Backyard Chicken Coop in Winter
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ย. 2024
- This shows our backyard chicken coop in winter near Thunder Bay, Ontario. We built this in the spring of 2015. My wife and daughters are the chicken farmers and I am the coop builder.
This coop could very comfortably hold up to a dozen birds. The coop is insulated and heated with heat lamps. We live in the country and have lots of predators around. The coop is well protected with hardware cloth on all the exposed sides and even the floor of the aviary is protected.
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Any opions expressed in this video are mine and mine alone and are not related to my employer or any other organization or individual. I have not been paid to make this video or to endorse a product. If I am ever paid for an endorsement or provided other compensation I will state it clearly in the video. Any advice or demonstration I provide is just advice. The viewer should take responsibility for their own actions, follow any manufacturers warnings and directions and act safely and responsibly when travelling in the backcountry.
What a beautifully done book th-cam.com/users/postUgkxo4aMFkUegBx-KHPIJlfwKPHu7kQXAR9N ! The text and the photographs are brilliant. It is thorough and genuinely informative. Joseph Truini got another winner! No one does it better! Love the Cape Cod Shed with the Blue door!
Mainly, it keeps the birds dry and out of the wind. It also is insulated and retains some of the heat.
I am so glad I finally found a video that show a good way to deal with zero and sub zero temp deal with chicken and their coop. Most video’s I keep running into are made by people living in the Carolinas or Florida.....the temp are not the same as when you live up north and the temp average near 0 daily. Thank you
Thanks Nusire. I am glad this was of use to you!
Yeah. I am in quebec and we deal with -40. I am looking for a solution to that :P
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great video i live in the north of England it gets cold up here chickens ain't bothered with the cold it's the wind they don't like u keep em dry and out the wind they're fine in my experience
Thanks Jason. A lot of folks here have told me the same. The birds do survive cold temps as long as they have protection from the wind. We do get very cold sometimes -30F or below and at those temps the birds can often get frostbite on their combs. A little heat prevents that.
@@KevinOutdoors dam that is cold, but like u said frostbites the one try to keep the moisture down as much as possible in the coop, i only use the heat lamp or lights in minus temps keep up the great videos mate im a fan
I think the chicken said, “close the door, your letting in the cold air”.
Yes, I believe that is exactly what is being communicated 😀
i would have told em chickens "you cant let cold air in, you let hot air out"
Recently came across this video while looking for backyard winter ideas.... was floored with laughter..
They got louder and LOUDER as they said.... CLOSE THE DAM DOOR!!!
Gave you a" like" for the Celcius/ Fahrenheit, the area where you are and the time of month before even seeing the rest of the video. 👍.
Around here folks are proud of how we thrive in the winter!
My cousin has chickens in the back yard in Tallahassee , Florida. Sending this to her to show how it's done in the North Country. Hello from southeast Michigan. Will be glad when we finally get this Covid under control and people can freely cross the Ambassador Bridge again and visit southwest Ontario.
Hi Bill, thanks for the comments about the coop, and yes we are all looking forward to the borders opening up.
Put some bedding in there nesting boxes.
Holy crap. You live in Thunder Bay and here I am researching the viability of having chickens on the north shore of Lake Ontario. Thank you for this info!
Well, now you know that you should be good to go. I know people around here who don't heat their coop. Chickens do have plenty of feathers to keep them warm but having a dry place out of the wind is essential. We heat primarily because even in a sheltered location the combs can get frost bite.
Good to see you can winter chickens in 🇨🇦. A little extra work with the heat lamps / heated water. Defiantly need electricity to the coop. Nice coop.
Thanks. I don't think the heat lamps are absolutely necessary but having a heater under the water makes a big difference.
Thats the nicest chicken coop I've ever scene !!! Good job !!
Thanks Justin. Much appreciated!
I\'m not sure but ,if anyone else needs to find out about best chicken house designs try Vaxicorn Easy Coop Guide (should be on google have a look ) ? Ive heard some pretty good things about it and my mate got cool success with it.
Victoria Portelance ikr lol
Very nice coop and run. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, and thanks for watching.
I'm a fellow Canadian, I am near Ottawa, I raise ducks and a handful of chickens :)
Hey Jasmine! Enjoy your flock!
That is a LOVELY chicken coop! Well done.
Thanks!
6 years later and people are still just finding your video. Moved just south of the Canadian border in North country, New York from Florida and I have no idea what I'm doing with chickens up here. It's so different than back home. We just got our first flock up here and I'm already worried about winter. Will definitely be building similar to your coop. It will be perfect for our 8 chickens. If you have any hints or tricks keeping chickens in such cold weather, please share them! Thanks for the video!
Thanks Kblanes. I am not the chicken expert, just the builder, but chickens do fairly well in cold weather as long as they have some shelter from the wind. Once you create a shelter for them they will survive. The added heat just ensures we don't have any frostbite on the combs. Good luck!
Great review feller
Glad you enjoyed it!
Nice coop
Thanks!
Very nice coop. New to the channel. When I was a child, there was a man down the road that enjoyed taking the children in the neighborhood backpacking and such. He taught me a lot. I have since loved the outdoors and look forward to watching your videos.
Thanks Patrice!
My son and daughter-in-law just got 4 leghorn hens. This is a first for the city slickers and I'm going to let them know about your video as it can get pretty cold here near Marmora, Ontario. Thank you for posting!
I hope they enjoy.
Excellent
Thank you so much 😀
Nice rig.
Thanks 👍
That's an awesome set up. I can' only hope to get to that one day.
Thanks, it is a bit over the top but it has been more than 10 years now and we are happy we made the investment. The chickens continue to be comfortable and safe and our maintenance is very low.
I love your chicken coop/yard! I’m going to ask my husband to build mine like yours! Thank you!
Thanks, Good luck!
interesting. I am from Thunder Bay but have been in BC for 35 years. I have 3 serama chickens. 1 rooster 2 hens they are so smart... who knew lol. love your coop
Thanks Carolyn - nice flock.
Love your coop!! I would pay you to build me one in a heartbeat.WOW
Thanks so much. It was a labour of love as my daughters wanted it more than a playhouse. So I put in the same effort into it that I would have for a playhouse.
Nice set up but the inside really needs to be cleaned. I have snow and chickens and a big chicken house but mine looks pristine. Clean digs= healthy chickens.
Thanks, we don't (can't) clean it in the winter. Everything just freezes. We simply add more wood shavings to keep it clean. In the spring we do a big cleanup when things thaw. We clean it out regularly in the warm months.
Hi Canada! That is a very good looking chicken coop. It's amazing how chickens can adapt to almost any environment. Good job keeping them warm!
Thanks!
In Estonia, the temperature in winter is close to -30, in such a shed my chickens' legs and brushes would freeze. The electricity consumption of a heating lamp would be too high for it to make sense to keep chickens.
It gets to -30C here frequently and occasionally -40C. We turn on one light at -15C, we don't notice the additional cost. I know folks who don't use a lamp, their chickens don't freeze to death but they do get frostbite on their combs. The legs will be fine as long as they have a flat perch where they can cover their feet with feathers, a round perch where their feet aren't covered can cause frostbite on their feet.
I wrapped my run with semi transparent clear tarps to keep the snow from blowing through the 1/2" mesh. It keeps their area warm and dry, it's usually 20 degrees warmer inside the run than outside temps. We'll probably take the tarps off when the night temperature gets to about 45 degrees.
That works. I hear the worst thing for the birds is wet and drafty. Our run is relatively well protected. We get a little snow inside around the edges but nothing in the middle of the run.
The Taj Mahal of chicken coops!
Thanks Phoebedad!
Ingenious coop design. We have 6 hens. Can't imagine 9 how many eggs that is. 6 is too much for us. Thanks for sharing!
We now have 14 birds in there. We have a lot of eggs and my kids sell them to friends and neighbours.
We give them away. Keeps them quiet if asked how many hens we have. Found out after I got them I had too many.
Nice one,
Thanks for watching
My hens prefer the straw for nesting material, keeps eggs fairly clean and cushions the fall. I have recently built an effective roll-away nesting box that is also incredibly convenient, anyway thanks...damn cold up there bud. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for sharing!
Wow very nice 😍
I hope to have some someday.
I hope you do. They are fun to have, we are now on our third flock in that coop.
Nice, loved the video of your chicken coop.
Thanks Chris!
This gotta be my role model chicken coop!
Nice information, thanks for great idea
Thanks Vickey!
Greetings Canada from midwest America! Very nice coop. Similar to mine but you've given me some ideas. Good video! 👍
Thanks Brian! Happy Holidays!
I love outdoor even though i stay inside a lot
Ha, then you should go outside more often! :)
Great build! I’m curious what the grey pipe is for? Thank you for sharing your little part of the chicken world in cold temps 😊
The grey pipe is the conduit that brings power to the chicken coop.
Awesome 👍🏼💚👍🏼
Thanks!
Good looking coop. Looking to get some chickens and build a little coop. Nice to see your from Thunder Bay. Down Parry Sound way here.
Thanks, good luck with your birds!
Very nice, good job!
Thanks!
thanks was looking for ideas and im in MB so we have same cold.
This one is insulated and has heat lamps but I know folks that keep birds without that. It seems that wind is the biggest issue and they absolutely need to be kept out of cold wind. I think the insulation and heat lamps help keep the birds a little better off and also prevent frozen combs etc. Some will argue a round perch is better and more natural for the birds but a flat perch (like the 2x4 perch I have) allows the feathers to cover the feet on cold nights.
That's a pretty big investment for a few chicken unless it's purely a hobby
Yes it is. There were a number of factors involved.
1) this is in a very obvious position in our yard and I didn't want to have a shack.
2) this was for our daughters who I promised to build a play house but they asked me instead for a chicken coop. They took out compost and filled the bird feeder all winter before I agreed to do this. Perhaps a little more expensive than the play house I was thinking of but not much.
3) We have been selling the eggs and our daughters have been earning steady income from this. A dozen farm fresh eggs easily go for $5.00 CDN. They sell themselves. Just put the word out at work and people approach you. People want to know where their food comes from and will pay a premium for farm fresh eggs. I haven't been keeping track (although my wife did for a while) but at that rate we easily pay for the feed. I would guess that the coop (3 years later ish) is 40-50% paid off. That isn't in my pocket but it is in my kids pocket.
4) When we go to sell our house this might marginally improve the value (~$2,000 - perhaps more). If not it will certainly be a positive feature for the deal. Backyard chickens are a big thing and having fully functional coop with electricity and insulation is a bonus for most folks who would be looking to buy a house in our rural area.
Did I just write a script for a follow up video?
Eggcellent!
Thanks, Eggs-actly as I had planned!
nice especially for cold north. did you ever considered covering the electricla outlets with wire or something?
Thanks rose, I could cover the outlets but they are up high and the birds don't bother with them. We are raising our third generation of chicks in there and no problems with anything yet.
We have similar coops and runs, but I don't heat, I do enclose the run (outdoor area) in plastic so snow doesn't get in
Thanks for the comment.
Great job, very nice. Im over near the sault, just looking into starting my own. Appreciate the video.
Good luck. This has worked out very well for us.
We are near the Soo as well. Getting ready for our first chickens :)
@@amyrobert Enjoy those birds and their eggs! :)
@@amyrobert Good luck with them!
Nice coop 👍 . Maybe some moore hey/filling in the nestingbox too keep clean eggs ? ?
Thanks Kajsa, I leave the egg box management up to my wife. It seems that the key to clean eggs is to get the chickens in and out as quickly as possible.
Awesome job it gets very cold here in newfoundland to some ppl say you dont need to it yhe coop
Thanks madrock, I know people who don't heat their coop. The seem to get by just fine. I think the most important thing it to keep them out of the wind. We do heat our coop. Usually we turn a heat lamp on when the temp gets down to -10 or -15C. We haven't had any issues. We find if we don't heat that the birds can get frost bite on their combs.
Thanks for the video it's really nice I like the build of the coop it's cool.
Just noticed when u opened the brooder box some of the eggs has poop on them maybe time for deworming I guess,
Cheers
Thanks.
I had chickens for years in Ontario Canada as well but never used a heat lamp. Chickens naturally acclimatize to winter especially if the right breeds are chosen. Industrial agriculture uses lamps to keep the chickens laying during the winter (egg production will slow down if lights aren’t used). My only issue was their combs and wattles getting frozen when outside in the run.
Have you considered some of the Canadian breeds Kevin? Like the Chantecler?
Our only issue is the combs freezing too, that is why we have heat lamps.
Great video I am just starting my chicken coop and you gave me some great ideals for mine I live in the Riding Mountain area in Manitoba I just picked up 6 chicken and built a portable chicken coop for my truck. Look forward to watching more of your video gave you a good ol thumbs up and subscribed too!
Thanks Darren, Much appreciated!
Ty
Nice work!
WE HAVE AN INTERCOM FOR OUR CHICKENS. .
LOL, that sounds great.
looks like you are only rodent proofing the bigger holes like open window and the outer cage, is that so ? great looking house
I have applied the 'hardware cloth' (1/2 wire mesh) to the entire coop. I even have a layer under the soil for any animals that may burrow. I am not too worried about rodents, we don't have rats where we live and the chickens will kill any mice that get in.
Very very cool design. I'd like to do something like this when the weather gets nicer. I'd definitely like to build something like this. Any chance of summarizing how you approached building the whole thing? Maybe like a quick summary walk through if you haven't already from foundation to roof. Thanks ^_^
Glad you found this useful.
The foundation is made of pressure treated 2x10"s. I doug trenches and put them in on their side - they are proud of the surface of the soil by a couple of inches. 4x4" posts are bolted into the corners where the 2x10"s join. Everything else is bolted to the posts. There are two main areas 10x10' open space and the 7x7' hen house (these two square areas have a common back wall. There are 3 posts across the back, 3 in the middle, which also make the front of the henhouse, and two in the front). Cross beams of 'sistered' 2x6's are mounted on top of the posts. Simple rafters of 2x6" on top of the cross beams, OSB plywood on top with a cheap roofing to keep it water tight. Then I enclosed the hen house adding doors and a window and insulation. The henhouse floor is 2x6's mounted properly on joist hangers so that it can take the weight of a person (or two) I also added the nest boxes which should always go under the window. The birds like to nest in the dark so beneath a windo is best. Good luck!
Awesome. That's really all I needed. After looking at your video I had a pretty good idea but just needed to confirm a few things. I did notice the sistered 2x6's (with miter cuts) across the front which you mentioned. I may do the same thing but make the main area 15x15 and the hen house 10x10 (ish) lol, because I think you said the current set up could house 12 girls so I figure I may need a little extra space since we already have 8 girls and plan to add about 5 more come spring. Truly awesome design!
very nice, thank you again for sharing and thanks again for getting back to me so quickly!!!
No problem. Thanks again!
thanks for sharing those specs, can you tell me how much you insulation you put in the walls? we live in Montana and will need to insulate ours as well.
I love this coop design. How much would it cost to purchase this coop on a smaller scale to hold 6 chickens comfortably with 2 or 3 boxes to lay eggs?
Good question, sorry I am unable to price out a pre-built coop.
You don’t need heat lamps. Chickens can withstand feeezing temperatures just keep them out of the wind. Heat lamps are a waste of money
Thanks I know lots of people don't use heat lamps. They are certainly handy when we have chicks in there and in the winter it also keeps the combs from freezing.
How many hours do you use the heat bulbs? How many units do they consume?
When it gets cold, like -15C we run them for the night. I don't know how strong they are.
isnt -5 C low temp for the chickens
No not at all actually. They don't mind the cold so much. This wind is what you really need to protect them from. Even at -20C the birds will survive if they are kept out of the wind. We provide some heat at lower temps to prevent frostbite on the combs.
Do you need a building permit for the coop and run?
It depends on where you are and what your municipality requires.
By any chance do you sell the plans for this coop? I am an inexperienced builder and really need instructions. Also, I’m in Alaska so I’d love to model ours after yours. Any advice on plans to purchase would be greatly appreciated.
No sorry, I did make a rough sketch but the plans were mostly in my head as I built it.
Ayyyy follow Canadien
Aye!
From where you bought that chicken coop????
Built it myself.
I am from the Ottawa area. Very nice coop! I wondered if you ever let your chickens run free range? And do you have issues leaving the feed outside?
Good questions. No we don't let them free range, we just have too many predators around for that. During the winter we have no problems keeping the feed outside. Once the bears come out in the spring we need to put the feed away.
I live in oregon and just got 9 myself. I need one like yours for my chickens. Did you buy or build? I need one like this cause yours is perfect !
Thanks, I built this one but copied the design from what I saw on TH-cam.
@@KevinOutdoors You have a link to that design?
Hello - what type of insulation did you use?
Just regular fibreglass insulation.
Thank you! Starting out in SK and reno’ing an old shed. Did you insulate? Also, anything you have changed over time for improvement? Wondering how many chickens could be happily kept in there over winter. We have a max of 102 sq ft.
Yes we did insulate but we still keep the vent open in the winter. The basic design has not changed over time although we have added a water barrel that collects off of the roof. When we built the coop we found some guidelines on how much space. This is by memory which can be faulty but I think for each bird we were aiming for 10ft2 outdoor space, 3ft2 indoor space, and 1-1.5ft of perch. And each nest box will serve about 4 birds. We have had as many as 15 birds in this coop and currently have 13.
interested to know if you've made any changes to you coop, and what they were... i'm in the Cariboo country of BC, at 4000 ft, and just in the process of rebuilding an old chicken barn that was on my property... just finished a bee house for my hives and it will be along the same lines - UBER PIMPED with solar panels for power and heat etc. but nice to get someone's perspective on raising critters in cold winters. what has worked, what hasn't work etc - and update would be great,,
So far no major structural changes or regrets on the design. I know people who don't even insulate the shelter they just worry about shelter from the wind. I have added a water collection system off of the roof that runs into a barrel then gravity feeds to individual chicken waterer spigots (don't know what else to call them). They have a little ball valve that stops the water and when the chickens peck at them water drips out. Been meaning to do a video on that new system. But like I said other than that no other structural changes it has held up very well. I really don't know what I would change. Perhaps I would have had the doors to the laying boxes hinged on the top instead of the bottom. Hinges on the bottom collect a bit of debris, but not hard to keep clean.
@@KevinOutdoors It would be great to see a video about your water system - please add that to your to do list :)
Do they peck the wiring?
Sometimes, but not an issue.
Nice coop! I am wondering if you chickens lay when you don’t have the light on?
We don't use the light any more. They continue to lay during the winter but they really slow down.
Iam in Dryden you have plans for the coop
HI Maurice, no sorry, I just designed it as I went. I got most of my ideas from watching videos like this one.
Nice coop! How do you keep the water from freezing?
We have an electric water heater on a thermostat. The metal water can sits on it in the winter.
How much did you spend on the materials if you don't mind me asking. Ingenious design!!
Hi Chris,
Probably at least $1,500 (CDN). The pressure treated lumber was the most expensive component. I used larger 2x10s for the foundation set in the ground on end. I didn't want to get into pouring concrete. The henhouse is larger than 4'x4' which means I didn't save on the plywood (which comes in 4x8 sheets). If I was making it for fewer birds I would make the hen house outside dimensions less thant 4' to save on costs - probably 3-4 fewer sheets of plywood. I did find some good deals on the roofing which was on a deep discount because they were getting rid of old stock - they had just enough sheets to cover my area. I also had some material left over from other projects.
It took me a month to build - not full time but just weekends and some evenings. I think it was worth the investment and effort. We haven't lost a bird to predators and it has held up well and I think if we were to sell the house it would likely be present and interesting feature to anyone who moves to our area.
Thanks for the detailed response. Very nicely done
surprised you heat your coop ?
It keeps the birds from getting frost bitten.
So with this amount of chickens, how many eggs can you expect?
The average during the peak production (late spring, summer, early fall) is about 0.8 to 0.9 eggs per bird per day. They slow down in the winter.
Your need straw and shavings in your nest boxes. Animal husbandry 101.
Ha, I think that makes people feel better. The chickens don't seem to care.
Great video.
So entire winter the wood shavings and no cleaning of their droppings?
Yes babbar, the droppings freeze the wood shavings together anyway and they can't be removed. When it gets dirty we just add more shavings and in the spring we do a big cleaning.
Kevin Outdoors Thanks.
Babbar123, you may check out the deep litter method. It helps keep the coop warmer as the droppings break down- as long as the ratio is correct. I believe with chicken droppings the magic ratio is 7:1, 7 parts bedding matter to 1 part droppings. :)
Which breed of chicken is this
I had to go back and re-watch the video as this was a long time ago. The reddish birds are Rhode Island Red and the white ones are Colombian Rock Cross.
Is this insulated?
It is but I leave a vent permanently open.
What I the size of your coop? You said the run is a 10x10. Nice job!!
Hi Annette, the main part of the run is 10'x10' (100'sq). The henhouse is 7'x7' (49'sq) and the henhouse is raised about 1.5' so the total outside space 149'sq. Having an aditional level is a great way to add space.
Genius!!
Thanks!
@kevin outdoors how much did egg production drop Jan compared to July?
It all depends on the age of the birds and when in the year you get them. Normal egg production in July should be a little less than 1 egg per bird per day. In the winter they slow down quite a bit. Older birds will produce about 10-25% of summertime production. With younger birds last year we were getting about half of summertime production.
@@KevinOutdoors and that was with the heater and artificial lights?
@@Lucas-pe6fg We run the heat lamps when it gets below -15c. We haven't used an artificial light in years we just let the birds slow down in the winter.
Kevin Outdoors thanks so much. It’s so hard to find true winter info. Love your channel
Hello how are the heat lamps installed? wire in to the wall or plug in a socket? thanks it gets to about 12 sometimes rarely -8
Hi Maria, I have a couple of sockets wired into the wall. I mounted the sockets up high so that the chickens can't peck at them. I also use child proof plugs in unused sockets to help keep dust out of the socket.
@@KevinOutdoors and from the coop to you house? ie is the coop really close to you house wall?
@@sharoncourt75 The coop is close to my garage and there is a sub-panel there. We ran a line (outdoor waterproof) inside plastic conduit buried in the ground out to the coop.
@@KevinOutdoors ok great thanks
hey i am trying to start a chicken coop but for chickens when i try and buy them online it says i must buy 5 but i want to start with 3-4 any suggestions thanks.
Hens mot Males
Good question. I have a couple of suggestions. We started small(er) too. 1) find someone who only wants a similar amount and place one order. 2) Instead of buying online and if you have a local feed store near you they probably take orders. They will either take small orders at a higher cost or again you can find someone with a larger order and buy a few from their order. 3) in any flock you can expect some mortality so you could get 5 and see what happens. If they all live a long life it is fairly easy to give birds away. Good luck!
Talk to some farmers and see if you can split the amount of birds.
BAG BOY REVIEWS If you are buying day old chicks, it’s pretty hard to ensure they are females only. In my case I started out with 10 day old chicks and seven of them turned out to be roosters. I would say get the five, and you may end up with three or four females. You can harvest the rooster when grown-up some and before he starts to crow.
Very nice set up! Do you let them out into the run during the day in the winter?
No, too many predators around. They like their fort :)
@@KevinOutdoors sorry I meant the aviary run....
@@CatherineHoustonJackson Sorry, you were clear. I just read it too fast. Yes, they do go out in the run during the day. We often close the door at night to reduce drafts then open it again in the AM. They seem to like to get out but don't use the space as much as they do in the summer.
Ah very cool OK! I have chickens at my Florida home so I'm pretty well versed with hot weather issues. However my chickens in Niagara Falls Canada will be spending their first winter outdoors and I feel so lost! Your video is great! My small set up is of a predator proof run with a coop inside of it.... Then an automatic door to a fenced area that will be partially covered. I know deep litter with hay or straw with shavings is good for a coop but straw molds easily. So not sure what I should use for the enclosed run as it may get snow in at the edges or get a bit of moisture. What would you recommend? Thanks so much!
I’m from Ontario Canada too, I’m planning to raise a quails in my apartment soon, do you have any tips what to do and how much is cost to raise them.
Sorry Caleb, I have no tips on raising animals. I am the coop builder my wife is the chicken farmer.
Kevin Outdoors oh it’s okay
Are the walls or the roof insulated in any way?
Yes, the walls are 2x4 construction with normal insulation. There are however vents that are open all the time.
What breed of chickens do you have? I am wondering for Canadian winters what my best bet is. Thanks
Right now we have mostly Barred Rocks, they do very well. Bantams do well also and so do Columbian Rock Cross but we found they were too aggressive with other breeds.
Thanks for the info!
Love your coop! Would like to know if you have any plans even if rough plans on the design. Thanks!
Thanks, but sorry I have no plans for this.
hey kevin am going to make my own chicken coop but I live where it gets about negative 10 degrees on average most of the winter so what can I do to keep chickens warm without a heat lamp?
Our birds are generally fine at minus 10 Celsius. I know some folks who keep birds without heat all winter. They claim keeping the birds out of the wind is most important. Good luck!
Kevin Outdoors ok thank you
I have 6 birds and need a chicken coop. Where can I purchase one? I really love the design and size of yours.
Tractor supply has coops
JUST WOW!
I am am from a tropical third world country where no one do this. That is why my country in poverty
Awesome coop! What's that pipe coming out of the vent for?
Thanks, that pipe is conduit for the electric wire. It runs underground in the conduit from my garage to the coop.
chickens don't need heat, they only need to be out of the draft and protected from predators, with two heat lamps in there, those chickens will be too hot... they're birds!!
Thanks Freebie. We only turn one on at -30C. We can get to as low as -40C and at those temps the combs can get frostbite even if the birds are generally OK. Also if any of them are missing feathers in a part of their body cold temps can be an isue.
Agreed. My heat lamps are setup on a thermostat. I live 4 hrs south of you and i found that the chickens lay better when they're warm also. Mine also mault during the winter so i feed em higher protein to keep em laying. Very nice setup
first time chicken owners now, any thoughts on the heating pad's compared to the lights? we have a small pre fab coop and three hens to come, were thinking about what we'll need to keep them warm
Thanks for the question. I am not the chicken expert just the chicken coop builder. Lots of folks will say that chickens don't need any heat just shelter from the wind and insulation. The birds do have lots of insulation when they puff up. And many chicken keepers will say that the birds shouldn't be conditioned to the artificial heat. Where we live it can get to -35 or even -40 C When the temp dips below -25 ish we turn on one light and the birds certainly seem to like it. We have had minor frost bite on the combs before so in our experience some heat is a good thing. I haven't had experience with heating pads. Good luck.
Well done video of a really nice coop. My family has our first chickens (and 3 geese) coming in spring of 2018. Looking forward to our first farm fresh eggs! Your coop has given me some great ideas.
Regarding heating over winter, from talking to those experienced with regards to this, is to not heat to the point that the birds do not develop their winter coats. Some people, thinking that they want to spoil their chickens over winter by keeping it like summer in their coop, have killed them off come the first winter storm when the power goes out. No power, no heat (barring any precautions).
I like the approach you took. Just enough heat to keep winters edge off.
How much would it cost to build this?
Hi Jessica, at the time I think it would have run about $1,500 - $2,000. Probably the most expensive thing is the pressure treated lumber I used. The foundation is 2x10 lumber set on edge. That's expensive stuff. I did get lucky and found just enough roofing on a deep discount. The whole thing could be scaled down to make it cheaper. Plywood comes in 4x8 sheets. My henhouse is ~5 feet wide. If I kept it to 4' I would have saved probably 4-5 sheets of plywood.
@@KevinOutdoors Thank you!!