Old-Timer gives conflicting advise on coop

[elmo]

Quote:
Here's the theory of coop ventilation as I understand it. Chickens exhale a lot of moisture when they breathe (and moisture in their droppings, which will accumulate in the bedding if you're doing the deep litter method). You don't want humidity to build up inside your coop because this leads to poor air quality, and also in winter to frostbite (the moisture in humid air tends to condense on surfaces including the combs of chickens, where it can freeze and cause frostbite in the winter). So you want to keep the humidity in your coop as low as possible by venting the warmer air because warmer air contains more moisture. Warm air rises, so ....you put your vents up high at the top of walls where the warm, rising air can exit.

The other advantage to putting the vents up high is that you can leave them open without having drafts blow on your birds who will be roosting below this level.

There's nothing wrong, per se, with your old timer friend's approach; I just don't think it's an optimal arrangement. He's right on the money, in my opinion, with his recommendations about space per bird.

 

[eds500]

Did he say why that you NEVER insulate a coop? Curious as to his thoughts. I like to listen to and ask questions of 'ol timers' and then make my own assessments. Usually someone of that age has been there and done that. There are infinite ways to raise chickens. Go with what you think is best for you. You'll find out soon enough if you've made the right decisions.

 

[Lisa202]

Could you possibly ask him why he says not to insulate and let us know? I would really like to hear his advice on that. Thanks

 

[SandyK]

My Dad had a fit when we told him we were putting linoleum on the floor. Just had to smile and tell him that's for easier cleanup. Then when he heard we were insulating the coop, he just shook his head. Apparently back when, chickens didn't have it so good ;-) I do agree about the bigger the better on space though.

 

[drumstick diva]

I think it would help alot if you mentioned what area you live in, so you could get advice specifically dealing with that climate. If you were in a very temperate climate, I suppose it might make sense to have such a large ventilated area. Some people have 3 sided coops for that reason.

 

[BunnyMomma]

Hi,
We built our coop with a lot of ventilation. We have one small vent in the top gable of the coop. We leave it open all year. We have sliding windows, cross ventilation, and a hardware cloth covered door.

The coop is not insulated. We usually close one of the windows in the fall. When we start getting freezing temps, I shut both windows and cover the door with plexiglass. I add a few bales of straw on the back wall for the girls to cuddle up in if they feel the need. If it is going to be really cold for several days without much sunlight, I turn on a heat lamp, and give them some extra carbs to warm them up.

I like the cross ventilation in the summers, because my coop stays fresher and more comfortable for the flock. I think location makes such a difference in every flock owners coop needs. Also the cross ventilation helps to protect my coop from damage in strong winds that are common here in the summers.
Bunny

 

[Kittymomma]

I have to agree with him on space, I think 2-3' per bird inside the coop will be too small especially if they spend a lot of time in there during the winter. Here's a good link for ventilation as well as one on winter coop temps. Take in as much info. as you can and then do what you think will work best in your situation.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-winter-coop-temperatures

ETA:

and out of the "Land of Lurk."

 

[nomonewbies]

He was kind of vague but what I got out of it was that you want to let the coop do "it's own weather control." I guess he is assuming that if the vent is on the "bottom" all the insulation will do is "hold the moisture in" instead of letting the normal cold in the winter limit the moisture from the poop evaporate on its own. That was as much as I could get out of him before he told me to do it any way I want. So I discussed it with DW and we decided to vent the upper area and if it doesn't work out ok this winter, we can close those vents up and try the other way. But we are going to limit our flock to about 25 or 26 hens and not wall off a storage area but rather put in a small cabinet for some supplies and a tote or two for feed. That way we will be providing about 120 square feet for 25 hens or somewhat more than 4-1/2 square feet per hen.

BTW, DW has set her sights on Buff Orpingtons instead of Golden Comets. Any pros or cons on this?

Thanks for all the replies and I will keep a log on My Page as I go. Some pics will be coming soon.

 

[Kittymomma]

The comets will give you more eggs. I have both and while I really like my BO she is not the egg laying machine that the sex-links are. She's a great broody hen though which is a good thing for me since I like having the hens raise their chicks instead of me going the incubator/brooder route. It might not be so good for you though if half your flock stops laying because they want to raise chicks.

ETA: You could always get some of each (maybe a few more types too...

) like a lot of us have.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Buff Orpingtons instead of Golden Comets

Good idea.

Buffs are wonderful chickens​