Rookie Coop Building Mistakes?

[chestypuller]

so your saying 1 chicken can heat 4 sq ft with venting at -20F to comfortable temps for the chicken?

 

[honeynajar]

Kim, I posted a question yesterday named "best new coop treatment" in this same forum. I got some really good tips on flooring in there - just an FYI! and of course I'm following because you might get info I can use too!

I imagine a poop hammock is fabric strung under the roosting bars?? Can you buy them somewhere, or do you have to build them? Id love a photo as well.

Question: We planned on making one whole side wall open up on some hinges so I can easily clean the coop. I thought this was great until my husband wondered if in the winter, this would cause the coop to loose all heat everytime I open it. Anyone have any thoughts on that?

Also, we were thinking of using linolium for the flooring, so I can easily wipe it down when needed. Of course we would have wood shavings or sand overtop of it, but just so that when we wipe it out its easier to clean. Any thoughts on this? If youve tried it, how did it work.


I also wonder how the coops with the mesh bottoms (so poop falls out) stay warm in winter, if at all. I should ad that we are in Southern Alberta, Canada where winters get as cold as Minus 35 Degrees Celcius for days at a time.

AND - LOL - Are glass/plastic windows necessary if we have tons of vents high up and a light fixture? Wouldnt the heat get lost through them?

 

[Cargo]

Quote:
Yep. Provided you have cold hardy breeds of hens.
They don't raise the temp of the whole coop, they only heat the air trapped in their feathers.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

when I've worried about the chooks out in the winter, my friend reminds me of all the wild birds outside that are just fine and dandy. So my biggest concerns are comb and wattle frost bite, and width of perch so they can keep their little toesies warm. BTW we rarely go below 10 degrees Fahrenheit (wind chill is a whole different story)

 

[QuiltinChick]

http://www.flemingoutdoors.com/mini-cup-waterers.html

this is a low pressure watering cup

Has anyone personally used these?? I am quite interested, but I wonder if they leak or not. Looks like a great idea!!!

THANKS!!!

 

[chfite]

Although there has not been a recorded temperature here below zero, I don't worry about heat. The chickens bunch up together at night to sleep. They have this fantastic down comforter built in. Being in a draft would be more of a problem than just the temperature. The sides of my coop open for access and cleaning. In practice, I don't open the doors all that often.

When I open the coop to fluff the litter, then chickens are usually already outside. They don't usually come in out of the rain, so I think that perhaps we worry overmuch.

Chris

 

[suzeqf]

Always bulld it bigger
add hurricane straps even if your not in a hurricane zone, mine was knocked down due to high winds and when we rebuilt it we added the straps and the coop has withstood 90 mph straight line winds and high winds and major wind gust.

lots of windows

i have eve(sp) ventilation that i cover up in the winter if it gets nasty cold

food/water outside if possible

different height roost and a variety of roost not just roost poles, i have ledges on the inside of the window so they see out if they have to be up all day due to weather

 

[crittergarden]

Thanks for the checklist, Purdy.

 

[speedy2020]

I would go with 1/2" x 1" galvanized hardware cloth for the floor. It is very easy to wash down with pressure washer to clean the coop.

 

[Ashburnham]

Over here we build chook houses out of galvanized iron with a wooden frame- but we dont have your severe cold to worry about - quite the oppossite, we need something light and airy that loses heat quickly.

Just a note off topic - I notice a couple of people on this thread called chickens "chooks" - I havent seen that on this forum before - I always
thought it was a strictly Australian word for "chicken"?

Cheers

Michael