I too am concerned about ventilation, I don't know that 3 1" holes are enough. There are many people here that have had a great deal of success, in cold climates, with absolutely no insulation. Chickens are particularly prone to respiratory problems and proper ventilation is viewed by many to be more important to their health and well being than heat. I'd suggest reading patandchickens writing on the subject. The ventilation and winter coop temperatures pages would be particularly useful. Just as a point of reference, I've read that 1 sq. ft. of ventilation per 10 sq. ft. of floor space is ideal so long as it doesn't create a draft that blows directly onto the chickens.
I live in central PA and although our winters may not be quite as cold and snowy as upstate NY, they are by no means mild either. I have several friends and neighbors that keep chickens and, as far as I know, not one of their coops is insulated. In fact, one of them is almost completely open in the front. My neighbor has a banty that typically roosts in the trees and his Orp roo sleeps in a run-in shelter with a goat.
I think a chest freezer could certainly be made into a rather functional coop, but I'd think you need to be super careful about moisture and air movement. Personally, I'd remove the lid and cut a pop door in side. I'd replace the lid with a gabled roof that overhung the ends pretty far to keep out driving rain and screen the ends with hardware cloth for ventilation. You could also do a shed-type roof that had ventilation built into it like the Purina coop though I'd prefer a bit more than that design. Come to think of it, you need to get in there to clean and collect. So, I might try and do a shed roof that was hinged or like JoeBryant said. That's just my $0.02 though.
I live in central PA and although our winters may not be quite as cold and snowy as upstate NY, they are by no means mild either. I have several friends and neighbors that keep chickens and, as far as I know, not one of their coops is insulated. In fact, one of them is almost completely open in the front. My neighbor has a banty that typically roosts in the trees and his Orp roo sleeps in a run-in shelter with a goat.
I think a chest freezer could certainly be made into a rather functional coop, but I'd think you need to be super careful about moisture and air movement. Personally, I'd remove the lid and cut a pop door in side. I'd replace the lid with a gabled roof that overhung the ends pretty far to keep out driving rain and screen the ends with hardware cloth for ventilation. You could also do a shed-type roof that had ventilation built into it like the Purina coop though I'd prefer a bit more than that design. Come to think of it, you need to get in there to clean and collect. So, I might try and do a shed roof that was hinged or like JoeBryant said. That's just my $0.02 though.
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