Notherners, do you insulate your coops?

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Can I ask, why?? You really do not lose *much* heat from windows, especially if you tape bubblewrap on the inside for winter. Presumably you have summertime windows that are open for ventilation then, why not just put a pane of plexiglas (with or without bubblewrap) over to close them up *transparently*, and/or use plexiglass on whatever adjustable vent you might have (be aware that just "a couple holes drilled in" may leave you with lingering humidity/frostbite problems), and it pretty much kills two birds with one stone. Without leaving your birds in total darkness when the bulb isn't on.

Just a thought,

Pat

 

[rebel-rousing-at-night]

Quote:
A uniquely Vermont breed developed at the Taft Hill homestead in Windham County.
http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/ab316/Maahes_2010/New Heritage/CopperScatchRooster.jpg
http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/ab316/Maahes_2010/New Heritage/CopperScotchHen.jpg

Large (about the size of a Brahma) dual-purpose, quiet, calm, excellent foragers and avoid predators well. Intensively select bred since 1997 for severe cold; genetics of this New Heritage Breed include high altitude breeds from the South American Andes, European Alps, Himalayas and East Asia.

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/ab316/Maahes_2010/New Heritage/CopperScotchperfection4.jpg

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/ab316/Maahes_2010/New Heritage/CopperScotch3.jpg


These are photos of only two Copper Scotch Roosters ( 1 in the post above and 1 represented in this post).

I'll ask Yashar to post some more photos of other birds- especially hens. The hens of the other two lines are gorgeous. The other male ( at Plymouth Colony) is a different line altogether from these birds as well. Foxes claimed the tails of these two roosters. Yosemite Sam ( sire 1 at Plymouth Colony Farm) is just an amazing creature.

As you know, in VT we have at least one week, often more of 20- 0 weather. We needed a dual purpose breed that would produce eggs through the winter while also being able to stay alive and even thrive in the barnyard amongst the hoofstock, gleaning for food scattered by the mammals. We really wanted a long-living breed that could self perpetuate with the least energy from humans and one that wouldn't ruin the garden or hide their eggs.
The Copper Scotch is our favorite breed. A black breasted variant hatches out as well and this is called the Black Jack.http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/ab316/Maahes_2010/New Heritage/CopperScotchperfection4.jpg

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/ab316/Maahes_2010/New Heritage/CopperScotch3.jpg


These are photos of only two Copper Scotch Roosters ( 1 in the post above and 1 represented in this post).

I'll ask Yashar to post some more photos of other birds- especially hens. The hens of the other two lines are gorgeous. The other male ( at Plymouth Colony) is a different line altogether from these birds as well. Foxes claimed the tails of these two roosters. Yosemite Sam ( sire 1 at Plymouth Colony Farm) is just an amazing creature.

As you know, in VT we have at least one week, often more of 20- 0 weather. We needed a dual purpose breed that would produce eggs through the winter while also being able to stay alive and even thrive in the barnyard amongst the hoofstock, gleaning for food scattered by the mammals. We really wanted a long-living breed that could self perpetuate with the least energy from humans and one that wouldn't ruin the garden or hide their eggs.
The Copper Scotch is our favorite breed. A black breasted variant hatches out as well and this is called the Black Jack.
BYCF member Yashar has two or three lineages of Copper Scotch including both Taft Hill and Cabbage Hill lines.

.

 

[LynneP]

We decided to insulate because we live at elevation and in a snow belt. We get a couple of weeks each winter with successive days of -20 C or lower. We have good air flow, and only get frost above a platform where the hens like to congregate during the day and above a heated dog bowl where we keep their water from freezing. We haven't experienced any frostbite and the birds always seem perky- they seem to prefer cold to heat! I have a layer lamp to supplement light in winter and it gives off some heat, but even when the temps are very low and the light is off, heat from 7 standard birds keeps the coop several degrees warmer than the outside, with the pop door open.

We don't have rodents thanks to numerous barn cats- you don;t want rats or mice in the walls.

Some ideas, here, we're building a second coop space beside the first, in our barn-

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=7693-our-second-coop

We also use snow boards and vinyl to cut wind in the run.

 

[Yashar]

Quote:
A uniquely Vermont breed developed at the Taft Hill homestead in Windham County.

Large (about the size of a Brahma) dual-purpose, quiet, calm, excellent foragers and avoid predators well. Intensively select bred since 1997 for severe cold; genetics of this New Heritage Breed include high altitude breeds from the South American Andes, European Alps, Himalayas and East Asia.

I'll ask Yashar to post some more photos of other birds- especially hens. The hens of the other two lines are gorgeous. The other male ( at Plymouth Colony) is a different line altogether from these birds as well. Foxes claimed the tails of these two roosters. Yosemite Sam ( sire 1 at Plymouth Colony Farm) is just an amazing creature.

As you know, in VT we have at least one week, often more of 20- 0 weather. We needed a dual purpose breed that would produce eggs through the winter while also being able to stay alive and even thrive in the barnyard amongst the hoofstock, gleaning for food scattered by the mammals. We really wanted a long-living breed that could self perpetuate with the least energy from humans and one that wouldn't ruin the garden or hide their eggs.
The Copper Scotch is our favorite breed. A black breasted variant hatches out as well and this is called the Black Jack.

I'll ask Yashar to post some more photos of other birds- especially hens. The hens of the other two lines are gorgeous. The other male ( at Plymouth Colony) is a different line altogether from these birds as well. Foxes claimed the tails of these two roosters. Yosemite Sam ( sire 1 at Plymouth Colony Farm) is just an amazing creature.

As you know, in VT we have at least one week, often more of 20- 0 weather. We needed a dual purpose breed that would produce eggs through the winter while also being able to stay alive and even thrive in the barnyard amongst the hoofstock, gleaning for food scattered by the mammals. We really wanted a long-living breed that could self perpetuate with the least energy from humans and one that wouldn't ruin the garden or hide their eggs.
The Copper Scotch is our favorite breed. A black breasted variant hatches out as well and this is called the Black Jack.
BYCF member Yashar has two or three lineages of Copper Scotch including both Taft Hill and Cabbage Hill lines.

Here a few pictures of the Green Mountain:

[above] "Yosamity" [below] good view of his tail feathers

 

[san415]

I live in Michigan, about 80 miles north of Detroit, right next to Lake Huron. Its very windy and cold here due to the lake. I have a hard time keeping plants alive, but have had chickens for the last 3 winters. My Dad grew up on a big farm about 60 miles further north, and he said no not to insulate the coop. So I didnt. I haven't lost any chickens yet due to cold. I do have a hard time with frozen water even with a heated dog bowl. So my husband made a wooden thing to put the bowl in and now I keep it in the coop plugged in and the water is good.
I also have had no frost bite either. Though my egg production drops off during the winter, but again my Dad thinks that the hens shouldn't be laying as much once in a while anyway for good health. Seems to work for my girls.

I did have to cover my coop that I made with plastic, but I built it my self and it was called the "trash heap" coop. leaked real bad, plus was under the garage roofline where the water from the garage dripped onto it every time we had a thaw or rain. But the chickens seemed fine as long as it was kept dry inside.

 

[wildeflowers]

Here a few pictures of the Green Mountain:

Wow, that guy looks almost exactly like my polish roo, except for the top hat, of course. He's a hatchery bird, and quite frankly, all sorts of mixed up.

Our coop is also not insulated. I don't expect to have any problems, now that I know more about it. I am more concerned about frozen water and fire hazards (if I were to add any electricity).​

 

[RobinZ]

We insulated under the coop and on the inside of the roof cause the metal roof was sweating. Worked well, also added two vents on each side at the peaks. Chickens did fine last winter and we had a cold one. Electric dog bowl worked great, too.

 

[Resolution]

Thanks Yashar for posting the photos of the two Green Mountain breeds. To be clear, there are two separate breeds depicted. The top two photos are of the Green Mountain Copper Scotch. The Green Mountain Black Jack is a totally different breed. It's been bred to produce a heavier carcass and darker eggs than the Copper Scotch.

There is no Polish blood in any of the Green Mountain breeds. As I outlined earlier, the Copper Scotch have been select bred from high altitude breeds from Ecuador; Switzerland and Tibet. The Polish is actually an Indonesian breed imported recently to Europe where it is was select bred for ornamental qualities.
The Green Mountain breeds are specifically designed for life in exceedingly cold regions and very high altitudes.


I must be a stickler here because it is too often the case that hobbyists underestimate the significance of selective breeding and cultural/geographical origination of different breeds.

This is significant to our conversation here because it relates directly to selecting appropriate breeds for regional environments versus taking inappropriate breeds and attempting to adapt enclosures around the breed. Serious farmers will take note that replacing hens every few years via hatcheries is not a sustainable or particularly ethical practice. Small farms around the country and the world are moving away from big commercial utility breeds. This is because they generally tend to be relatively short-lived and inefficient energy converters, which lack the capacity to self-perpetuate. Its more economically feasible and sustainable for many farmers to maintain small flocks of New Heritage or Cultural Heritage breeds, The New Heritage breeds like the Iowa Blue or Green Mountain Copper Scotch; or Old Cultural Heritage breeds like the Egyptian Fayoumi or Levantine Lakenvelder for example.

Here are some scientific references and an abstract involving the value of selective refinement of domestic strains using rare cultural heritage blood stock as it relates to extreme cold and altitude factors.

Frontiers of Agriculture in China
Volume 2, Number 2, 237-241, DOI: 10.1007/s11703-008-0030-6

Research Article
Influences of altitude on growth curves in Tibetan chicken and its hybrid

Hao Zhang, Changxin Wu, Yangzom Chamba, Yao Ling and Suling Ji


Journal Article

Effect of mating combination and environmental factors on hatchability of chicken eggs in Tibet

Delin Mo, Kui Li, Yangzong Qiangba, Xiaohui Tang and Mengjin Zhu, et al.

Frontiers of Agriculture in China, 2007, Volume 1, Number 2, Pages 214-219


Journal Article

Study on Tibetan Chicken embryonic adaptability to chronic hypoxia by revealing differential gene expression in heart tissue

Mei Li and ChunJiang Zhao

Science in China Series C: Life Sciences, 2009, Volume 52, Number 3, Pages 284-295

*

Journal Article

Ten polymorphic microsatellite loci in Tibetan chicken, Gallus gallus domesticus

Kong Yang, Xia Luo, Yong Wang, Ying Yu and Zhihua Chen

Conservation Genetics, 2010, Volume 11, Number 3, Pages 671-673


Journal Article

Genetic Variation of the Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor α Gene (PPARA) in Chickens Bred for Different Purposes

J. Q. Zhang, H. Chen, Z. J. Sun, X. L. Liu and Y. Z. Qiang-Ba, et al.

Biochemical Genetics, 2010, Volume 48, Numbers 5-6, Pages 465-471

Journal Article

Differential gene expression of phosphoglyceric kinase (PGK) and hypoxic adaptation in chicken

CunFang Wang, CunZhong Yuan, Lao Zhang, ChangXin Wu and Ning Li

Science in China Series C: Life Sciences, 2007, Volume 50, Number 3, Pages 335-342


*

Journal Article

Eight trinucleotide microsatellite DNA markers from Tibetan chicken, Gallus gallus domesticus

Kong Yang, Xia Luo, Yong Wang, Ying Yu and Zhihua Chen

Conservation Genetics Resources, 2009, Volume 1, Number 1, Pages 225-227


Journal Article

Sequencing and alignment of mitochondrial genomes of Tibetan chicken and two lowland chicken breeds

HaiGang Bao, ChunJiang Zhao, JunYing Li and ChangXin Wu

Science in China Series C: Life Sciences, 2008, Volume 51, Number 1, Pages 47-51



Journal Article

Analysis of genetic structure and relationship among nine indigenous Chinese chicken populations by the Structure program

H. F. Li, W. Han, Y. F. Zhu, J. T. Shu and X. Y. Zhang, et al.

Journal of Genetics, 2009, Volume 88, Number 2, Pages 197-203


Journal Article

Analysis of genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships among red jungle fowls and Chinese domestic fowls

WenBin Bao, GuoHong Chen, BiChun Li, XinSheng Wu and JingTing Shu, et al.

Science in China Series C: Life Sciences, 2008, Volume 51, Number 6, Pages 560-568

Journal Article

Analysis of genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships among red jungle fowls and Chinese domestic fowls

WenBin Bao
*

Abstract
Tibetan chicken is a precious resource in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. In order to study its growth rhythm and heterosis of its hybrid, three groups comprising Tibetan chicken (T), Dwarf Recessive White (D) and Tibetan × Dwarf Recessive White (TD) were reared under the same management conditions at low and high altitudes. Body weight and shank length were measured, and growth curves were fitted using Richards model. The results showed that the model fitted well with the chickens’ growth courses in weight and shank with R 2 at more than 0.99. The high-altitude might retard the growth of chickens, with decreases in inflection point values, final values and maximal growth rates, and prolongation of inflection point time. The final weight, inflection point weight, and maximal growth rates of Tibetan chicken were 1008.3 g, 477.9 g and 11.69 g respectively at lowaltitude, and 525.3 g, 229.5 g, and 5.12 g at high-altitude. This showed a decline of 47.9%, 52.0%, and 56.8% at the high-altitude; the degree of influence of altitude was less than that of Dwarf Recessive White. The TD had high heterosis in weight gain, and at high-altitude the heterosis of final weight, inflection point weight, and maximal growth rates were 59.5%, 56.8% and 52.3% respectively. Therefore, the Tibetan × Dwarf Recessive White cross was good for improving the Tibetan chicken.

Keywords Tibetan chicken - growthcurve - altitude - Richards model - heterosis
__________
Translated from Journal of China Agricultural University, 2007, 12(2): 40–44 [译自: 中!!! PLEASE REPORT THIS IMMEDIATELY !!!农!!! PLEASE REPORT THIS IMMEDIATELY !!!大!!! PLEASE REPORT THIS IMMEDIATELY !!!!!! PLEASE REPORT THIS IMMEDIATELY !!!报]

 

[wildeflowers]

I did not imply that there is any Polish blood in the Green Mountain breeds. Clearly it is more likely our roo shares traits or genetic material that are common with that breed rather than the other way around. The only thing my picture indicates is that our current roo is a genetic hot mess and I simply found it interesting and coincidental that he looked so similar. I don't think anyone would assume, based on my post, that the Green Mountain Copper Scotch has Polish lineage.

 

[Resolution]

Quote:
Thank you for writing back and providing an opportunity for this dialogue.
I am certain that they do share many common genes ( all crested breeds sharing a common ancestor) and they do outwardly resemble one another! I actually think your rooster is better looking ! I'm being a stickler because next year the Copper Scotch will be sold for the first time outside of Vermont by a small cottage hatchery in MA(that and a chicken thief has a founder flock of them somewhere in NY). Please forgive me for my writing that rusty missive. I wrote that for the small percentage of people that don't possess your savvy or subtlety. I hope it didn't read as being too salty.

Regardless, your note made it possible for me to extrapolate on the importance of selecting an appropriate breed for your local environment so I thank you.