HELP!

[tigger19687]

If there is no draft at chicken level and your roof overhangs are sufficient to keep blowing rain/snow out then there would be no reason to bother. Extra fresh air is not a problem unless it comes in the form of perch-level drafts.

Chickens, like all birds, have very delicate respiratory systems -- remember the canary in the coal mine thing? IMO, we should err on the side of extra fresh air.

Carbon Monoxide is far different then air ventilation.
I just don't want someone to think their chickens will die due to not enough ventilation and thinking it has anything to do with Coal Mines...
"The idea of using canaries is credited to John Scott Haldane, known to some as “the father of oxygen therapy. Why was a canary Haldane’s suggested solution? Canaries, like other birds, are good early detectors of carbon monoxide because they’re vulnerable to airborne poisons. Because they need such immense quantities of oxygen to enable them to fly and fly to heights that would make people altitude sick, their anatomy allows them to get a dose of oxygen when they inhale and another when they exhale, by holding air in extra sacs, he writes. Relative to mice or other easily transportable animals that could have been carried in by the miners, they get a double dose of air and any poisons the air might contain, so miners would get an earlier warning."

If you 'coop' is a lean-to that is not fully enclosed you will not ever be able to stop the drafts.
Yes please add pictures so we can understand what you are talking about because you state "pretty open' which to me sounds like it's 1/4 open.
Also know that wild chickens roost in trees, yes there are wild chickens and also Turkeys whos poults are about 5-6 months old by December.

Hello friends,
I have a huge draft problem !! I'm stumped on what to use to stop these drafts. My DH and I have 15 hens and 1 rooster who love to pearch up high almost to the ceiling of our lean to off of our barn. We had converted this lean to to our chicken coop/run. It's pretty open we do put up chip board on the outside to help stop drafts in the winter, but we do not do it all the way to the end, so it's still pretty open. Unfortunately between the beams the air comes up hitting our poor flock. I have no idea what to put in between the beams there's a out 20 opens in between the beams. I've tried stapling plastic it would fall down from the wind. Any ideas would greatly be appreciated I don't want my poor flock to freeze to death!!

 

[3KillerBs]

Carbon Monoxide is far different then air ventilation.
I just don't want someone to think their chickens will die due to not enough ventilation and thinking it has anything to do with Coal Mines...

Actually chickens *can* die from poor ventilation, but you are right that carbon monoxide has nothing to do with it. My intent was to reference a well-known example of birds' sensitive respiratory systems.

Of course, ammonia is a significant respiratory irritant and thus monitored carefully in commercial settings -- though it is unlikely to build up to acutely toxic levels in a backyard coop.

The main issue is the ongoing damage done by long-term poor air quality that makes chickens vulnerable to respiratory infections. Additionally, poor ventilation contributes to excessive moisture in the coop, which contributes to frostbite, mold, and other hazards.