Vaseline on chickens?

[GodofPecking]

[....]that will not be enough ventilation in my opinion.

My experience beats your opinion, as it provides evidence rather than speculation, and I find the entry into the fridge is plenty to keep the chickens inside happy enough to stay inside, they come and go as they please, and while they have stayed outside because it was too hot when a heat lamp was left on in the daytime, they love it at night.

Chickens aren't going to pile in and somehow stay there and suffocate, which would not be possible given the dispersion of gas through the entrance alone, let alone the thermosiphoning of gas due to the chickens body heat.

 

[blucoondawg]

My experience beats your opinion, as it provides evidence rather than speculation, and I find the entry into the fridge is plenty to keep the chickens inside happy enough to stay inside, they come and go as they please, and while they have stayed outside because it was too hot when a heat lamp was left on in the daytime, they love it at night. Chickens aren't going to pile in and somehow stay there and suffocate, which would not be possible given the dispersion of gas through the entrance alone, let alone the thermosiphoning of gas due to the chickens body heat.

They obviously are not going to suffocate, ventilation has nothing to do with suffocation. My experience and that of the majority of the chicken keepers on here greatly disagrees with your methods. You can draw all the pictures you like and use big words and scientific explanations but that does not make it so. By your definition it is ok to seal up a coop completely and simply leave the pop door open and that will provide enough air flow for good ventilation when it's a known fact that isn't the case. Chickens are also roosting animals they prefer to sleep as high up as possible a shelter like this doesn't provide any roosting. Hopefully your heat lamp doesn't burn out our you lose power for a substantial amount of time during a severe cold spell. I honestly don't care if you keep your birds in a Rubbermaid tote with the lid on they're yours to do as you wish, I just hope newbies do far more research before buying into this method. I feel sorry for your birds

 

[GodofPecking]

[....] ventilation has nothing to do with suffocation.

I won't mess with perfection by commenting.

My experience and that of the majority of the chicken keepers on here greatly disagrees with your methods. You can draw all the pictures you like and use big words and scientific explanations but that does not make it so.

Oh that is OK. I'm used to being the only one. For example, I'm the only person I know who has made their own solar water heater, I have hundreds of liters of scalding hot water 24 / 7 without any hot water bills. Electricity bills are everyone's favorite bills next to rent and gas. I don't mind being the only person I know who is going against the masses by using garbage to build a solar water heater, it's actually quite cool.

I agree that scientific explanations don't create reality, but they can explain how reality can be created.

Chickens are also roosting animals they prefer to sleep as high up as possible a shelter like this doesn't provide any roosting. Hopefully your heat lamp doesn't burn out our you lose power for a substantial amount of time during a severe cold spell.

Generally they sat on the floor, or on the side of a 10cm high cardboard box with a towel in the bottom of it for a time which was the original box that I put the hatching eggs into straight out of the incubator. I had used towels over the top of part of the box to keep them warm, that worked fine and they were quite happy and quiet. It was the more recent batch that I had the heat lamp for, but I often forgot to switch it on and eventually just left it off because it hardly mattered.

I feel sorry for your birds

I sincerely thank you for your concern and passed your sentiments along to my chooks, and I'm sure they feel sorry for you too.

 

[MeepBeep]

My experience beats your opinion, as it provides evidence rather than speculation

Can you share the PPM of ammonia build up in your refrigerator and the humidity levels, over the course of a week?

If not what you have is unsupported non-quantitative anecdotal claims not evidence...

Chickens aren't going to pile in and somehow stay there and suffocate, which would not be possible given the dispersion of gas through the entrance alone, let alone the thermosiphoning of gas due to the chickens body heat.

Actually yes chickens might pile into an area and suffocate, especially if they are at roost and the air quality depreciates at night when they are inactive and roosting... But, we are not talking about suffocation here, as there is a much greater risk of poor air quality due to ammonia build up and humidity build up that can be detrimental to the chickens health... And in that regard they will in fact readily pile into a poorly ventilated coop that contains high levels of ammonia and high humidity levels...

Your own picture shows very poor airflow and it likely exaggerated in regards to the exchange volume of air... If you took some tracer smoke and held it at that single vent hold and observed the airflow in real time it would be clear as day how poor the ventilation is and you observed that tracer smoke at the opposed end of the coop I suspect it would be hardly moving at all..

When you are talking about passive ventilation, high and low vents at opposite ends creating a natural cross siphon effect is ideal and provides superior ventilation...

 

[blucoondawg]

Exactly, ventilation is about disposing of ammonia more so than supplying oxygen, and yes, chickens will sit on the floor if they are forced to do so, it is not normal for chickens to roost on the ground.

If this system works for you in Australia that's fine, but I will guarantee it won't work for the northern climates of the USA or Canada. It would be an acceptable box to use as a brooder but I'd remove the door and replace it with a screen and keep it in out of the weather. As far as a coop for extreme cold areas it's not gonna work well. Honestly chickens don't need heat or insulation in a coop they have their own insulation. My chickens have seen -38 F with no heat or insulation, the biggest problem is some frozen eggs.

 

[GodofPecking]

Can you share the PPM of ammonia build up in your refrigerator and the humidity levels, over the course of a week?

If not what you have is unsupported non-quantitative anecdotal claims not evidence...

I'd be happy to co-operate. I don't have such a rare piece of equipment here, so if you're not simply talking rubbish but are actually interested I'll happily allow you to shop on ebay for example and post it to a friend of mine. I'll pick up the test equipment and test the ammonia buildup in the fridge and post as many results as you like online. I don't mind. I do think the large chicken sized hole in the side is going to equalize atmospheric composition and reduce any differentials to insignificant levels, but I'd be pleased to prove it with photos, videos, and so forth.

Actually all you have is "unsupported non-quantitative anecdotal claims not evidence." what I have is physical chooks which I raised this way which are 'hard', or feathery if you like, evidence.

If you took some tracer smoke and held it at that single vent hold and observed the airflow in real time it would be clear as day how poor the ventilation is and you observed that tracer smoke at the opposed end of the coop I suspect it would be hardly moving at all..

I'm really sure that your zealous disbelief would render any great efforts to provide evidence useless. You can't make people believe what they do not want to believe when they have made up their minds to the contrary. Also, I'm not tear-gassing my chooks for some random person on the internet. LOL. Hilarious.

When you are talking about passive ventilation, high and low vents at opposite ends creating a natural cross siphon effect is ideal and provides superior ventilation...

It provides more ventilation than is necessary and that excess removes precious heat from the chooks. Yes, mount Everest's peak has great ventilation, for sure, but it's bit much for most people, like your arguments without any photos or science or anything but enthusiastic sounding guesses.

[...]but I will guarantee it won't work for the northern climates of the USA or Canada.

Oh no you won't.

I'll be happy to send BYC money or prizes in escrow if you do the same dollar for dollar. They can award them as prizes.

It is far too easy for people to DO this with freezers and fridges in the USA and Canada and post pictures online. You'd lose. I'll bet on it if you do the same.

 

[blucoondawg]

Chickens don't need supplemental heat especially in Australia, and if a smoke test would gas your chickens you are proving everyone's point, you don't have enough ventilation, the smoke will be trapped in the top of that coop until it fills to the point that it spills out the door

 

[GodofPecking]

[....] if a smoke test would gas your chickens you are proving everyone's point, you don't have enough ventilation, the smoke will be trapped in the top of that coop until it fills to the point that it spills out the door

That conclusion didn't take into account how little I care about the idea of filling the coop with smoke.

My chickens are fine, happy and healthy and laying eggs, life goes on.

 

[blucoondawg]

Good for you, you have single handedly defined perfection in chicken keeping, I will leave you to bask in your cloud of supreme excellency

 

[GodofPecking]

You're welcome 8^)