Questions about roost reconfiguration

[vantain]

I don't know where all your winter ventilation is located. What you want to avoid is creating a wind tunnel where winter breezes pass through the roosts. If all your winter ventilation is 33" above the roosts you are in good shape.

The roof has a ridge vent, and the 6' sides of the coop have soffit venting the entire length. I leave all that open in the winter, including the front window of the coop. I do put some furnace filter material in the soffit vents in the winter, to keep blowing snow out of those soffits, but they are never closed. The front window I also leave open about half way, and only close when there is a snowstorm, where the blowing snow is really whipping around, and/or when it gets down to -20 at night. But I open is as often as I can.

So from the picture I attached, the soffit venting is along the left and right hand walls from the roost. This is the configuration I have had for two winters now, but with four chickens. The roost itself was only half the length it is now. I extended it for these chicks. I have thought a bit about ventilation more, since 10 breathing chickens is certainly going to change the condensation dynamics a bit. If I need to add ventilation, I have time to do that. I did just add a new window yesterday to the area above the new roost extension. That should give that corner some much needed breezes for these hot summer nights. That side was a bit stifling, with little air flow.

 

[vantain]

If all your winter ventilation is 33" above the roosts you are in good shape.

Here is a better view of the soffit ventilation. The area above the roost itself is a shelf, where I store some things, but it doesn’t extend all the way to the soffit vent, leaving it still open.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Ummm....they already are on the roost with the mature birds. At least one of them is kind enough to be with them.

If they are sharing a roost with the adults at 10 weeks you are doing much better than my brooder-raised chicks do. Many of my broody-raised chicks might manage that but not the brooder-raised. You are doing great on that. And that removes a lot of my worries.

That has worked out well for me for the last two winters.

Best i could follow your description I thought you'd probably be OK but you have experience with this. That counts a lot more than anything any of us says or thinks.

They do look more crowded on there than I'd have expected at 10 weeks. They should look less crowded when they squat down on the roost in the cold of winter but adding an extension won't hurt.

 

[vantain]

Ok..I added the new roost. Gwyneth, the mean hen, didn’t even consider it, and left anyone on it alone. Four of the young ones ended up there for the night, with the remainder on the far left roost. Seems to have worked.

 

[aart]

Ok..I added the new roost. Gwyneth, the mean hen, didn’t even consider it, and left anyone on it alone. Four of the young ones ended up there for the night, with the remainder on the far left roost. Seems to have worked.View attachment 2229278

Excellent!!