Race against time: Building an insulated coop before the arctic air arrives.

[Rangergord]

Ditto Dat...my birds pecked at the silver bubble wrap on the heated waterer.
Guess they like to pop those bubbles too!

Covered it with old plastic feed bag material, that took care of the issue.

Good to hear the feed bag worked. I have lots of that kind of thing.

 

[topochico225]

I’m completely incompetent at building, but I love watching people build coops Looks great so far!

 

[Rangergord]

Last week was busy as I kidnapped after dark the 3 hens and moved them into the new winter coop. I have them roosting at 24 inches above the floor and they seem to be good with it. They have shown no signs of insulation picking and right now it really is out of easy reach.

This picture shows my adjustable vent. There are only 3 small hens in this 8 x 8 coop right now. I have designed it around an ideal flock size of 6 to 8 wintering hens. So I made a ceiling vent 1 foot wide and 8 feet long. Here it is partially open to about 3 square feet for 3 hens. No shortage of fresh air in the coop with the windows and doors closed and even more importantly the near constant winds often roaring in nature are not felt at my standing height. So later on if I raise the roost so their heads are at that height they should be cozy.

 

[Rangergord]

Here is the vent opening from the outside. I covered it with 2x2 welded chicken wire and overlaid that with 1/4” HWC to exclude mice, weasels and squirrels and pack rats. Then I used a piece of OSB I had no better use for as a vent cover. It is under the poly tarp vapour barrier that is extended above the ceiling. I rolled it up over a 1 x4 board to keep it out of the way.

 

[Rangergord]

This is an experimental design. The tarp is wrapped around a board and is meant to help keep straw out of the vent and possibly keep condensation off of the straw. So far the vent and the straw are where they belong and the vent is working and baffled from the winds.

 

[Rangergord]

What bedding will you use? I mulch all my own twigs and branches and fill coffee bean bags with so much mulch. I use the deep litter method. With shaving on top for added softness. They do have straw in their nest boxes though.

Yes deep litter all the way!
I thought it might be a good idea to use some wood shavings to insulate from the frozen ground so I put a couple bales down. Well a few days was all it took to find that both me and the birds hated them. The shavings got into the food, they were thrown out of the nesting box with disdain, they stuck to everything, including me when I went back to the house. If you think finding a needle in a haystack is hard, you should try wood shavings!
So back to straw, I like straw especially in my vegetable garden. The hens love straw. It is readily available and cheap.
I do like wood pellets and wood chips. I prefer hardwood chips for my fruit trees. I have a lot of chips but they were all wet and frozen by the time I needed them.

I should add that your mulch bagging is a great idea. Next year.

 

[3KillerBs]

I personally, have triple insulated my coop. I spoke with other poultry keepers in my area ( western Alberta Canada) and they have insulation and nearly all have ceramic heat lamps too. They also only use them after -20/25. When it gets below those and dips into the -35’s -40’s on the prairies here, a little heat never killed anyone. It’s not near the birds, it’s more ambient. I have a heated drinker too but that only goes to -25, so the ceramic lamp will assist with keeping that warm.

You're making my "90F is a cool day" summers sound good!

 

[Rangergord]

This is a Woodshed/Coop. 8 x 24 , 3-8x8 modules of post frame construction. Just got the repurposed metal roof on today. Some of the timbers and planks were purchased a few years ago now, Bought a few 2x4 boards this fall and a lot of scrounged, recycled pallet wood and building supplies from my shop that have been there for years. I have a good door and window and insulation. The coop will have a ceiling/floor with a straw loft above for insulation. There will be a ventilation plenum behind the loft through the soffits

 

[Rangergord]

Ok finally had to download an app to resize a photo should be standard equipment on an iPad I would think but nooo...

 

[saysfaa]

Interesting. Please give updates periodically.