What is "cold" for a chicken and prepping the coop

[3KillerBs]

Is less insulation ok for winter? As in, closing some of it without adding additional?

Am also considering just covering the back window with plywood. Any harm in that?

If I cover those but make a few small windows where the sides meet the roof, I wonder if that's enough ventilation? (because I have no space from what I can see to add a bigger window that won't blow cold air on them)

I think you meant "less ventilation" in the first post?

The answer is no, ventilation is just as critical in the winter as in the summer because you still have to move warm, moist, ammonia-laden air out and bring fresh air in. Chickens, like all birds, have very delicate respiratory systems.

You want your airflow to look like this:

Or like this:

If your ventilation is adequate the temperature and humidity in the coop will be just about the same as it is outdoors -- but completely free of wind.

You can test for drafts by standing next to the roost on a windy day holding a light ribbon to see if it blows around.

A gentle waft of air is OK. What you want to block is wind strong enough to ruffle the birds' feathers.

If I use a furnace filter....what do you cover that with to prevent them from eating it and it from getting wet?

I haven't used it because I don't need it, but the installations I've seen are on the outside of the hardware cloth and away from anything a chicken could sit on to reach the window. I *think* it doesn't matter if it gets wet because the roof overhangs and/or awnings that keep rain out of the windows normally protect it and a little bit of blown snow isn't an issue.

 

[Ccort]

Ok. One more thing...what about the windows on the sides of my coop? Those are quite close to the bottom roost and on a very windy or very rainy night, they do let some Rain and wind in. As far as a draft goes, I'm not sure how those would be? Thoughts? Should I cover those for winter? Or only during a storm?

 

[WI chickens]

I'm not doubting you...but am confused on how an insulated coop is "bad?" I know most are saying not to insulate but on a deeper level, how does insulation CAUSE issues?

Others have already answered, but you also answered yourself. "You would have to have control over the humidity. I have an bathroom fan for instance, and keep track of humidity every day." Winter air is far dryer than summer air. The reason you have to track humidity is because you are causing it by having a coop that traps humidity, and with it, stale, low oxygen air. So, I can build a more complicated, more expensive, and less robust system that relies on insulation and heat and fans, and therefore, electricity, that also needs constant monitoring, or I can build a simpler, less expensive, and more robust system that doesn't need any monitoring at all. Your system can't equal the amount of fresh air that mine has, and I believe my birds will be healthier than birds raised in more closed off coops. I know they are healthier than the chickens I raised in an insulated tighter coop. I think those results have been proven over and over again for more than 100 years to anyone that is willing to look into them, or indeed, has tried open air coops. Fresh air is, I believe, the single most important thing that chickens need to thrive.

 

[3KillerBs]

Ok. One more thing...what about the windows on the sides of my coop? Those are quite close to the bottom roost and on a very windy or very rainy night, they do let some Rain and wind in. As far as a draft goes, I'm not sure how those would be? Thoughts? Should I cover those for winter? Or only during a storm?

Any windows that allow wind to blow across the roosts should be closed for cold weather.

You don't want it to look like this:

If that cuts down the ventilation to an unacceptably low level it's possible to put in a draft-baffle -- often made in the form of a slanted board that deflects the wind away from the roosts, though this can be awkward in anything but a very large coop since it has to be installed inside.

That's where the furnace-filter comes in -- baffling the wind by slowing it down to the point that it doesn't create a draft while still allowing some airflow. But I've already told you everything I know about that.

 

[WI chickens]

Ok. One more thing...what about the windows on the sides of my coop? Those are quite close to the bottom roost and on a very windy or very rainy night, they do let some Rain and wind in. As far as a draft goes, I'm not sure how those would be? Thoughts? Should I cover those for winter? Or only during a storm?

I don't know if this will help you, but it's 30 F here this morning, and the wind is blowing at about 20mph. My chickens, including my 8 week old Russian Orloff babies are all outside happily picking away at apples under my apple trees. They all have shelter available and none of them are using it. They have their coop and several temporary covered shelters I made out of straw bales making up 3 sides and plywood roofs to keep wind off. They have natural cover everywhere, because are free ranging and our property is almost all wooded. They look very happy to me.

 

[3KillerBs]

several temporary covered shelters I made out of straw bales making up 3 sides and plywood roofs to keep wind off.

That sounds like a great idea.

Photos?

 

[WI chickens]

That sounds like a great idea.

Photos?

I'm happy to take a picture when I get home tonight. They are very simple, just one bale as a back and one for each side and then a scrap piece of plywood as a roof. I made one in the past that worked really well. It was the same thing except that it was three bales high and the walls were three full bales long and used old doors for a roof. I put more bales on top of the doors to cover the gaps and hold some heat in. I put fat tree branches between the layers of bales for roosts. The open side faced south so sun came in. That one had a tarp suspended above it to keep the rain off and keep the ground from getting wet. It lasted almost two years and the bales were still in good shape when I took it apart. The birds loved it. I'm toying with the idea of making a straw bale building next summer if I have time. The bales don't transfer the cold like wooden walls do so it's very comfortable inside.

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm happy to take a picture when I get home tonight. They are very simple, just one bale as a back and one for each side and then a scrap piece of plywood as a roof. I made one in the past that worked really well. It was the same thing except that it was three bales high and the walls were three full bales long and used old doors for a roof. I put more bales on top of the doors to cover the gaps and hold some heat in. I put fat tree branches between the layers of bales for roosts. The open side faced south so sun came in. That one had a tarp suspended above it to keep the rain off and keep the ground from getting wet. It lasted almost two years and the bales were still in good shape when I took it apart. The birds loved it. I'm toying with the idea of making a straw bale building next summer if I have time. The bales don't transfer the cold like wooden walls do so it's very comfortable inside.

I'd love to see them.

 

[WI chickens]

That sounds like a great idea.

Photos?

They aren't much to look at. The bale shelter may be the simplest shelter in the world I showed a little pallet platform that I built for them to play around on and under. I've never had Orloffs before but I'm really enjoying them. They are really nice birds. Still babies but so far, I like them a lot.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

What would you recommend I use them to cover my lower lying windows?

Can you make a baffle for the windows? A baffle (think about a 3-sided shoot or hood) can be attached at the top of windows (outside) and extend down below the open window level. The snow, rain, wind will be slowed but still allow for fresh air without direct draft. You can also angel it down and out a bit to allow better air flow. Plexiglass is expensive but may work and still allow light to come in. You would have to get creative with making it a 3 sided structure. My first (simple) thought would be plexi on hinges at the top, and cheap window screening on the sides to keep out snow. The screened sides can be covered with landscape fabric if you needed more draft control.