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Is my coop too drafty? Ideas on how to fix it?

post #1 of 7
Thread Starter 

I'm a super-duper brand new chicken owner and long-time lurker/learner who's really enjoying her chicks!  I need help/feedback on our coop and it's ventilation...

 

We up-cycled a playhouse that my amazing father-in-law built years ago for my children.  It's predator-proofed at this point and I want to move our chicks into it soon, but I'm worried that it'll be too drafty since it has (mesh covered) windows on 3 sides and wide mesh covered doors on the South side.

 

South Side:

(I plan on trying the DLM so that is a piece of plywood for holding in the pine shavings)

IMG_1476.JPG

 

We also up-cycled a piece of an extra pool cover that came with our house as a roof wrap and as a wind and rain curtain (I plan on weighing the bottom to reduce flapping in high winds):

IMG_1480.JPG

 

 

West Side:

IMG_1477.JPG

 

North Side:

(This is where I'm about to build the run and cut the chicken door)

IMG_1478.JPG

 

East side:

(This is where external nesting boxes will be installed well before these tiny chicks need them :) )

IMG_1479.JPG

 

I'm in Dallas, TX so it gets HOT in the summer...that's why I decided to make the big clean-out doors out of mesh.  BUT the roosts will be at the height of all those cute round windows!  Do I need to cover the windows on 3 sides and let the doors bring in air?  Or cover 2 sides and always use the curtain at night to reduce and drafts??

 

HELP!

 

Thank you!!

Whitney

 

PS In case it matters, I have a mixed flock of Marans, BLR Wyandottes, Ameraucanas, and Welsummers.

Whitney

Wife, mother and chicken owner :)

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Whitney

Wife, mother and chicken owner :)

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post #2 of 7

If your chicks are fully fledged then they should be ok with the house as it is.  At least until winter, then you might like to cover some windows but especially during the summer they will be fine.  If they're still tiny and have their baby down, I'd put them on the floor with a light for warmth until they finish getting their full grown feathers in.

Pat Lowe
Dreamcatcher Arabian Horses LLC
Stillwater, OK

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Pat Lowe
Dreamcatcher Arabian Horses LLC
Stillwater, OK

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post #3 of 7
Thread Starter 

Thank you for the response, dreamcatcherarabians!

 

If the chicks aren't fully feathered when I move them out, I plan to put their whole brooder in the coop with heat lamp, draft shield, food and water.  

 

But I am still worried that my coop might be too drafty for full grown chickens if they are roosting at the level of the windows and air could conceivably come at them from all sides (not that it's very windy here, but in a rain storm).

Whitney

Wife, mother and chicken owner :)

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Whitney

Wife, mother and chicken owner :)

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post #4 of 7

I would actually make more ventilation on the sides with the smaller holes. You can always cover them in the winter months with some plywood or thick plastic. Chickens need good ventilation to avoid respiratory issues and can put up with cold much better than heat. Your coop is very near a brick surface too so that surface is going to hold heat and release it slowly especially during the hottest months. 

Tropical Plant Freak with Marans: Bcm,wheaten,golden cuckoo, BBS, blue copper,barred blk tailed buff, blk tailed buff, blue/blk birchen. Lavender, white, buff, and black Orps, Silkies, Key West aka Gypsy chickens, Ameraucanas, Muscovies, Sebastapol Geese, Guineas,Gobblers, Parrots. Currently working on some exciting Key West and Marans projects. 

~Not selling eggs or chicks at this time~

 

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Tropical Plant Freak with Marans: Bcm,wheaten,golden cuckoo, BBS, blue copper,barred blk tailed buff, blk tailed buff, blue/blk birchen. Lavender, white, buff, and black Orps, Silkies, Key West aka Gypsy chickens, Ameraucanas, Muscovies, Sebastapol Geese, Guineas,Gobblers, Parrots. Currently working on some exciting Key West and Marans projects. 

~Not selling eggs or chicks at this time~

 

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post #5 of 7
Thread Starter 
Thanks, flgardengirl. More ventilation?? I hadn't considered the garage/house brick wall giving off heat, but that's something I'll keep in mind. The roof tarp is black, too, so I'll watch the temp. That yard gets a lot is shade when the trees have leaves (they're leafing out right now).

The circular windows are about 11" diameter each, the mesh doors are ~4' wide and 3' tall, there will be a chicken door on the North side and the walls are ~6' long. That is about 20 square feet of ventilation without counting the area between the top of the walls and the roof. I'm not trying to argue, but I'm honestly confused. I thought, if anything, I maybe had too much air.

Please advise.

Thank you!

Whitney

Wife, mother and chicken owner :)

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Whitney

Wife, mother and chicken owner :)

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post #6 of 7

Being that you are in TX, You can get rid of that tarp and let that coop breath.  Check out my coop below, The front is wide open year round.  I don't think you have to worry about the chickens catching a draft where you are.  And be especially careful with that heatlamp.  More than a few coop (And chickens)  have been burned to the ground in an attempt to "Keep them warm".  

Jack


 

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post #7 of 7
Thread Starter 

Thanks, Jack!  I have the heat lamp secured in multiple ways to avoid problems like that!  

 

Also, the tarp is only for when we have heavy, blowing rains and I was going to use it to try to keep the litter from getting soaked.  I plan to let the litter build up (~DLM) so I was thinking that it getting soaked would be bad.

 

Thank you all for reassuring me that I don't have too much draft! :)

Whitney

Wife, mother and chicken owner :)

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Whitney

Wife, mother and chicken owner :)

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