to BYC! We have an awesome and fun community around here! Good luck building your coop! post pics when its done!

 

[drumstick diva]

One tip is, build it larger than you think you will need. People get addicted to chickens and want more and more. If you build the coop larger, you won't have to keep making additions, as your flock grows .Welcome to BYC

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

Glad you joined the flock! Here is an article on winter chicken keeping with some more tips (and reassurances):

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-chicken-keeping

Enjoy the site!

 

[BantamLover21]

Glad you joined us!

Definitely read Sumi's link; it contains great information on keeping chickens during winter.

Good luck with your future chickens!

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Gooducm with your future flock!

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

The key to keeping chickens in the winter is good ventilation, letting them roost low to the floor in quiet air. Moisture from pooping and breathing goes up and out the ceiling vents. 1 square foot per bird. They will stay dry and warm. You can tack an old towel to the roost bar in early winter. I do this every year. Warm feet mean warmer birds. Use a 2x4 with the 4 side up so they can keep their feet under their breast feathers. Definitely follow the links that the others have provided and stay warm this winter!