My coop was not ready for winter and we are at subzero temps

[mseely]

Hi! I'm looking for some suggestions that I can do to modify my coop. I read a lot about winterizing but living in Iowa, it didn't seem to be a huge issue. We're about 4 days into a 10 day streak of below zero weather. I have the essentials like a heated water tank, etc. The problem I'm running into is ( I think at least) that I do not have enough ventalation and some of my hens are getting frostbite. I'll attach pictures of my coop it measures 6.4x6.4x8ft I believe. It's an old refrigerator shipping container and I did not have the resources to put a window in it. At the top I have about 20 .5 inch holes on either side for ventilation. What I'm wondering is what can I do right now to help my situation? In the spring I want to totally reconfigure the whole thing. Also the pictures are older, the inside of my coop is different now, I have the nesting box about 2 ft off the ground and covered and a lot more roosting bars which are big enough for them to stand flat footed.

Today I plan on installing some foam becuase the doors don't line up correctly creating a big draft. Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Welshies]

If frostbite is only on the tips of the comb it's fine and normal. It is -40°C here. You can stack straw bales or place a tarp around your coop. Heat lamps are okay but remember to reclimatize your chickens.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I'm not an expert chicken keeper, but I don' see any ventilation?
I like the use of the crate though. How many chickens are in there?

 

[junebuggena]

A draft in a chicken coop is not the same thing as a draft in a house. A draft in a coop is when the birds are in the direct path of blowing wind. The gap from the door is not a problem.
There is no ventilation in that coop, but you do have a really good overhang. You'll need to cut out a lot of that wood above the door. And cut some holes into the back as well.
Once that's done, you are going to have to reconfigure the inside so that the roosts are well below the ventilation you add. Nest boxes need to be lowered quite a bit. Roosts should be positioned about a foot above the nest boxes, and a foot below the ventilation. The heat lamp's current position is too close to the roost for safety, and it's too small a coop for a heat lamp. Food and water are not needed overnight, so those can be moved out into the run.

 

[nminusyplusm]

20 half inch holes means you basically don't have ventilation. Ideally you want 1 sq ft per bird of ventilation.

Can you get some hardware cloth, a circular saw or jigsaw and a screw gun to lower the nest boxes and roosts? It's not a big project that has to wait for spring.

ETA: 20 half inch holes = 5 sq INCHES of ventilation and, if I understand correctly, it's located in the false ceiling of your coop/top of crate?

 

[JMotuzick]

Take the whole panel right off above the door. Set it aside for another project. Staple off some hardware cloth in its place. Should only take a few minutes and help a bunch! Then figure in about the same amount directly across from that. How may hens? Like was said 1sq foot per bird !

 

[lazy gardener]

How many birds? You should have about 1 s.f. of ventilation per bird. This is one of the reasons why small coops are so problematic. You could buy a sheet of plexiglass, and cut a window into the coop, screw the plexiglass over the opening. This would give you some day light for now. Or you could pick up a window sash, and make a wood frame for it. Cut an opening in the wall, and screw the frame to the wall. You would want some sort of structural framing to support the window frame. A louvered vent would be the easiest installation. Simply cut the wall to the correct size, and screw the vent in place, with a piece of 1/2" hdw. cloth sandwiched under the vent. It's best to have 2 vents, but your 1/2" holes will suffice for somewhat of an outlet.

I would drop the next boxes way down close to the floor, and drop the roosts as well. That will allow you to put adequate ventilation above the roost bars.

 

[PirateGirl]

You could attach a long board the full length of the door on one of the two door panels. Screw it into the inside/back of one the door so that when doors are both closed this board fills the gap between the two and eliminates the draft.