Hi folks!
I poked around a bit for this but couldn't find a good answer. Please redirect me if I've missed a valuable discussion!
We live in NW Pennsylvania, where the winter lows get into the single digits and have -- though not frequently -- dipped down to -10.
Our chickens live in a restructured hen house that we upgraded with the money and time we had, and we plan to further reconstruct it in the spring. As it is, the house is not very tall (probably three feet at the walls and four feet in the middle under the peak). It also is elevated a good 2 feet off the ground -- the birds like to hang out underneath when it is hot or rainy.
The roosts are about a foot off the floor, not counting the thick bed of litter. We cut two good vents at the top of the peaks, which we covered with screen during the summer and how have a shutter of plywood on a bottom hinge attached with a chain at the top so we can vent while hopefully preventing wind from accosting the chickens. (The bottom of the vent is only about 1.5 feet above the roosts, and I have barred rocks, RIRs and a Guinea -- taller birds!) I am hoping this will be adequate ventilation for the birds, or at least sufficient until we can improve next year.
My larger concern is the pop hole. It is doorless, located a few inches above the floor and is central in the more narrow wall (under the peak), and it opens onto a small platform before the ramp, which leads down into the enclosed run. I am certain this causes an unpleasant -- and dangerous -- draft, but am not sure how to fix it.
The reasons we don't have a door on the pop hole: 1) The birds are fond of hanging out on the "porch" in the morning before they're all awake and in the evening when they're in the coop but not quite ready for bed. 2) I work until 2 a.m. and don't wake up before they're ready to be out and about. 3) The rooster crows and the guinea gawks when something is wrong -- overturned food, out of water, etc. -- and I like to be able to hear them ASAP if something needs to be corrected.
So the real question: Is there a way to prevent drafts while keeping the pop hole in the wall and always open without totally enclosing the porch or building a room around that part of the run? Maybe extend the porch just a little and then enclose it so they still have space to hang? Install a kitty-style door flap out of clear plastic? Securely tent with plastic around the whole opening? Buck up and put a good door on it and deal with sad chickens?
Ohmigosh this turned long! Thanks for reading, hope it's not too confusing, and I appreciate any help you can give!
I poked around a bit for this but couldn't find a good answer. Please redirect me if I've missed a valuable discussion!
We live in NW Pennsylvania, where the winter lows get into the single digits and have -- though not frequently -- dipped down to -10.
Our chickens live in a restructured hen house that we upgraded with the money and time we had, and we plan to further reconstruct it in the spring. As it is, the house is not very tall (probably three feet at the walls and four feet in the middle under the peak). It also is elevated a good 2 feet off the ground -- the birds like to hang out underneath when it is hot or rainy.
The roosts are about a foot off the floor, not counting the thick bed of litter. We cut two good vents at the top of the peaks, which we covered with screen during the summer and how have a shutter of plywood on a bottom hinge attached with a chain at the top so we can vent while hopefully preventing wind from accosting the chickens. (The bottom of the vent is only about 1.5 feet above the roosts, and I have barred rocks, RIRs and a Guinea -- taller birds!) I am hoping this will be adequate ventilation for the birds, or at least sufficient until we can improve next year.
My larger concern is the pop hole. It is doorless, located a few inches above the floor and is central in the more narrow wall (under the peak), and it opens onto a small platform before the ramp, which leads down into the enclosed run. I am certain this causes an unpleasant -- and dangerous -- draft, but am not sure how to fix it.
The reasons we don't have a door on the pop hole: 1) The birds are fond of hanging out on the "porch" in the morning before they're all awake and in the evening when they're in the coop but not quite ready for bed. 2) I work until 2 a.m. and don't wake up before they're ready to be out and about. 3) The rooster crows and the guinea gawks when something is wrong -- overturned food, out of water, etc. -- and I like to be able to hear them ASAP if something needs to be corrected.
So the real question: Is there a way to prevent drafts while keeping the pop hole in the wall and always open without totally enclosing the porch or building a room around that part of the run? Maybe extend the porch just a little and then enclose it so they still have space to hang? Install a kitty-style door flap out of clear plastic? Securely tent with plastic around the whole opening? Buck up and put a good door on it and deal with sad chickens?
Ohmigosh this turned long! Thanks for reading, hope it's not too confusing, and I appreciate any help you can give!
