- Mar 4, 2011
- 958
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Not that I killed any of my chickens last Winter, but I am about to close off the warmer weather ventilation and I want to make sure I am doing it right. 
All of our ventilation is up at the tops of the walls, between the walls and the roof. The coop is 12 foot by 8 foot, and we have 11 chickens. It generally stays above 0°F here, but can go below.
One 12 foot wall butts up against another barn and has no ventilation, and the other 12 foot wall has 2 inch holes along the top every 6 inches. The 8 foot walls have a negotiable amount. The upper 4 feet of both those walls are completely open right now, and I put a board over most of it in the Winter.
How much of a gap should I leave at the top of those boards? I think I left 5 or 6 inches last year, but I can't remember for sure, it could have been less.
So my other question is really about understanding what is meant by "drafts". I'm not entirely clear on the whole, "It's not cold that kills them, but moisture in the air, and drafts, so make sure they have plenty of ventilation and a draft-free coop." It seems a bit contradictory?
Thus far I have just understood it to mean "no drafts directly at the chickens", is that correct? I mean, any ventilation is obviously going to cause a draft, so the idea is that the ventilation is just high above or far below where the chickens roost, right? It's okay to have a vent up above their roost, yes?
Thank you!
All of our ventilation is up at the tops of the walls, between the walls and the roof. The coop is 12 foot by 8 foot, and we have 11 chickens. It generally stays above 0°F here, but can go below.
One 12 foot wall butts up against another barn and has no ventilation, and the other 12 foot wall has 2 inch holes along the top every 6 inches. The 8 foot walls have a negotiable amount. The upper 4 feet of both those walls are completely open right now, and I put a board over most of it in the Winter.
How much of a gap should I leave at the top of those boards? I think I left 5 or 6 inches last year, but I can't remember for sure, it could have been less.
So my other question is really about understanding what is meant by "drafts". I'm not entirely clear on the whole, "It's not cold that kills them, but moisture in the air, and drafts, so make sure they have plenty of ventilation and a draft-free coop." It seems a bit contradictory?
Thus far I have just understood it to mean "no drafts directly at the chickens", is that correct? I mean, any ventilation is obviously going to cause a draft, so the idea is that the ventilation is just high above or far below where the chickens roost, right? It's okay to have a vent up above their roost, yes?
Thank you!
