Coop too drafty in horse stall?

[ElizabethRanch]

I am a first-time chicken owner with six, 6 week old chicks that I plan to move to my horse barn in Colorado. The chickens will reside with two horses but I’m worried it will be too drafty for the chickens. Maybe I should insulate against wind in between a horse stall and the chicken stall? I know ventilation is important but it gets windy out here and the two horse stall doors stay open all of the time. There is intermittent warm weather as we move towards summer but I want them to be happy & healthy. Any ideas or advice?

 

[neo71665]

Pictures will help a ton but more often than not new chicken owners don't realize how much ventilation a coop needs. Chickens poop at night and it contains high amounts of ammonia.

 

[3KillerBs]

Yes, photos please. We'll be happy to help you figure this out but we need to see what you're working with.

 

[Acre4Me]

The basic answer to this, no matter where you live is that the birds are happiest when they can get out of the draft/wind to roost. So, you might need to give them a protected area out of the wind, but it likely does not need any insulation.

lots of ventilation is important! In some areas where it is warm/hot, coops may only be 2 solid sides or only the upper parts are solid. The rest is HWC. The solid sides are the walls that protect them from wind/rain.
Good luck!

 

[aart]

The chickens will reside with two horses but I’m worried it will be too drafty for the chickens.

How windy/drafty is it in the stall?
Get in there and sit on the ground during a high wind time to see/feel just how windy it is.

The basic answer to this, no matter where you live is that the birds are happiest when they can get out of the draft/wind to roost. So, you might need to give them a protected area out of the wind, but it likely does not need any insulation.

Ditto Dat!

in Colorado

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[Percheron chick]

I had my chickens in a similar setup at my last place. 1/2 solid wood wall and wire on the top. They were in the end stall so 2 solid walls and 2 1/2 and 1/2. The roosts were lower protected by the solid wall and up high in the wired in part. Their preference no matter the time of year was the higher unprotected roost. In winter I would put wood over the wire in the front 1/2 to deflect the wind and keep the blowing snow out. ( Did not have closing doors on barn either). Keeping the doors open is a must as the dust will be even worse. If you have automatic waterers, build a platform for them to access it. I have a Richie fount for the geese and chickens and just love it. Took about 60 seconds for the geese to learn how to use it.
You'll appreciate having everyone under one roof especially in the winter. Helps get you out of bed in the morning.
You ñever have to worry about outgrowing the stall. I had as many as 25 chickens, 8 guineas and 3 geese in there in bad weather.

 

[3KillerBs]

Get in there and sit on the ground during a high wind time to see/feel just how windy it is.

An excellent idea! Nothing like direct, empirical testing. All the theory in the world can't match it.

 

[ElizabethRanch]

I am a first-time chicken owner with six, 6 week old chicks that I plan to move to my horse barn in Colorado. The chickens will reside with two horses but I’m worried it will be too drafty for the chickens. Maybe I should insulate against wind in between a horse stall and the chicken stall? I know ventilation is important but it gets windy out here and the two horse stall doors stay open all of the time. There is intermittent warm weather as we move towards summer but I want them to be happy & healthy. Any ideas or advice?

 

[ElizabethRanch]

Looking at the 3 stalls, I think I need to move their coop to the stall on the far left and closing the stall door will keep quiet a bit of the wind out. I have a horse in that stall right now and when it snows it blows into that stall a lot but not the one on the right.