Question about cold temps

[slalom]

I am a new chicken mom and this is my first winter with chickens. We are getting a snowstorm this weekend. Temps will be in the single digits. I need to know if my coop will be too drafty for my girls. It has 2 small windows on the side, which I have closed several weeks ago. There is a window above the roosts that we added this past summer. It doesn't close. It faces the run and rain doesn't get in. I also have a roll-away nesting box that is open to the outside of the coop, so air should also flow through it, as well. The pop door opens in the morning and closes at sunset. Should I cover some of the window? Thanks!

 

[rosemarythyme]

The climate protected window should stay open - from your description its well protected from the elements. How many birds do you have? Even in cold temperatures you still need good ventilation, roughly 1 sq ft per bird 24/7 is what's recommended.

As far as drafts, that's something only you can test. Go into the coop on a typical windy day with a light ribbon, and hold it about 1' above the roost. Some slight movement of the ribbon is fine, but if the ribbon flutters a lot, then that's a draft.

 

[3KillerBs]

Dry chickens are warm chickens -- they're wearing built-in down parkas. To keep them dry requires good ventilation that lets rising warm air carry the moisture from their breath and their droppings up and away through the top vents.

Dry chickens that are out of the wind don't even notice cold down to about 0F.

You could achieve really excellent ventilation by turning that false monitor into a real one -- giving abundant, draft-free ventilation up at the roof where it's needed most and can't create a draft.

Just take the siding out up there and replace it with wire so that it ends up looking like this:

This is a very useful article on chickens and cold weather: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/

 

[Shadrach]

I am a new chicken mom and this is my first winter with chickens. We are getting a snowstorm this weekend. Temps will be in the single digits. I need to know if my coop will be too drafty for my girls. It has 2 small windows on the side, which I have closed several weeks ago. There is a window above the roosts that we added this past summer. It doesn't close. It faces the run and rain doesn't get in. I also have a roll-away nesting box that is open to the outside of the coop, so air should also flow through it, as well. The pop door opens in the morning and closes at sunset. Should I cover some of the window? Thanks!

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Is the roof polycarbonate or metal. The walls look to be three quarter inch OSB which is better than a thin plank build. Most of the heat in a coop is lost through the roof given heat rises so if I was to make any changes it would be to add material to the roof under the corrugated material.

 

[slalom]

The climate protected window should stay open - from your description its well protected from the elements. How many birds do you have? Even in cold temperatures you still need good ventilation, roughly 1 sq ft per bird 24/7 is what's recommended.

As far as drafts, that's something only you can test. Go into the coop on a typical windy day with a light ribbon, and hold it about 1' above the roost. Some slight movement of the ribbon is fine, but if the ribbon flutters a lot, then that's a draft.

I have 8 chickens. Coop is 6x6. Great idea with the ribbon! Thanks!

 

[slalom]

Dry chickens are warm chickens -- they're wearing built-in down parkas. To keep them dry requires good ventilation that lets rising warm air carry the moisture from their breath and their droppings up and away through the top vents.

Dry chickens that are out of the wind don't even notice cold down to about 0F.

You could achieve really excellent ventilation by turning that false monitor into a real one -- giving abundant, draft-free ventilation up at the roof where it's needed most and can't create a draft.

Just take the siding out up there and replace it with wire so that it ends up looking like this:

This is a very useful article on chickens and cold weather: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/

That’s a good idea! Thanks!

 

[slalom]

Is the roof polycarbonate or metal. The walls look to be three quarter inch OSB which is better than a thin plank build. Most of the heat in a coop is lost through the roof given heat rises so if I was to make any changes it would be to add material to the roof under the corrugated material.

The roof is metal. The walls are thicker than plank. Good idea. Thank you!

 

[rosemarythyme]

You could achieve really excellent ventilation by turning that false monitor into a real one -- giving abundant, draft-free ventilation up at the roof where it's needed most and can't create a draft.

Good catch, I didn't even notice that. That's an ideal place for additional ventilation, though roof overhangs probably need to be extended to fully protect the area.

 

[slalom]

Good catch, I didn't even notice that. That's an ideal place for additional ventilation, though roof overhangs probably need to be extended to fully protect the area.

Yeah. Rain might easily get in without overhangs added.

 

[3KillerBs]

This is the coop article that goes with the photos above: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/

The wire is 4" high, I have 4" of overhang, and it came through Hurricane Florence dry as a bone inside.