Stupid question about winter heat and ventilation

[Von]

First off, I love this board! I'm pretty new in the world of chickens and this site has been wonderful!

Okay, now my question... I've read 100 posts about ventilation and its importance and another 100 posts about making sure there are no drafts. How do you leave a door open for the chickens to go in/out... isn't that going to be one heck of a big "draft"?

 

[lisameeks]

Well, the pop door is pretty small--just big enough for the chickens to go through. Across from my pop door on the wall of the run (the run is just a really big chain link dog run) I hung a tarp that breaks the wind and rain from blowing in the pop door. I've read where other people hang strips of fabric and the chickens walk through that. In my opinion, my chickens have more trouble when it's too hot rather than when it's too cold.

 

[elmo]

You don't have to protect your chickens from all drafts: that would mean they could never go outside. You do have to make sure that your coop is designed such that your chickens aren't forced to roost someplace where cold air is blowing over them, and they have no way to get out of the wind. That's what is meant by avoiding drafts.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree with the others. Your not worried about the daytime, it is when they are roosting. And if you lock them up at night, you stop that draft.

If your ventilation openings are above the roosts, they should be out of the drafts. I have a hardwire cloth opening about 7' x 1' near the ground that I leave open in the hot weather and close off in the winter. All four of my walls have ventilation openings above the roosts.

 

[patandchickens]

Agree. And I'd just add, it is best (in very cold winter climates, *distinctly* best) if your popdoor is sheltered in some way from the wind so that hard breezes seldom if ever blow directly into the coop during the winter. Easiest way to achieve this is by having the popdoor on the usually-downwind side of the coop, but windbreaks and suchlike can also be used.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat