under deck coop?

[SubArcticFowl]

Hello, looking for some feedback on my chicken housing plans. I’ve really wanted chickens for a while as I feel they would really compliment my garden, but have been limited for a few reasons. My biggest issue is my climate. I live in the sub-arctic region of northern Canada with long, cold and dark winters. This past week or so has been brutal with highs of -37 C (-35 F), lows of -44 C (-47F), and feels like (windchills) in the -50s. We also get large swings in daylight hours, from 4 in the winter to 20 in summer. I’m not quiet above the arctic circle so I don’t get the true 24 hour sun, but it doesn’t get dark when the sun goes down for a few hours in summer. I’ve read many threads and articles here on keeping chickens in the winter. Key points that keep coming up:

• Ventilation is extremely important
• Heaters are dangerous for a few reasons including possible fires and bird deaths from shock if they fail
• Chicken have feathers, but they need time to acclimatize to cold weather as the seasons change
• Flat feet (eg. wide 2x4) roasting bars helps protect with feathers in cold weather
• Chickens must always have access to liquid water

I am now fortunate to have a larger semi-urban lot (~18,000 sq ft). I want to keep my chickens under my deck to protect them from the extreme elements, at least in the winter. It is a waterproofed deck about 800 sq ft, with doors, walls, and a concrete floor. The previous owner had thought about putting a rental suite in there, but the height is only 7’ and I don’t want anyone living under my deck. I recently built a mechanical room on one end under the deck for a biomass (wood pellet) boiler. If I put chickens in there they will have two warm walls and be completely out of the wind. See below for a layout drawing and a picture of the area before I build the mechanical room.

I would open up the top foot of the wall to the unheated portion (sealed with hardware cloths of course) for ventilation. If that is not enough I would make a penetration to the outside. I do want to at least put a window in there to let some natural light in. I will also install other artificial light on a timer. The concrete floor will be covered in wood pellets for bedding as I get that delivered in bulk to my house now. I’ll have a heated water dish and puts lots of entertainment in the indoor run area for my birds. The plan is for 3 or 4 birds, but I’ve read lots about chicken math.

Does this plan seem okay or am I crazy to put them under my deck? What is the best way to keep the smell to a minimum? Do I need to build a coop within my enclosed area or can I just put some roasting bars and nesting boxes?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Folly's place]

Actually it does look doable, at least as a start.
Have you posted on your Canadian thread, or the Alaska thread? Most of us have no experience with Arctic conditions!
Do remember that chicken coop are VERY DUSTY places, and there is some odor, although the odor isn't too bad, when moisture is managed with good ventilation.
Choose breeds carefully, with the ability to handle cold being very important. Big bodies, small combs, and tolerance for confined conditions as priorities.
Can you get chicken feed where you live?
Mary

 

[rosemarythyme]

I think there are some keepers in arctic conditions that basically have to keep flocks indoors much of the year, but rather than open ventilation I think they have to use fans and vents to move air through those areas. Heat and insulation might also be required simply because it's that cold.

I second the suggestion of joining one of the state/regional threads as keepers living in your climate will have much better advice for your needs as you're in an area cold enough that the usual chicken keeping advice you read here may not apply.

 

[David61]

Looks good to me. All except the cold Canada part! LOL
Birds fly south for the winter. I can't fly so I just stay in the south.

6x16 is fine for a few birds. About the cold, ventilation, frostbite... I hope I never need to know.

 

[SubArcticFowl]

Thanks for your comments. I did post in the Canadian thread a while back when I first joined. I might post again and link back to this thread now that my plans are firming up.

I can get chicken feed where I live. There are a handful of chicken owners. A friend gets mature egg layers every spring and harvests the birds in the fall when it gets cold. I hope to piggyback on his order this spring, but keep my birds through the winter. I know of one other coop that is a well-insulated building and they heat it. I do plan on insulating my coop, but there should be enough heat from the two warm walls it will be joining that I don't plan on adding any more. Fans to move air might be an option too. I could always cut a hole in the wall to one of the warm areas and put in a small fan to blow warm, dry air into the coop if needed, but I'm hoping that won't be required.

 

[gtaus]

Does this plan seem okay or am I crazy to put them under my deck? What is the best way to keep the smell to a minimum? Do I need to build a coop within my enclosed area or can I just put some roasting bars and nesting boxes?

I think you might be on to something there. When I lived in Europe, I visited a number of German small towns where people had their cows and goats sleeping in the lower level of their house (basically a barn) and they lived on the second floor of the house. 800 square feet for chickens is a lot of room for the small number of chickens you are proposing to keep. I use a deep litter of wood chips in my outdoor coop, and there is practically no smell with 10 chickens in a 72 square foot coop. If you detect any smell, then you either add more deep litter and/or clean up messy spots (like under the roosts). If your under deck is already enclosed, I would not think you would need to build an additional coop. Just throw in some roosts and nesting boxes.

 

[Kris5902]

You could install a standard bathroom vent fan between the warm room with the boiler, and maybe even consider wiring it to a thermostat switch like some greenhouses use to exhaust warm air into the coop. I would sort of worry about Carbon monoxide though. Would depend on your boiler specs