Help!! Ventilation problem?

[RoosterML]

I'm going to disagree with everyone else. You need double the ventilation you have.

I disagree completely. What @jessshell has as a method of ventilation and the amount she has is actually a very good example for everyone else to follow. It’s not about the amount of area you have opened up for a vent it is how you use that area. There is a really nice intake and exhaust area that is not even counting the pop door or side wall vent.
Well done @jessshell you nailed it.
Sorry @ChickenCanoe no disrespect as you add a lot of good info here very often but sorry not in this case.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I disagree completely. What @jessshell has as a method of ventilation and the amount she has is actually a very good example for everyone else to follow. It’s not about the amount of area you have opened up for a vent it is how you use that area. There is a really nice intake and exhaust area that is not even counting the pop door or side wall vent.
Well done @jessshell you nailed it.
Sorry @ChickenCanoe no disrespect as you add a lot of good info here very often but sorry not in this case.

That's cool. We agree to disagree.
Pop doors provide zero ventilation when they are closed.
In over 60 years with chickens in extreme colt to extreme heat and high humidity in both. I've lost birds to heat but never to cold. I've never had a chicken with a respiratory issue. The reason is huge open windows.
I have one re-purposed garden shed with a smallish window and ridge vent. I keep a box fan on the window sill blowing at the roost - year round.
They have tiny lungs and respiratory systems and need lots of oxygen. The only need for coops is predator protection and shelter from rain. Otherwise, they could sleep in trees year round. You can't keep a draft out of a tree.
I have a friend with a great coop. They type you recommend. There is an attached predator proof run. Her chickens have never slept in the coop, year round. They opt for the roost in the run for the fresh air.

 

[jessshell]

Looks like you have adequate ventilation to me. Probably just higher humidity this time of year. Where are you located?

we are located in Indiana. We've already had some chilly nights (in the negatives) with some snow. The last couple days have been warm though so all the snow has melted.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The coop is nice overall.
Definitely lose the metal pipe for roosting. It will cause frostbitten toes in Indiana.
I'm going to disagree with everyone else. You need double the ventilation you have.
Wet straw will cause high humidity which in turn leads to frostbite and a breeding gound for pathogens.
You, like most people put more emphasis on temperature than oxygen.
Fresh, cold air and drafts won't hurt chickens. Stale air, humidity, fungus, virus, bacteria and ammonia will.
I don't know how the idea of a draft free coop got started but it is a fallacy.

 

[RoosterML]

@jessshell
I know it will likely be a pain now but if you raised your coop another 6”-10” a cinder block would work. You could allow the chickens to go under the coop to get out of the rain. It’s a very easy way to add a “free” covered area . After all it’s already there why not use it.

 

[perkolator]

Nice coop. My only criticism is directed at the floor area of your coop. That bare OSB with just a thin scattering of bedding over it wouldn't be good as there's nothing to "soak up" poop or wet/muddy feet and anything wet would soak into the wood.

If it were mine I would make a simple wooden baffle at the chicken door and human door, to be able to retain more depth of bedding without it spilling out the doors. You could also use a waterproof membrane on floor/up walls to protect things - sheet vinyl flooring, waterproof panels, paint it, etc.

 

[perkolator]

Yeah, my old coop was like yours where the floor is flat/level with the doors. The roost bars in that coop were all on one side, with the feeder opposite - so what I did was make a baffle to hold back about 10" deep bedding under the roost bars. No more bedding strewn out into the run after that.

Ours was also bare OSB and you could tell how much funk had soaked into it over the years, which is why I suggested putting a barrier on it so the bedding isn't in direct contact. Much easier to do all this now before they get bigger.

 

[BYC910]

The only things I see wrong with this coop are the roostig pole pipe which has already been addressed and the roof overhang over the run .The problem there is blowing rain can blow right in the coop.That could be the reason for the damp straw. The back should be fine, the roof pitch puts the rear fascia board lower than the coop wall .The roof pitch and over hang put the fascia board above the front or run wall . I would add baffle boards six inchs from the front wall to stop rain and snow from blowing over the wall.

 

[BYC910]

Forgot to say what a nice coop you built.

 

[jessshell]

That is correct, but if you look at the pictures closely, you will see that the pop door doesn't actually have a door. It's just a nice, large sized lower vent opening the chickens can enter and exit the coop. No "door" on it.

it has a door, but we did it internally with a pully system. it just makes it easier to lock them in at night and let them out in the morning.