Suggestions for Winterizing in Wisconsin

[Kale Chips]

Hi all! I was hoping you could give me your advice for winterizing my coop! Is there enough ventilation? Do I need to add a tarp or something to the outdoor run so they have a snow free area? What is draftiness and how do I combat it when I can't just cut holes through the walls or add windows? I don't plan to heat nor add any lighting to the coop, is that ok or do you have a compelling reason why I should reconsider? Any other input would be highly appreciated! Thanks!

Here is the link if you'd like a tour of my coop:

 

[snow5164]

That’s a beautiful building you have ...
The “ rules” say one square foot of ventilation per bird,

I’d advise that you clean out your storage area and give the birds the whole building, carry a bucket of feed each morning . How many do you have? It looks crowded to me .

I didn’t see what your roof looks like ? Any air flow there?

And yes wrap the run in poly they’ll love a spot out of the wind and snow

 

[aart]

Was also wondering about flock numbers and roof eave ventilation.
Pics of eaves (under edge of roof), inside and out, would really help.
Looks like there is a gable vent that could probably be opened up.
The 'chimney' may help with ventilation.
The opening over the 'pop door' may be fine, or not(it needs 1/2" hardware cloth against predators tho). Some louvers would probably be good there.
Does that 'pop door' face your prevailing winds?
That ladder does not really look functional, do they actually climb up it or fly up and down?
Best way to 'test' ventilation vs drafts is to go inside on a really windy day and feel the air movement.Here's a pretty good discussion about:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1048597/ventilated-but-free-of-drafts


Run is covered with mesh?
You'll need good framing to hold up a tarp(or anything) when it gets loaded with snow.
If you can't 'dry in' the run, you'll need to keep feed inside coop...and probably shovel some snow in the run, chicken aren't good with deep snow.

Is there power out there?
More light could be good, especially with that door closed .
You'll need to heat your waterer to keep it thawed, unless you plan on swapping out waterer multiple times a day.

Your video was pretty good, but sometimes still shots are more useful.
Some father back shots of the whole building would help.
It is a very cool building!

 

[Kale Chips]

Thank you so much for the suggestions! So the chicken area inside the coop is 6 feet by 6 feet and I have 8 chickens so that is 4.5 square feet per bird. I don't know that taking out the false wall is possible, because in the stone building it took so much work to set it up, and we also just recently put in the shelving unit...I can't image my dad would like to help me undo what we just did. Though I do agree that they could use a bit more space (even though technically 4 square feet is recommended). Especially if they have to spend a lot of time in there in the winter. The chickens use the ladder-both inside and outside, especially when they are all headed outside and there is a line. Usually they fly down once they get outside, but once trying to get back in they jump up on the ladder. Run is not covered in mesh, though there is a lilac tree that they use for shelter. I hadn't thought of how dark it would get with the door closed...so I guess I may need to look into that!

The power source is here:



This is the backside of the building:





This is the ceiling in the coop:




This is under the roof outside:


This is a side view of the run:

 

[aart]

Coop ceiling pic is hard to see, some shots from farther back might help.
Can't really tell if you could open up the area under the eaves,
looks like top sill plate is supporting rafters...might be dicey to remove any of the sill plate to open up airflow there.

This looks like maybe you could open that white thing up for a gable vent,
if it's wood and goes all the way thru the stone wall.

 

[snow5164]

Thats a great size @Kale Chips it sure doesn’t look that big!

Ventilation can be added in many different ways , there is no one way to do it well. We added screen doors and single pain windows for ventilation.

Good luck and have fun
@aart will help you with all the details, my hubby does that here

 

[Kale Chips]

Coop ceiling pic is hard to see, some shots from farther back might help.
Can't really tell if you could open up the area under the eaves,
looks like top sill plate is supporting rafters...might be dicey to remove any of the sill plate to open up airflow there.

This looks like maybe you could open that white thing up for a gable vent,
if it's wood and goes all the way thru the stone wall.
View attachment 1559599

I'll get some better pictures of the ceiling for you as soon as I can! That little white chunk is actually just a piece of flat wood over the stone....we were having bats come in and out of the attic through a tiny hole (the size of a marble) in the very top peak and so we had to cover it up.

Hmmm. My ventilation options are dwindling.

 

[aart]

I'll get some better pictures of the ceiling for you as soon as I can! That little white chunk is actually just a piece of flat wood over the stone....we were having bats come in and out of the attic through a tiny hole (the size of a marble) in the very top peak and so we had to cover it up.

Hmmm. My ventilation options are dwindling.

Great!
Bummer.
Yes.

But....removing ceiling might open some options.