Drafty Coop???

[Attila]

What is considered a drafty coop or not drafty coop?
My coop has a widow I can remove when the hot weather hits us in New England.
I also have vents on each end that I can open or close.
Is my coop considered drafty or not?
Can someone please explain this to a newbie?

 

[Izzymoon]

vents and windows are fine. They need a lot of vents and windows, and only need to be closed off is in hurricane type or serious snow storms etc. Nor'easters etc. Drafts normally come through the floor ( think of under doors and windows of your house) But the birds sweat a lot and so even in the cold they need air circulating. Love your avatar, I am in NE too

I was told leave the windows open in the winter, but I think anything under 32 leave the vents open and the windows shut, only because their combs and waddles can get frostbite

 

[Fred's Hens]

First, chicken don't sweat. Yes, they expire water vapor in their breath, as all breathing creatures do. They also urinate via their poop, so it is wet and exudes a lot of moisture as well.

A draft is an uncontrolled breeze, whipping through your coop in such a way that the birds cannot feel protected by the wind and the windchill effect. Ventilation is the ability of the coop to control excessive humidity by "venting" the stale, humid air out. Think an exhaust system on a car. This is done be simple convection.

 

[Izzymoon]

apologies, I know they don't have sweat glands, I mean't that the coop sweats if there's not enough air. Here's a good article on venting coops

http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=598

p.s. I know coops don't have sweat glands either hehehe

 

[kmatt87]

kind of a spin off question on the drafts...

i have a 4x6 coop that has wire for the main floor (they will very very rarely be left in their coop due to weather) and we were planning on raising the coop just enough so i can have a tray underneath that is able to slide out (think a poop tray under the entire coop)
Now there will be 2.5 - 3 ft of space between the poop tray and the wire flooring of the coop with a few gaps on the bottom.
I'm trying to make this tray a nearly perfect fit to the bottom of the coop...just a cm or so on each side to be able to slide it in and out and a handle on the tray we make/buy
will this layout make it too drafty?
I'm in CO so we get everything from 100+ days, to downpours with flash flooding to negative temps, blowing snow and 70+ mph winds..... It is vary strange for really bad weather to stick around for more then a day at a time.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

I have A LOT of wind where I live and worry constantly about drafts . I think of it this way: Birds use their feathers to keep insulated. If they have wind/cold air blowing directly on them disturbing their feathers they aren't as able to stay warm. You can have wind blowing in, as long as it's not blowing directly on the birds disturbing their feathers. I sometimes lean something against the opening so the air still flows in but it's not flowing directly at the roosting birds. Hope this helps.

 

[Izzymoon]

wind and drafts are two different animals. Wind is well....wind, a draft is a opening which air is seeping into the coop where it shouldn't be. If you have severe wind, maybe try to add vents over the windows or space

find them at yard sales/craigslist buy some old shutters. and open them before adding them. This will block the wind, and give them ventalation

 

[Attila]

wind and drafts are two different animals. Wind is well....wind, a draft is a opening which air is seeping into the coop where it shouldn't be. If you have severe wind, maybe try to add vents over the windows or space

find them at yard sales/craigslist buy some old shutters. and open them before adding them. This will block the wind, and give them ventalation

Izzymoon do you have a picture of the vent you are talking about?

 

[Izzymoon]

I'm thinking of the vents they have for the attic? Like this one:

http://americanwoodvents.net/wallceiling-or-cabinetry-air-returns/

Or you could get creative and maybe use floor vents:

http://fullofgreatideas.blogspot.com/2010/10/spray-painted-vent-covers.html

personally, when my coop is built I want to get a bit more fancy and use these type, because they are cast iron, the critters can't get in

http://krisbunda.com/blog/index.php/2011/05/11/decorative-hvac-vent-covers-antique-to-modern/

Though I know they are just chickens, I am not a fan of wire for them to stand on, so likely will use a regular wood floor with vinyl covering of some sort to keep it clean, and will put one or 2 vents in the floor also ( I haven't figured out exactly how that is working yet) The coop is still in planning stages only, so I have time to tweek ideas around. I am out here in the Blackstone Valley by Purgatory, so when we get weather it's BIG weather, (recall the Tornado of October 2011) so trying to build the coop to meet the needs of the area.

 

[Attila]

We got lucky! The tornados missed up in Douglas. Thank God!