Venting well or cold chicken heads?

[Lulu-vt]

I need some guidance on the placement of my roosts in relation to the eaves of my roof. I’m trying to figure out ventilation vs drafts for the winter. It’s an ongoing project.

I am rehabbing my roosts and I’m worried that the height will bring the chickens head too close to the eaves.

Last winter I ended up stuffing the open eaves with hay. I left a few open and obviously hay still allows air to move in and somewhat. Before I added the hay, my rooster got frostbite pretty badly on his comb.

This summer as I was making adjustments, I realized that I have draft gaps coming up from the floor. They are where the floor and walls attach. It’s not much of a gap but enough for cold air to be coming in and causing havoc. I’m sealing them up with expanding foam and trim work (like a house, it’s ridiculous).

Here is a Live Photo from my camera. The roost is in the back. The structure underneath will be the poop shelf. I’m going to take out the ladder and add another roost along the long wall also with a poop shelf. But that puts the chickens head close to the eaves. Tell me what is best. I don’t want to have to rebuild again.

 

[DobieLover]

They are where the floor and walls attach. It’s not much of a gap but enough for cold air to be coming in and causing havoc.

Cold air coming in from below is exactly what you want. Sealing it up is going to be bad.
If your rooster is a single combed bird and the temperature gets much below zero, he's got a good chance of getting frostbite no matter what. Single comb roosters should really not be kept in Northern climates.

I would lower your roost a bit. Then instead of trying to close off all of the ventilation between the rafters, just baffle the ventilation coming in near the roost area. You can do that by either stapling cardboard from the top plate along the bottom of your rafters up maybe 2 ft or by installing cheap furnace air filter material over your hardware cloth.

 

[thecatumbrella]

I see you're up here with me in New England. It's going to get pretty cold, so I agree with lowering the roost. At least 18" from the upper ventilation. The poop shelf looks like a much more comfortable position to roost at.

 

[Lulu-vt]

Cold air coming in from below is exactly what you want. Sealing it up is going to be bad.
If your rooster is a single combed bird and the temperature gets much below zero, he's got a good chance of getting frostbite no matter what. Single comb roosters should really not be kept in Northern climates.

I would lower your roost a bit. Then instead of trying to close off all of the ventilation between the rafters, just baffle the ventilation coming in near the roost area. You can do that by either stapling cardboard from the top plate along the bottom of your rafters up maybe 2 ft or by installing cheap furnace air filter material over your hardware cloth.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Cold air coming in from below is exactly what you want. Sealing it up is going to be bad.

I'm going to be building a coop within the next six months, and I'm curious how to best achieve this. Are natural gaps around a door good enough? Or do I just not insulate the lower walls? Like the OP, we're in -20 territory, so I want to be smart about it.

 

[Lulu-vt]

I’m so confused now. What? Drafts are bad. We always hear that. Drafts are bad. Ventilation is good. I feel like having a draft come up from under their roost is not good.
Because of my not stellar construction skills, there are also drafts coming in through the front door. I guess I’m not as worried about that because it’s on the opposite side of the roost.
I will definitely look up what you mentioned about the eaves. I like the idea of not using hay. It did get messy. I will lower the roosting bar. How much do you think?

Also, rooster is gone now. He sacrificed himself for the ladies.

 

[thecatumbrella]

I’m so confused now. What? Drafts are bad. We always hear that. Drafts are bad. Ventilation is good. I feel like having a draft come up from under their roost is not good.

I agree, it's pretty hard to find a balance. You need some minor fresh air intake to help push the humidity up and out and ventilation at the top. But you don't want it blowing on the chickens. I like the idea of leaving the area across from the roosts unsealed, but maybe doing your foam/trim work immediately under the roost area at the floor.

 

[Lulu-vt]

I'm going to be building a coop within the next six months, and I'm curious how to best achieve this. Are natural gaps around a door good enough? Or do I just not insulate the lower walls? Like the OP, we're in -20 territory, so I want to be smart about it.

The theory is to have natural gaps (but not too many!) and also have a large area (but not too large!) to vent the moisture. Bedding choice is key. I have used linoleum on bottom and softened horse pellets on top. A dropping board under the roosts is key to keeping clean and moisture at bay. I did actually insulate the coop this summer. It’s overkill but whatever.

 

[thecatumbrella]

The theory is to have natural gaps (but not too many!) and also have a large area (but not too large!) to vent the moisture. Bedding choice is key. I have used linoleum on bottom and softened horse pellets on top. A dropping board under the roosts is key to keeping clean and moisture at bay. I did actually insulate the coop this summer. It’s overkill but whatever.

I would love to try horse pellets in our droppings tray, but my coop is too small and poorly ventilated. The pellets are... aromatic, to say the least. So it's hemp for us. Works perfectly in winter, but the price is ridiculous. Might try the pellets in the run once the ground freezes.

Off topic, but I'm so jealous you're in Vermont. We've been trying to move over there for years.

 

[Lulu-vt]

I would love to try horse pellets in our poop tray, but my coop is too small and poorly ventilated. The pellets are... aromatic, to say the least. So it's hemp for us. Works perfectly in winter, but the price is ridiculous. Might try the pellets in the run once the ground freezes.

Off topic, but I'm so jealous you're in Vermont. We've been trying to move over there for years.

Maybe try different pellets? Ours don’t have an aroma at all. I’ve been a chicken keeper for a long time. I wished I’d used them since the get-go. I might try the hemp for the poop tray. I’m not sure of the difference though. If it would be worth it.
Vermont is amazing! We love it here but the taxes - ouch!