Planning with winter in mind

[MACCanadianCoop]

Hello oh wise keepers of chickens! I am building my first coop to house my first chickens this year. Exciting!!! Municipal bylaws limit me to 5 hens. I am building with pallets and recycled materials as much as possible. I live in zone 5 and we do get consistent temperatures below freezing for the winter months. I plan to have electricity available for necessities like a water heater, but I don't want to heat/light the coop itself all winter. I plan to use natural winterizing methods (ie deep litter, covered run) as much as possible and won't be using synthetic insulation in my build. I plan to build the walls from whole pallets and cover with plywood. Now taking into account that 5 standard sized hens need 20 square feet minimum, if my coop is 4x8 feet floor space and 6 feet tall, am I making it too big? Will that much space be too cold for the ladies in the winter?

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC!

An over-size coop is highly beneficial in a severe winter area when the birds won't go outside because of deep snow in their run. The goal with their coop is to keep them dry and out of the wind, not to keep the coop warm.

I haven't time to post more right now, but here's an excellent article for you: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/

 

[azygous]

My advice is tangential.

1. Do not limit yourself to things such as amount of space and electricity. Go crazy with those. You'll be glad you did a few years from now.

2. Beyond telling us what planting zone you are in, it would be helpful to know your city and state. We might have advice having to do with wind and general direction of storms, such as building orientation and winterizing material

3. Tell us about or photograph your building site so we can see slope degree, if any, and surrounding vegetation.

 

[Brooks_]

You can't make it too big. Especially in less than forgiving climates.

 

[Brooks_]

2. Beyond telling us what planting zone you are in, it would be helpful to know your city and state

@MyCanadianCoop , better yet add it to your profile.

 

[MACCanadianCoop]

Oh and I forgot to mention, I am being mindful of getting winter hardy breeds.

 

[MACCanadianCoop]

My advice is tangential.

1. Do not limit yourself to things such as amount of space and electricity. Go crazy with those. You'll be glad you did a few years from now.

2. Beyond telling us what planting zone you are in, it would be helpful to know your city and state. We might have advice having to do with wind and general direction of storms, such as building orientation and winterizing material

3. Tell us about or photograph your building site so we can see slope degree, if any, and surrounding vegetation.

I will get some photos tonight

 

[RoyalChick]

I am in New Jersey (zone 6) and just want to add to what others have said - build as much space as you possibly can.
I have 14x10 hen house and have only 4 hens (plus now three 2-week old babies in a brooder). Then I have two covered runs each about 10x12' and a predator secure open run with a wire roof which is only about 12x8.
I have never regretted the space and even sometimes wish I had more. On snowy days my ladies spend more time in the 14x10 hen house (a small amount is set aside for storage) and there is room for them to run around, perches for them to jump up and down on, space to dust bathe etc. And on nicer days but when I cannot be around for them to go out in their fully outdoor space (electric fence but not protected from hawks) they also have lots of space to run around in.
Are they spoiled young ladies? You bet!
One thing on height - I was originally going to go with 8', but then I salvaged some really nice glass doors from a house - so that meant I had to go full human house height (I am over 8' in height). I haven't regretted that either. Very easy for me to walk around and it adds a volume of air above the roosts that I believe really helps with air flow and ventilation.

 

[Ted Brown]

I live in the country near Ottawa, Quebec side. Now 3 years roo+16 hens.

More space is always better. You said 6 feet high: is that to a peak, can you easily reach everything?

Covered run changes everything. Make it predator "proof" including against avian influenza. If you can leave the pop door open major relief to space pressures.

 

[MACCanadianCoop]

I am in central Ontario.

I'm glad to know that too big isn't a thing! But I do have to be mindful of space. I have less than a quarter acre (including my house) and I don't want to use the entire backyard.