- Thread starter
- #21
Thomaswgordon
Songster
Interesting, so I could potentially remove a good bit of the top portion of front wall and cover with hardware cloth. With the covered run I think it should be safe from getting wet. I get nervous without covering as I don’t want the inside of the coop to get wet from rain. I sealed some small holes and gaps the other day to reduce possibility of rain enteringDeep shade is good. Heat is much more dangerous to chickens than cold is.
But you still need that minimum of 1 square foot per adult, standard-size bird to remove moisture and ammonia and it needs to be at the roof level because heat and ammonia both rise.
The problem with the roost level vents is drafts. A cool breeze across the roosts is OK on a hot summer night, but in the winter it ruffles their feathers and steals their heat:
View attachment 3128256
And without roof-level venting the ammonia and moisture still build up.
You don't.
You still need ventilation in the winter to remove moisture.
Chickens tolerate DRY cold down to at least 0F when acclimated, but wet cold can cause frostbite even just barely below freezing.
I'm going to stare at those pictures and think for a bit.