Coop light for waking up

Absolutely. Chickens and other poultry are outdoor animals. They have tiny respiratory systems. They need a constant supply of fresh air.
I've been following this site a long time. There are lots of daily posts for advice about respiratory problems beginning about this time of year through January. I attribute that to people who are worried about cold and start closing up the coops.
Cold and drafts aren't the problem, stale air is.
Pathogens, ammonia, dust and fungus increase when closed up, especially if it is warmer in the coop and has higher humidity. Those things are breeding grounds for viral and bacterial infections. An enclosed coop with insufficient ventilation could have humidity as much as 30% or higher above ambient air.
Birds living in an outdoor run or in trees don't get respiratory diseases. They affect birds in tight buildings.
I have huge openings in all my buildings and take no precaution for drafts. In fact 2 buildings have those huge openings at roost height on both East and West walls. The winter winds blow right through. There is no possibility for pathogens to get a foothold.
I have never had a respiratory issue in all my years of keeping poultry.
Thanks so much for all that information! I will be out measuring my openings this week. Have not had respiratory problems yet, but only in this for four years now. Also, it will be a huge part of planning our new coop in spring!!! I sure love this site and all you chicken lovers who know so much!!!
 
Thanks so much for all that information! I will be out measuring my openings this week. Have not had respiratory problems yet, but only in this for four years now. Also, it will be a huge part of planning our new coop in spring!!! I sure love this site and all you chicken lovers who know so much!!!
This is a citation from the anthology on the history of poultry housing.
"...The style of houses used for poultry changed many times. The pendulum has swung from open (letting birds roost in trees) to closed (windowless houses of about 1850) to open (wire range shelters about 1910) to closed (Petaluma type houses in 1920) to open wire cages (early 1950's) to closed (controlled environment houses of 1960 to 1973). --Wilbor Owens Wilson, "Housing" in American Poultry History: 1823-1973: An Anthology Overview of 150 Years (1974, p. 223)."
From 1850 to 1910 with chickens held in closed windowless houses, it became expected that one would lose from 50-80% of the inhabitants through the course of winter. Those were accepted numbers. Then someone got the idea that stale air may be the root of the problem. One farmer decided to remove an entire south wall from every one of his buildings. He would go to the houses in the the morning to find snow had drifted throughout the building some nights. Yet, he didn't lose a single bird that winter to illness.
The following quote is from Prince T Woods, MD book 'Open Air Poultry Houses for all Climates'.

"Henry B. Prescott, practical poultryman, Derry, N. H., believes in fresh air for poultry of all ages. His remarks concerning chicks are of interest: 'An abundance of good vitalized air is an important factor in poultry raising. The fresh air chick comes into the world with an especially good lease on life for he is possessed of one of the most valuable qualities in man or beast, that of power of resistance or disease resisting ability. When we want a fire to burn more freely we open the drafts and allow a free contact of the air with the fuel; when we want the best development of the chick or better results with adult fowls, we must see to it that the supply of oxygen is unlimited. The best way to do this is to let the chick live in the fresh air from hatching time to maturity.'" Page 26
Another quote from the same book-
"Dr. C. Bricault, Lawrence, Mass., says: 'I was a warm-house advocate at first, but when I saw the good effects of the open house I adopted it and I would not go back to the closed house. I have tried open-front houses over twelve years, so am in a position to judge.'" Page 27
 
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