Winterize coop questions

[RootedTogetherHomestead]

So, colder days are slowly creeping up, and we are preparing to winterize the coop. We live in NE OH, where winters can get pretty cold. A few questions I have. The entire henhouse is made from medium-thickness plywood, and around the edges of windows/doors has a slight lip to prevent drafts..

How much ventilation does the henhouse need? And, how can we better insulate the henhouse for those really cold nights? Could I use our RentACoop brooder plate for them, like set it up on the side? I am including pictures of the henhouse; the entire roof/wall portion has gaps as seen. The one picture was from over the summer without windows, but the other shows the windows. TIA!

 

[Mrs. K]

Where does your prevailing wind come from? You want to block off the wind from that side, and leave the rest open.

Do not think warm, think dry. Dry birds away from the prevailing wind are warm birds. Ventilation keeps birds and the coop dryer. If you can keep your birds, like that, mine have lived and been fine with - 35 degrees. I worried, but they were fine.

So, I would not add the heater, I would block of the north and west here in SD, as that is where my prevailing wind comes from.

Mrs K

 

[Ridgerunner]

It looks like you sealed off those window openings so they now get no ventilation through them. Is the only ventilation, up where your corrugated roof panels meet the top of the walls?

Chickens were first domesticated thousands of years ago. Records of exactly where are not known but northern China is considered a likely location. Their climate would be similar to yours. The wild birds that became domesticated chickens slept in trees. Like the wild birds that overwinter in Ohio, chickens can generally handle cold. The big difference is that we house them in buildings and do not give them the freedom to find good places to sleep. In the wild, the birds have a lot of options as to where to sleep.

Chickens keep themselves warm by trapping tiny pockets of air in their down. Those air pockets insulate them. You don't need to keep them warm, you need to allow them to keep themselves warm. A cold breeze strong enough to ruffle their feathers can cause those tiny air pockets to escape so they need to stay out of breezes.

How much ventilation do they need? Enough to keep the moisture in the air from building up. In a tightly enclosed building the moisture from their breath, their poop, and any thawed water dishes can build up. High moisture levels in freezing temperatures can cause frostbite. One rule of thumb used on here is one square feet of ventilation for each chicken. There are a lot of different factors involved but I don't have anything better than the 1 Sq Ft per chicken rule of thumb.

 

[RootedTogetherHomestead]

It looks like you sealed off those window openings so they now get no ventilation through them. Is the only ventilation, up where your corrugated roof panels meet the top of the walls?

Chickens were first domesticated thousands of years ago. Records of exactly where are not known but northern China is considered a likely location. Their climate would be similar to yours. The wild birds that became domesticated chickens slept in trees. Like the wild birds that overwinter in Ohio, chickens can generally handle cold. The big difference is that we house them in buildings and do not give them the freedom to find good places to sleep. In the wild, the birds have a lot of options as to where to sleep.

Chickens keep themselves warm by trapping tiny pockets of air in their down. Those air pockets insulate them. You don't need to keep them warm, you need to allow them to keep themselves warm. A cold breeze strong enough to ruffle their feathers can cause those tiny air pockets to escape so they need to stay out of breezes.

How much ventilation do they need? Enough to keep the moisture in the air from building up. In a tightly enclosed building the moisture from their breath, their poop, and any thawed water dishes can build up. High moisture levels in freezing temperatures can cause frostbite. One rule of thumb used on here is one square feet of ventilation for each chicken. There are a lot of different factors involved but I don't have anything better than the 1 Sq Ft per chicken rule of thumb.

Yes. We are going to add more ventilation (this weekend) along the top of the wall where the walls meet the roof on the far left side. We just did not know how much ventilation to add. The windows are completely closed because they allow a draft to blow directly on the girls when they sleep. I do keep one of the windows cracked open to allow air out, but no direct draft on them. And thanks for the guidance!