Metal roof on rafters?

[Erikalpowers]

We finished our coop about a week ago and have a metal sheeting on rafters with vents under the eves in the front & back. Im in Upstate NY and it gets quite cold here. I see lots of people saying the body heat from the birds and even their poop will warm the coop. That is not the case for ours just from pure size of it. The roof is 10 feet in the front pitched to around 8 in the back so snow and water dont accumulate. 7 birds are not going to heat that! The metal roof doesnt allow for any heat to hold in there. I have put insulation up there and am considering fishing the job with plywood over that. My question i guess is doing so will cover the eve vents so will the 3 openings in the back pictured below be enough ventilation in the colder months?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Don't cover up the ventilation in the eaves - that's an ideal spot for ventilation so you want to take advantage of it.

Don't worry about trying to keep the coop warm, your goal should be keeping the coop dry (which is why ventilation is important, to let moist air escape) so that the chickens can properly trap warm air against their bodies and keep themselves warm. Dry bird = warm bird.

 

[BaaKaaawk]

As long as your chickens are dry- they will be fine.

Honestly, no offense- but that insulation is doing nothing and will do nothing. You might as well just take it down before it falls on the chickens and/or one of them consumes something that falls off it.

@aart excels in this space, so I'd take his word over any of ours anyway.

 

[Arielle2]

look at the woods coop design. Tjere is ventilation and then there is a breeze.

The woods design cleverly uses air exchange at one end, and a closed end that holds air, so exchange of air is slower so kept warmer.

Look at how the air moves.....then look at the space the birds occupy. Can they get out of the draft if they chose??

 

[Acre4Me]

very nice coop!

Since it’s warm weather, I’d do the following modification:

Remove the roof and insulation. Raise the roof up onto 2x4s, where the narrow side is touching the wall frames. Build a regular roof (plywood, shingles). Now your roof has a 3.5” high open ventilation area all around’, high above the roosts so no drafts on birds. Since your roof has a good slant hot air goes up and out easily. Cover the openings with hardware cloth.

 

[mowin]

I live in upstate NY also. Both my coop and my nephew's are built like yours, but roof raised like acre4me stated. They are sheathed then metal roofing. No heat in the winter just plenty of ventilation. Soffits open covered with HC.

Exposed metal roofing will condensate. If there is any moisture getting past your insulation, it's going to absorb the condensation, and eventually fall.

As mentioned , the birds are not going to heat the coop. You need their moisture to escape

 

[Erikalpowers]

I live in upstate NY also. Both my coop and my nephew's are built like yours, but roof raised like acre4me stated. They are sheathed then metal roofing. No heat in the winter just plenty of ventilation. Soffits open covered with HC.

Exposed metal roofing will condensate. If there is any moisture getting past your insulation, it's going to absorb the condensation, and eventually fall.

As mentioned , the birds are not going to heat the coop. You need their moisture to escape

OK perfect! Ty