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Also raises the humidity level in the coop, and that is especially bad in wintertime as it promotes frostbite. Not to mention that it might stink to high heaven.
Gerry
One has to remember several things here. First, there must be adequate ventilation even in the dead of winter. If you experience elevated humidity issues in winter, or think you might, it can probably be attribuited to a coop that is shut up too tightly. This leads to more than frostbite, which is a tenuous worry. It leads to several respiratory induced ailments, most of which can cause reduced vigor but can also kill your birds outright.
Secondly, no manure collection scheme is free of maintenance. Whether you use dropping boards, pits or water baths, you have to do your due diligence to maintain them. It is my experienc, and that of Mr. Hartmann, that the water barrels DON'T stink. They dont attract fly's either, nor do they release toxic ammonia compounds into a too tight coop for the birds to breahe. The actually require less maintenance than the dropping boards under discussion.
This usually includes drainign them, flushing them with a light rinse and refilling.
A drawback is that you bring water into tht ecoop to do all this. I'd be more worried about spilled water than I would the barrels themselves. Its pertinent to know that these barrels were designed for chicken tractrors and other open bottom housing.
