Venting well or cold chicken heads?

[DobieLover]

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?

I would keep the top of the roosting bar about 10 to 12 in from the top of your poop board. Not the lip.

You are thinking about drafts in mammalian terms not avian. As long as any gentle breezes or drafts that pass through roost space do not open their outer feathers that is fine. Their feathers getting blown open is what allows their heat to escape.

For me, the best way to achieve low fresh air intake is to leave my pop door open because I have a fully predator proof run attached to my coop. That also enables the birds to immediately go outside when they come off the roost in the morning so I don't have to clean my coop more than once or twice a year.

The other way you could achieve this is to cut holes or remove the bottom 2-3" of siding between the studs in strategic locations and cover them with hardware cloth.

As most of the ventilation will be overhead, that is where you need to be concerned with cross drafts hitting the birds in the head or the body. Hence the utilization of baffles to redirect that air flow.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Maybe try different pellets? Ours don’t have an aroma at all.

I might have to shop around then. I've only gotten a bag from Tractor Supply, and it smells like the tree was pelletized 30 minutes ago.

I might try the hemp for the drippings tray. I’m not sure of the difference though. If it would be worth it.

I have no idea why hemp works so well, but it mummifies poops. Zero smell. It is dusty compared to pellets, and the chickens love kicking and playing in it. I'm guessing pellets win between the two.

 

[thecatumbrella]

I would keep the top of the roosting bar about 10 to 12 in from the top of your poop board. Not the lip.

You are thinking about drafts in mammalian terms not avian. As long as any gentle breezes or drafts that pass through roost space do not open their outer feathers that is fine. Their feathers getting blown open is what allows their heat to escape.

For me, the best way to achieve low fresh air intake is to leave my pop door open because I have a fully predator proof run attached to my coop. That also enables the birds to immediately go outside when they come off the roost in the morning so I don't have to clean my coop more than once or twice a year.

The other way you could achieve this is to cut holes or remove the bottom 2-3" of siding between the studs in strategic locations and cover them with hardware cloth.

As most of the ventilation will be overhead, that is where you need to be concerned with cross drafts hitting the birds in the head or the body. Hence the utilization of baffles to redirect that air flow.

Bookmarking this for my coop build. Thanks, Dobie!

 

[Apis mellifera]

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.

The open eaves are way too much ventilation, close them. All you need is a small vent on the gable ends.

 

[Lulu-vt]

I would keep the top of the roosting bar about 10 to 12 in from the top of your poop board. Not the lip.

You are thinking about drafts in mammalian terms not avian. As long as any gentle breezes or drafts that pass through roost space do not open their outer feathers that is fine. Their feathers getting blown open is what allows their heat to escape.

For me, the best way to achieve low fresh air intake is to leave my pop door open because I have a fully predator proof run attached to my coop. That also enables the birds to immediately go outside when they come off the roost in the morning so I don't have to clean my coop more than once or twice a year.

The other way you could achieve this is to cut holes or remove the bottom 2-3" of siding between the studs in strategic locations and cover them with hardware cloth.

As most of the ventilation will be overhead, that is where you need to be concerned with cross drafts hitting the birds in the head or the body. Hence the utilization of baffles to redirect that air flow.

Ok. This makes a lot of sense. I don’t think I’ll be cutting any holes but I won’t fill in the gaps. My door opens early so they can get out with the sun. I’m going to lower both the poop boats and the roost. Thanks as always for all of your help on my coop! You were the one that helped me along with all the details of building. I’m very appreciative of that.

The open eaves are way too much ventilation, close them. All you need is a small vent on the gable ends.

I don’t have vents on the gable ends though. It was a design decision from the beginning. It’s not one I regret but I should do something to block in winter. Don’t you think that keeping one section of open eave on both sides would be the same as a gable vent on both sides? I’m not going to cut into the coop to create them.

 

[DobieLover]

The open eaves are way too much ventilation, close them. All you need is a small vent on the gable ends.

Her ventilation is absolutely not too much.

My coop has soffit vents, gable vents, a ridge vent and two windows cracked open in the entry room. Two pop doors are left open year round as well. This image was taken when it was 9F.

I had a Leghorn mix cockerel with an enormous comb and very long wattles in this coop last winter.

He never got frostbite because of the coop setup and we dipped into the minus teens many nights. He did get frostbite by dunking his long wattles in the heated base fount waterer.

Chickens require huge amounts of ventilation to keep them dry and healthy during winter. As long as there are no drafts strong enough to open feathers, they will be fine. They trap their own body heat in by fluffing up their feathers.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

…You are thinking about drafts in mammalian terms not avian. As long as any gentle breezes or drafts that pass through roost space do not open their outer feathers that is fine. Their feathers getting blown open is what allows their heat to escape…

As most of the ventilation will be overhead, that is where you need to be concerned with cross drafts hitting the birds in the head or the body. Hence the utilization of baffles to redirect that air flow.

Thanks for this clear mental image of draft management! I’ve only been able to describe it as “don’t let outside air blow directly on their bodies.” Your description has the do’s, not just the don’t’s.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Her ventilation is absolutely not too much.

My coop has soffit vents, gable vents, a ridge vent and two windows cracked open in the entry room. Two pop doors are left open year round as well. This image was taken when it was 9F.
View attachment 4215835
I had a Leghorn mix cockerel with an enormous comb and very long wattles in this coop last winter.
View attachment 4215842
He never got frostbite because of the coop setup and we dipped into the minus teens many nights. He did get frostbite by dunking his long wattles in the heated base fount waterer.
View attachment 4215841
Chickens require huge amounts of ventilation to keep them dry and healthy during winter. As long as there are no drafts strong enough to open feathers, they will be fine. They trap their own body heat in by fluffing up their feathers.

Awww, buddy! It's tough having those dangling wattles. Have you messed around with nipple drinkers at all? I know they don't work for every setup, but we've had really good luck with the heated Premier 1.

Also, your chicken run looks like something out of my dreams. I can't wait to have the space to build something spacious and open! And it looks like we have matching ventilation gaps with the wrapping, so I'm feeling good about that as well. I kept trimming more, and more, and more off. It's probably close to a 12" gap on the longest wall without prevailing winds.

 

[DobieLover]

Awww, buddy! It's tough having those dangling wattles. Have you messed around with nipple drinkers at all?

Also, your chicken run looks like something out of my dreams. I can't wait to have the space to build something spacious and open!

I tried using an aquarium heater in an insulation wrapped bucket with a recirc pump and horizontal nipples. The nipples would still freeze. And then leak.

Cole has since been re-homed. He went after my senior rooster, Fabio, in the spring. My rooster died several months later. When he ran from Cole, I knew something was wrong with him. He was 7 years old.

I knew I was going to lose my battle trying to save Fabio so I made the decision to pick a breed to focus on. It came down to Chanteclers or Ameraucanas. I settled on Ermine Ameraucanas. Tight pea combs with nearly non-existent wattles buried under a beard.

Fabio's youngest daughter, Savannah, who was raised by my favorite (and head) hen, Astrid, hatched the first batch of Ermines while Fabio was still alive.

He got to meet "his" last batch of kids.

Astrid did the honors with the second batch.

Moral of the story: choose your breeds wisely based on your climate as well as what you want from your flock.


P.S. I'm now over run with boys! Does anybody want one?! Or 2... or 3?

 

[Ridgerunner]

You are thinking about drafts in mammalian terms not avian. As long as any gentle breezes or drafts that pass through roost space do not open their outer feathers that is fine. Their feathers getting blown open is what allows their heat to escape.