Adjusting ventilation

[LOTRnchicknluvr]

Hi everyone! I'm in need of some advice, my flock is struggling with frostbite and we aren't even into our super cold season. The coop is 5x4 ft. and about 3ft. high inside. We have two 5ft. roosts, and four vents, one on each side of each roost. Two vents are about 3x5 in and the other two are about 3x6 in. I have 9 chickens and I'm hoping to add more soon. The chickens only stay in during the night, otherwise they free rang/live in a large run during the day. The roosts are about 1 ft from the roof. I'll post pictures tomorrow. Right now I think that the current vents are creating drafts and I'm planning to block the old vents and create a two in. wide opening all the way around the roof line. Also my dad keeps saying that we should heat the coop, put a vent in the floor, and insert a fan in the coop. I really do not want to heat the coop. Thank you!!!!

 

[21hens-incharge]

Try lowering your roosts to 4" above the floor.

Your coop is to small for 9 birds to sleep in without moisture building up.
That space can hold 5 birds during the winter.
This is creating a lot of extra wet in your coop that cannot get out.

No to a heater in there. It is way to small of a coop and the ceiling is to low to do so safely.
Even if it does not start a fire the birds will quickly overheat.

As soon as you can expanding that coop is needed for the number of birds you have now.

 

[Blooie]

Well, I'm just going to come out and say it.....I think you have too many birds for the space if it's only 3 feet high inside. Granted, in winter they help keep each other warm, but you did say that your roosts are a foot from the roof. That means (and without photos I'm guessing here) that their heads are just a few inches from the roof when they are actually on the roosts. As they breathe and their bodies give off natural warmth, that warm moist air is immediately hitting the colder roof and the condensation or vapor is setting right back on to your chickens. Add to that how much poop 9 birds can drop over night and your humidity level is up considerably. Humidity is the biggest cause of frostbite. I know you said that they free-range during the day, but think about how much longer the nights are than the days, and you can see that in reality they are inside the coop more than they are outside.

You have plenty of ventilation, but it doesn't sound as if it's well placed in relation to the size of the coop, the number of birds, and the ceiling height. Photos and a lot more information would be so helpful, and if I'm off base here I'll be the first to say so.