Winter ventilation question in a hoop coop

[CluckinOnTheYakus]

This spring we made a hoop coop tractor to raise some meat birds in. After we butchered the meat birds I hatched out some chicks and they are currently in the hoop coop. We had intentions of building an actual coop but we hit a few snags this summer that unfortunately consumed most of our time and we don't have time to build the "real coop" prior to winter now.

I did a lot of research and determined that they would be okay to winter in the hoop coop as long as they are free of drafts and kept dry. I do plan on reinforcing the ridge beam with some 4x4's for the snow load. I also plan to get some larger tarps so that the coop is fully covered but I have a few questions about ventilation.

We are in north central Idaho in the mountains so we will be getting snow and cold temps. First question I have is this... I have attached a few pics of the coop and I'm wondering if I leave the circled areas uncovered if this will be enough ventilation. The 2nd question I have is... I've read not to cover the entire coop in clear tarps due to the greenhouse effect. Would it be wise to cover part of the coop in clear plastic/tarps (maybe 1/4 to 1/3) and the rest in a solid colored tarp? I don't want them to be in the dark all winter

We moved here from TX and this will be our first "real winter" so I'm learning about keeping chickens in the cold lol. If the areas I've circled are not enough I have a back up plan. I was thinking about putting a piece of tin across the ridge of the coop and covering each side with tarps to where there is a gap under the tin, along the ridge. If that would be a better choice, how wide should the gap be?

Just for reference the coop is 12.5ft x 6.5ft and 6ft 3in tall. The "vent" opening on the front is 3ft wide and 6in high in the middle. The back "vent" opening is 2ft wide and 2.5in high. I've never really had to worry about ventilation before because it never got cold enough where we used to live to need to fully cover my coops, so I'm a little worried about frostbite. Thank you in advance for your wisdom and input.

 

[Debbie292d]

How many chickens and what breed(s) are they?

The number determines how much ventilation will be needed. The breed matters for hardiness. I treat my Silkies differently in the winter than the farmer down the road does their Brahmas.

Keeping the coop dry helps immensely too. We use a nipple bucket and horse pellets to keep our humidity down in the winter.

 

[CluckinOnTheYakus]

How many chickens and what breed(s) are they?

The number determines how much ventilation will be needed. The breed matters for hardiness. I treat my Silkies differently in the winter than the farmer down the road does their Brahmas.

Keeping the coop dry helps immensely too. We use a nipple bucket and horse pellets to keep our humidity down in the winter.

I'm honestly not sure on the breeds, they are barnyard mixes I hatched from eggs some neighbors and friends gave me. There are 9 that look like a RIR, and then 5 that came from some olive eggs. 7 boys and 7 girls. The oldest ones are currently 6.5 weeks old and the younger 5 are 3 weeks old and still in the brooder.

I'd attach some pics, but i really dont have any current pics that are that great, mostly just video.

The older ones came out of our neighbors chickens. They may or may not be RIR but all of their hens have combs like a RIR or similar breed.

The younger ones have more of a pea comb than the older ones. Their mom was an olive egger, I got the eggs from a friend and she says they have a lavender rooster and a white rooster, shes not sure on the breed.

We have a surplus of sawdust from our sawmill. Would it be safe to use that as bedding? It's all from untreated wood. I've hesitated to use it worried about respiratory issues but the horse pellets pretty much turn into sawdust over time don't they? I have just always used shavings but going into the cold here is all new territory for me.

 

[Debbie292d]

I'm honestly not sure on the breeds, they are barnyard mixes I hatched from eggs some neighbors and friends gave me. There are 9 that look like a RIR, and then 5 that came from some olive eggs. 7 boys and 7 girls. The oldest ones are currently 6.5 weeks old and the younger 5 are 3 weeks old and still in the brooder.

I'd attach some pics, but i really dont have any current pics that are that great, mostly just video.

The older ones came out of our neighbors chickens. They may or may not be RIR but all of their hens have combs like a RIR or similar breed.

The younger ones have more of a pea comb than the older ones. Their mom was an olive egger, I got the eggs from a friend and she says they have a lavender rooster and a white rooster, shes not sure on the breed.

We have a surplus of sawdust from our sawmill. Would it be safe to use that as bedding? It's all from untreated wood. I've hesitated to use it worried about respiratory issues but the horse pellets pretty much turn into sawdust over time don't they? I have just always used shavings but going into the cold here is all new territory for me.

With 14 adults in there overnight at least, are you able to put something on the opposite side of what you're showing there? It could even be smaller, but would provide a some cross ventilation that way.

Yes, the horse bedding pellets will turn to sawdust when wet. This isn't dusty though, whereas sawdust from a mill would be very dusty, so I wouldn't use it.

 

[CluckinOnTheYakus]

OK thank you! I definitely won't be using the sawdust then! I will get some horse pellets when we winterize the coop.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding your question about putting something on the opposite side of what I'm showing. There is a gap at the top front and the top back of the coop that I could leave uncovered when we cover the coop. Let me edit my pics for clarity and see if we are on the same page.

This opening on the front is 3ft wide and 6in high in the middle

This opening is 2ft wide and 2.5in high in the middle.

Should I make one of them a little larger? Or are you referring to possibly having some gaps on the sides? Sorry I am not quite awake yet this morning

 

[Penpal]

The side that faces the wind should have a wall that goes all the way down, or most of the way down. As for the wood beam ridge, you don't need it. If you have great horned owls in Idaho they will be happy to dip into that hole you have made by the ridge beam and rip off the heads of your chickens. Other birds of prey will also get in but they will eat the chickens. Or, eat half of one and come back again.

Also, RIR roosters have large combs and they will get frostbitten. They hens may also get frostbitten combs. You can make or possibly buy little hats for them. One of our members made little hats for her birds so it is possible.

Also, you have too many roosters. When they get big enough to butcher keep two that are less aggressive and slay the others. Because the coop is only partially covered you won't have any problem with ventilation. Also, because it is streamlined the snow will only stick at the very top. You can use a broom or rake to slide it off.

 

[avjudge]

The side that faces the wind should have a wall that goes all the way down, or most of the way down. As for the wood beam ridge, you don't need it. If you have great horned owls in Idaho they will be happy to dip into that hole you have made by the ridge beam and rip off the heads of your chickens. . .

If you zoom in on the picture you will see that the ends of the ridge beams are inside the coop so there are no holes in the protective wire layer.


However, the protection is chicken wire rather than hardware cloth so its effectiveness will depend on predators, probably fine for birds of prey but not so much for raccoons.

With 14 birds in there, or even nine, that is definitely not enough ventilation space. That is probably barely 2 ft.² if that (one square foot at each end) and you need seven times that. Leaving the top half of the door and the equivalent on the back as wire should be about enough but you will have snow blowing in. I don’t know if you could figure a way to place an awning or baffle to block the snow.

If you have windy snowstorms, you definitely do need to bring the cover sides down to the ground as snow will blow in from there right across the floor and cover it with snow. It will be shallow and probably sublimate (evaporate) or melt between storms but the chickens will hate it for the days that it remains. This makes the ventilation at the ends more important.

My chickens’ winter coop is inside my barn, but their run is an 8’x16’ hoop structure constructed very similarly to this one. The tarp ends a couple of feet above the ground, and as I said we got some amount of snow right across the floor. Because of the orientation most of our snow came in the sides. I ended up putting a pallet and sawhorse in there to let the chickens get up out of the snow, and their attached coop effectively provided extra more-protected run space. It all worked well enough and I am not planning on any changes for this winter. Here are the winter pictures I could find on this device, including an interior shot as snow was retreating from the middle of the run.

 

[Krugerrand]

When I built a hoop tractor, I extended the tarp about one foot with PVC piping. You could do something more substantial with some 2x3's or whatever you have on hand. If you have more cattle panel, you could layer that to make a 'front porch.' Then you could leave that side almost entirely open.

Be sure you have a plan to keep snow clear of that door, or you won't be able to get in to feed/water them.

 

[CluckinOnTheYakus]

Sorry in advance for being long winded.... I have been practicing keeping it short and sweet because I usually include way too much information but sometimes I just can't help it

The side that faces the wind should have a wall that goes all the way down, or most of the way down. As for the wood beam ridge, you don't need it. If you have great horned owls in Idaho they will be happy to dip into that hole you have made by the ridge beam and rip off the heads of your chickens. Other birds of prey will also get in but they will eat the chickens. Or, eat half of one and come back again.

I think that picture was misleading because I took it from the inside of the coop, there are no holes or gaps in the wire around the ridge beam. The tarp I have on there now was just temporary while it's still hot out, we will definitely be putting more tarp on it to provide wind break.

Also, RIR roosters have large combs and they will get frostbitten. They hens may also get frostbitten combs. You can make or possibly buy little hats for them. One of our members made little hats for her birds so it is possible.

I will have to ask our neighbors what breed they are, I figured getting eggs from someone with chickens that survive well up here would be better than trying to order some since I've not dealt with cold weather chicken keeping before. They really are too young to tell at the moment how big their combs are going to be. And I really am not entirely sure that they are RIR. That was just my best guess and I am admittedly not the best at guessing breeds lol. I will have to do further research and if they won't fare well here in our coop, I will give the hens to the neighbors and try again next year lol. I am not keeping any of the RIR-looking roosters. I have some others that have pea combs and will be keeping one of those instead.

Also, you have too many roosters. When they get big enough to butcher keep two that are less aggressive and slay the others. Because the coop is only partially covered you won't have any problem with ventilation. Also, because it is streamlined the snow will only stick at the very top. You can use a broom or rake to slide it off.

Yes unfortunately I am really good at hatching out roosters, I just hatched these out a month and a half ago so all but one rooster will be going to camp kenmore for sure once they get a little bigger.

However, the protection is chicken wire rather than hardware cloth so its effectiveness will depend on predators, probably fine for birds of prey but not so much for raccoons.

I honestly don't think we have any racoons up here, I looked when we first moved here and it was less than 1 coon per square mile, thank goodness. We have spotted a stoat once. Between our dogs and my barn cats, not many small critters make it around here... We are on the edge of a national forest about 45 minutes from town, so I think if there were any coons in the area they would rather be down there where its warmer and there is more to eat. I hope lol. We have had several trail cams and blink cameras out for the last 2 years (we did not stay the winter last year, just summer) and no coons so far (fingers, eyes, toes, and legs crossed). But I do have a baby monitor with a camera on it in the coop which I keep on and turned all the way up on my nightstand. The coop is about 30 ft outside my door and I have a large dog that would make quick work of any small critters. I am far more worried about bears and cougars lol. But I also have something for them as well if needed.

With 14 birds in there, or even nine, that is definitely not enough ventilation space. That is probably barely 2 ft.² if that (one square foot at each end) and you need seven times that. Leaving the top half of the door and the equivalent on the back as wire should be about enough but you will have snow blowing in. I don’t know if you could figure a way to place an awning or baffle to block the snow.

I am not sure that we will have 14 birds in there all winter... as soon as the roosters get big enough to make it worth our while to butcher them (or maybe before? The dogs don't care how big they are ya know...), they will be going to freezer camp. I'm really wondering if we should go ahead and get that out of the way prior to it getting super cold, because that does not sound like a fun task in the snow. I wasn't sure if I should keep them through winter or not, if they would need the extra body heat?

Do you think if I screw a piece of metal roofing along the ridge beam and cover the sides with tarps leaving about a 1 foot (or more?) gap under the tin on the top, which would run the whole the length of the coop, that would be enough ventilation? That would be a 1ft x 12ft opening in the top of the coop covered by tin to keep the snow out. Or would it be better to have the ventilation on the ends? I could build some sort of overhang with a cattle panel, we have some half pieces, and leave the door uncovered. That would also provide me with a somewhat snow free area in front of the door.

If you have windy snowstorms, you definitely do need to bring the cover sides down to the ground as snow will blow in from there right across the floor and cover it with snow. It will be shallow and probably sublimate (evaporate) or melt between storms but the chickens will hate it for the days that it remains. This makes the ventilation at the ends more important.

Again - first winter here so I'm not sure what to expect - but we don't get much wind in general up here. Every once in a while we will get a few gusts. I have been able to leave the canopy on my camper out all summer whereas in Texas I couldn't do that, and I never really thought of where we lived in TX as being windy. It did snow on us several times when we first got here early this year and it was just a gentle snow, no wind. I'm hoping the entire winter is that way!! I will have to ask the neighbors about that. My goal is to have zero snow in the coop, I want to cover it as much as possible to prevent that from happening.

My chickens’ winter coop is inside my barn, but their run is an 8’x16’ hoop structure constructed very similarly to this one. The tarp ends a couple of feet above the ground, and as I said we got some amount of snow right across the floor. Because of the orientation most of our snow came in the sides. I ended up putting a pallet and sawhorse in there to let the chickens get up out of the snow, and their attached coop effectively provided extra more-protected run space. It all worked well enough and I am not planning on any changes for this winter. Here are the winter pictures I could find on this device, including an interior shot as snow was retreating from the middle of the run.

When we build an *actual* coop in the spring, I think I will be back here for some serious ventilation tips. I'm jealous of your winter coop in the barn. If all else fails this winter, I will section off a portion of our greenhouse for them. We will have a wood burning stove in there keeping it above freezing all winter. I hesitate to do so, but if push comes to shove it's always an option. I really appreciate seeing the pictures of your run, it gives me hope that this will be do-able.

When I built a hoop tractor, I extended the tarp about one foot with PVC piping. You could do something more substantial with some 2x3's or whatever you have on hand. If you have more cattle panel, you could layer that to make a 'front porch.' Then you could leave that side almost entirely open.

I like that idea, I do have more cattle panel that I could use! And we have tons of thick clear plastic that I can cut to size and cover it with!

Be sure you have a plan to keep snow clear of that door, or you won't be able to get in to feed/water them.

View attachment 3951604

I appreciate the pic! It helps me visualize what I can do with what I've got. We have a lot of scrap wood from the sawmill and can cut whatever we need so I think we can come up with something. I got so hung up on ventilation I didn't think much about making an "awning".


Thank you everyone for your input. Sorry for being so long winded. I appreciate all the pictures and the wisdom from yall!

 

[McChooky]

Roo

I'm honestly not sure on the breeds, they are barnyard mixes I hatched from eggs some neighbors and friends gave me. There are 9 that look like a RIR, and then 5 that came from some olive eggs. 7 boys and 7 girls. The oldest ones are currently 6.5 weeks old and the younger 5 are 3 weeks old and still in the brooder.

I'd attach some pics, but i really dont have any current pics that are that great, mostly just video.

The older ones came out of our neighbors chickens. They may or may not be RIR but all of their hens have combs like a RIR or similar breed.

The younger ones have more of a pea comb than the older ones. Their mom was an olive egger, I got the eggs from a friend and she says they have a lavender rooster and a white rooster, shes not sure on the breed.

We have a surplus of sawdust from our sawmill. Would it be safe to use that as bedding? It's all from untreated wood. I've hesitated to use it worried about respiratory issues but the horse pellets pretty much turn into sawdust over time don't they? I have just always used shavings but going into the cold here is all new territory for me.

Personally I would keep the front uncovered so my birds would have plenty of fresh air and be able to see outside. I would also recommend a white tarps not a black one. Being confined with no place to hide and not being able to see outside causes stress, bullying and feather picking. One cockerel(rooster)is all you need for your flock and coop