We live in Juneau, Alaska and the weather is wet and cold for most of the year. I am going to try and document our chicken coop disasters and successes and maybe we will make mistakes others can learn from and help some other South East Alaskan chicken farmers. I pulled the picture above from a pre-fab chicken coop operation, just to get basic design ideas. I liked that this unit was of a good size, yet still somewhat mobile, and it looked like it could handle some snow too.
Our Coop is framed in 2 x 2 common wood, Inner walls are made of particle board, roof and other surfaces are sheeted with plywood. I covered the nesting area and roof with tar paper and then covering it with metal sheathing. Have not insulated it as of yet. With a heat source installed in such a small space, it may not be necessary to insulate. I plan on putting in some thermometers to make sure my chickens are comfortable, and make sure its not too hot or cold in the roosting area. But I made sure its windproof, and vented it well. I could also insulate it next spring if I have trouble keeping it warm this winter.
Above is my son Nicholas, our Chicken Wrangler here at our farm. We want to have a name for our farm, but haven't decided on one yet. This is our nesting box and roosting area for our chickens. As you see there is a light wired in, and we have moved it around quite a bit trying to find the best spot for it. Dimensions of this area is 5ft high x 4ft deep x 3ft wide, and has a potential for 6 nests...but that's up to the chickens. Im no expert on chickens, but have researched that chickens don't need alot of space...3-4 cubic feet per chicken is all they need in general, and you only need to provide each chicken with 1 square foot of roosting space. My entire coop is 256 cubic feet, with a nesting/roosting box that is 60 cubic feet, which more space means happier healthier birds.
We live in Juneau, Alaska and the weather is wet and cold for most of the year. I am going to try and document our chicken coop disasters and successes and maybe we will make mistakes others can learn from and help some other South East Alaskan chicken farmers. I pulled the picture above from a pre-fab chicken coop operation, just to get basic design ideas. I liked that this unit was of a good size, yet still somewhat mobile, and it looked like it could handle some snow too.
Above is my son Nicholas, our Chicken Wrangler here at our farm. We want to have a name for our farm, but haven't decided on one yet. This is our nesting box and roosting area for our chickens. As you see there is a light wired in, and we have moved it around quite a bit trying to find the best spot for it. Dimensions of this area is 5ft high x 4ft deep x 3ft wide, and has a potential for 6 nests...but that's up to the chickens. Im no expert on chickens, but have researched that chickens don't need alot of space...3-4 cubic feet per chicken is all they need in general, and you only need to provide each chicken with 1 square foot of roosting space. My entire coop is 256 cubic feet, with a nesting/roosting box that is 60 cubic feet, which more space means happier healthier birds.
Thanks for some great info. I am going to start raising hens for eggs and am trying to look at different plans, I like the pictures you posted. Good luck with your endeavor.
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