How to prevent drafts?

[xapikleia]

DH and I are building a coop this week, so I'm doing tons of reading here.

I've seen a lot about preventing drafts, but I think I'm a little stumped on what that means for me...it doesn't typically get incredibly cold here (although, it did get down to the 30s at night last month, which is rare), but we are prone to very strong Santa Ana winds. Do all sides of my coop need to be able to close, or can I have a side that is only covered by hardware cloth? I see a lot of "open air" coops, so I'm confused!!!

 

[AngelzFyre]

They need ventilation...but not any cold air blowing directly onto them when it's in the 30's or below.
My coop has hardware cloth on 3 sides and completely closed in the back except for a small ventilation window at the top and there's one in front at the top also. In the winter we put up plastic on all the screened areas but the air can still circulate at the top no matter what the temps. It so far has worked well for us as they have fresher air to breathe when they are locked in at night but don't get air directly blowing on them when they are roosting. I do put Vaseline on my roo's combs if it gets below freezing but other than that no other special care because the wind stays off all of them. In the warmer months all plastic is down and air can blow through free will. I don't know how strong Santa Ana winds can be but they can do better in cold most of the time than high heat so maybe just make an area where they can be out of the strongest of winds if they want and otherwise make it where you can at least keep the major drafts off them when it's cold.
Hope this helps

.

 

[Mahonri]

Drafts will NOT be a problem in So. Cal Suburbs unless it's down by the ocean in San Diego.

 

[LeeLeesFarm]

___________

The Santa Anas are horrendous ....
and yes it was COLD just a couple weeks ago.

Below is a great LINK on this Forum, with a couple photos .... as a couple of us were discussing this very topic:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=113817


I have removeable PLYWOOD boards up on the three sides of my rabbit hutch-turned-chicken coop. (The fourth side, the back, already was closed in with wood when purchased).

Then on the hardwire door, for these winter months and the santa ana season, i put up a vinyl plastic covering, with a 3 inch opening for ventilation above the vinyl on the door.

I wanted see thru vinyl plastic, so my girls could have as much light coming in, in the early morning as possible, before I wake up to let them out to their run .... longer daylight means more ability to lay eggs (they need lots of light to continually lay eggs).

HTH,
Lee

____________

 

[Mahonri]

Yeah, that coop would be a tad drafty!!!

No worries for my girls... I just wish I could put in insulation and a window AC unit for July, AUG and SEP.

 

[patandchickens]

In warm weather drafts are not an issue. Indeed we often call them "cooling breezes" <g>

However, if temps are in the thirties and forties, possibly even higher if the air is damp and your breeds are less-hardy, parking your chickens in moving air is asking for trouble.

It would be worth having a piece of plywood (etc) that you can latch onto the open side of the coop on cool windy days. Even if you only use it a few days a year, that would be worth it IMO. Although, it depends on the size of your coop and whether the size and configuration allow the chickens somewhere to get out of the draft.

good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[xapikleia]

thanks for all of the input. i think i have it all figure out now...i think, lol. pat, the link in your siggy was very helpful!

we're inland, so no beach weather here. it's dry and hot for a good part of the year, and the santa anas are generally hot winds as well. they're the great winds that help to cause most of our wildfires every year.