Who says tight, warm, no draft coop?? Nonsense!!

[txchickie]

Quote:
LOL, mine too! Right down to the snow. I do have my laying hens in the coop, but the goobers prefer to hang out in the run through all the snow and ice we're getting right now

They do go into the coop at night, but I don't lock them in there.
My bantams roost high up in the cedar trees along with the guineas and I've never had a problem with illness or even frostbite--and it gets down into the teens quite frequently (we're lucky to have no predators, so that is not an issue).

 

[MIKE555444]

I have a dry coop with the old barn type wood (with cracks between each board) and of course that makes it very draftly. I have been worried about how I might insulate but now after reading this I might just add a few boards to block drafts at roost level and see how they do....

 

[patandchickens]

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There is a big difference between "a drafty coop" and "a 3-sided open air coop of the type described in that book". The coops described in that book, if memory serves, are solid and deep -- they just have one side open on the downwind side. When you are at the 'bag end' of a 15 or 20' deep structure of those sorts of dimensions, there is not much of any draft back there. Chickens can hang out at the 'mouth' of the shed when they want, but can retreat (with 99 of their closest warmest friends to snuggle with) to the back end when they have had enough and want to warm up.

Whereas if you are in a barn with gaps between all the boards, *everywhere* is a draft. Which is bad, b/c chickens have no good way of getting out of the breeze.

In WV it is not like you get arctic conditions but it would still be a Real Good Idea to block up those gaps, to create a draft-free portion of wall at least 4' high and preferably higher, on AT LEAST the N and W sides. Plus (as you suggested) all around the roost.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Sissy]

chickydee

and

 

[WriterofWords]

Mine have a choice, the coop, the baby house, several dog houses and kennels, so the ones who want to be cold can be cold and those who want a nice warm snuggly straw nest have it. The morons survived the night in the freezing rain and snow.

 

[walkerkm]

Hello-

This ventilation topic always confuses me...
Pat has tried to explain before, but i guess i still don't get it...

I have a 9X6 coop that has 4 windows and many sofit vents. I always keep the sofits open and open one of the rear windows a little to provide more airflow. Can you tell me if i should just keep 1/2 of the rear window open at all times-even when it's cold 30 or less except for blizzards? the window is away from the roost and in no way a direct draft on my girls (this window faces the door on the front of the coop and the roost is directly across from the front window-but on the back wall of the coop-opposite side of the window i describe above that i would like to keep open.) This window is placed right under the back sofit and does not get a lot of wind on this side. I always feel that if i am cold, they must be cold as well. I have all hearty breeds. I'm in New England...

here's the window

here's my coop

 

[chickeydee]

Sissy . I love this forum and all the ideals here. Great people !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

[mightieskeeper]

I look at the old chicken coops in my area. There is 2 different kinds. The coop that is facing south lean to with small ventilation but lots of windows. The 2nd coop is made with large gaps between each board. These style coops are all over mid Michigan. I need to get up close look at old coops. See what is different on the inside than mine.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Are you sure the latter ones were *built* like that... it is very, very common for old board-and-batten farm bldgs to lose their battens over the passage of time, giving you exactly the "tobacco barn" situation you are describing. But while that is how tobacco barns and some hay barns were built, that is NOT how *most* outbuildings now standing that way were originally constructed.

Just sayin',

Pat

 

[patandchickens]

Can I just comment that the "no draft coop?? Nonsense" part of the thread title is sort of chronically nagging at me, because it hinges upon a major misunderstanding of what people here are meaning by "no drafts". AIR EXCHANGE is GOOD. However, air movement that the chickens can't get away from is (at cold temperatures) bad. Also, in a coop of borderline humidity or that is significantly warmer than the outdoor air (as can happen even without electric heating), air leaks are also bad, as they become condensation farms and can create a humidity problem where none previously existed.

But just "fresh air", ventilation, type thing... nobody is arguing against *that* (well except in super extreme climates, e.g. at -60 F in northern Alaska there is just a real limit to how much air of that temperature you can tolerate coming in).

Quote:
As nobody else is replying, I will say that IMO if 30 F counts as 'cold' where you live, then probably you can leave that window half-open all or most of the time

OTOH, if you're uncomfortable with that (given the end of your post), then don't, as long as you do not seem to be having humidity or smell problems at all in the coop. You're the one there to see how your chickens are acting, and see/smell/feel how your coop is behaving, YOU have the best information on which to base the decision

JMHO,

Pat