dreamofwinter
Songster
Another OverEZ owner chiming in, this time from Eastern Maine (45th parallel/Canada border/coast area).
I had double that many birds in my coop last winter, including 3 ducks. Yes, totally overcrowded, but we did what had to be done for the time being. For ventilation, we cut out large holes on each side above the door and opposite that on the non door side. We cut out ventilation holes above the windows, and drilled small holes on the backside (well above the roost) for additional airflow. We also put a shower curtain that hangs about 1' from the windows/ventilation holes on the front, which allowed us to keep the windows open on warmer days and prevented direct breeze on the birds as they roosted. We had no insulation and no supplemental heat. We kept the food and water out in the run (heated waterer).
To this, we attached a hoop run covered in hardware cloth and tarps, with space left for ventilation as well. In the coop, I did deep bedding, picking out the dirtiest spots with a pitchfork every so often and adding half a bag of pine shavings every few weeks. In the run, we did more of a deep litter, starting with straw in autumn, adding leaf litter and other yard trimmings. I added straw about once a week, just a flake or two for them to pick through and play in. When we cleared it out in April it was about 18" deep!
In the depths of winter we had quite a few days with the high below 0 and the windchill well into the negatives (to say nothing of the nighttime temps!). We had one rooster who got the tiniest touch of frostbite, not enough to lose any tissue. The humidity stayed low and the temp, though cold, was fine for them. Inside the covered run, even on bitterly cold windy days, it was warm enough to sit without gloves or hat.
If you're looking for a quick run solution before winter, the hoop run is a good choice. Be sure to build it so the hoops are *inside* the sturdy wooden frame; and push the snow off the top if it gets more than a foot high up there. We did have a brace that ran down the center line inside the hoop coop which helped with wind and snow load.
Here are some photos - sorry no close ups of the OverEZ ventilation. You can see we had some snow come into the run during our worst Nor'Easter - impossible to avoid if there are spaces left for airflow - but the birds all think snow is a special treat, so it was fine.
You might guess from my username that I'm starting to get excited for more snow!
I had double that many birds in my coop last winter, including 3 ducks. Yes, totally overcrowded, but we did what had to be done for the time being. For ventilation, we cut out large holes on each side above the door and opposite that on the non door side. We cut out ventilation holes above the windows, and drilled small holes on the backside (well above the roost) for additional airflow. We also put a shower curtain that hangs about 1' from the windows/ventilation holes on the front, which allowed us to keep the windows open on warmer days and prevented direct breeze on the birds as they roosted. We had no insulation and no supplemental heat. We kept the food and water out in the run (heated waterer).
To this, we attached a hoop run covered in hardware cloth and tarps, with space left for ventilation as well. In the coop, I did deep bedding, picking out the dirtiest spots with a pitchfork every so often and adding half a bag of pine shavings every few weeks. In the run, we did more of a deep litter, starting with straw in autumn, adding leaf litter and other yard trimmings. I added straw about once a week, just a flake or two for them to pick through and play in. When we cleared it out in April it was about 18" deep!
In the depths of winter we had quite a few days with the high below 0 and the windchill well into the negatives (to say nothing of the nighttime temps!). We had one rooster who got the tiniest touch of frostbite, not enough to lose any tissue. The humidity stayed low and the temp, though cold, was fine for them. Inside the covered run, even on bitterly cold windy days, it was warm enough to sit without gloves or hat.
If you're looking for a quick run solution before winter, the hoop run is a good choice. Be sure to build it so the hoops are *inside* the sturdy wooden frame; and push the snow off the top if it gets more than a foot high up there. We did have a brace that ran down the center line inside the hoop coop which helped with wind and snow load.
Here are some photos - sorry no close ups of the OverEZ ventilation. You can see we had some snow come into the run during our worst Nor'Easter - impossible to avoid if there are spaces left for airflow - but the birds all think snow is a special treat, so it was fine.
You might guess from my username that I'm starting to get excited for more snow!
, your run...I see people with runs that are seemingly totally or almost totally covered in tarps or plastic. Don't they need airflow in their run though too?
