The most conflicted advice in poultry literature is to leave proper public discussion in the hencoop but without having any drafts . Most sources do n’t explain the difference between the two , much less explain how to have one without the other . Let ’s change that .
skillful ventilation removes ammonia and moist air from the coop all yr long , as well as live aviation in summer . This make a healthier surround for the birdie and also — you’ll like this part — extend the time between cleanouts by hold back the coop ’s air fresher .
A draft blow over your birds on summertime night is a good thing , cool down their bodies at the hottest time of the class . On the other hand , drawing of stale line in winter soak up the estrus right out of your hencoop . Your birds will need to feed more food for thought just to stay warm , and old bird might get nauseated and die .
So the problem is how to accomplish these conflicting goals that can interchange with the seasons . Well — as you might guess — it calculate .
Drafts
It might be helpful to think of conscription as melodic phrase that by and large moves briskly and horizontally and ventilation as gentle wind that loosely moves slowly and vertically through the chicken coop . During the summer , draft copy are n’t a problem , as they render a welcoming zephyr through the henhouse . But in winter , they can be an egress .
Chickens have beensurviving harsh wintersin unheated and ill retrace cage in northern climates in Europe and Asia for a few thousand years , so your hens will probably survive wintertime even in a badly designed and draughty coop if they ’re not subjected to farsighted bouts of subzero temperature . Chickens have a slurred layer of feathers to keep them quick in winter , and their normal soundbox temperature is higher than ours at about 106 degrees F. Plus , they will clump together on the roost in winter to divvy up body high temperature .
My chickens do well all year round in zone 7 in North Carolina in a 5 - by-5 - fundament chicken coop with doors that do n’t close tightly , hardware cloth covering 2 straight foot of windows at roost height and chicken wire rolled up to cover 4 - column inch disruption between the rafters where they meet the top of the paries . Their chicken coop has passel of draft blowing through it in any season , but they ’re none the bad for it .
I ’d say that chicken will be o.k. where winters mostly persist above 10 degree in winter with little effort want to throttle draft . In inhuman orbit , being able to close off drafts in wintertime will be beneficial for the older , weaker or more isolated fowl . It might also salve you a few dollars on provender . In this typeface , you ’ll require the selection to have windows that close or that can be insure for the season with charge plate sheeting or other material strong enough to block the wind . Be certain to shut down the window about the time of your first kill frost to hold on any cold drafts , and then open or uncover the windowpane when it ’s warm enough to implant early spring crops , such as peas , greens and potatoes .
Ventilation
Ammonia , moisture and hot gentle wind all be given to rise vertically in the cage . The point of henhouse ventilating system is to get all three of them out . To do that , mean of your henhouse as bear three levels from top to bottom .
Top Level
This is the outer space far above your wench ’ heads . There should be plenty of ventilation here along the border of the roof and in the gables , which are the triangular areas between the top of the wall and the ceiling .
Rather than cover the Gable with timber , only get across them with hardware cloth disregardless of climate . piranha will be interlace out , and the perpetual hybridizing ventilation will disembowel out ammonia , wet and hot airwave . edit out the hardware cloth an inch wider than the openings they extend and insure them with 3⁄4 - inch fence staple fiber .
You should also cover the gaps between the roof rafters at the point where they lie on the walls with more flexile wimp wire to keep predator out . This is best done before put down the roof itself . opening like those between the rafter can be blocked with a small roll of chicken conducting wire ; secure the roll in spot by running a duad of 3 - inch screw through it but only give out an inch late into the wood . The exposed parts of the screws will keep the chicken conducting wire from go out of place . Because ammonium hydroxide , moisture and hot air travel all rise , they can escape the hencoop through these roof - height openings .
Middle Level
You ’ll see the roosting Browning automatic rifle here . This zona can be from 12 to 48 column inch above the level . The roost level should have minimum drafts ( aka horizontal air flow ) in subzero wintertime areas . Any large opening move at this level would make a cold , windy draft that would blow across the chickens and draw the warmth from their bodies .
Some hen keepers resolve this summertime pushover and winter drafts conflict by installing operable windowpane , and this is a great tallness for them . Any product with moving parts is going to be a bit more and take a bit more time to install , but in harsh winter region , it might be worth it . In summer , when the window are open , the chickens can enjoy a cooling breeze at night at roost tier . In areas with milder winters , melody flow at this middle roost level put up more of a benefit from summer breezes and little threat from winter drafts .
Bottom Level
This typically is about 12 to 18 column inch high and has three components : the floor , the pop door and possibly the nest boxes . With the pop threshold close at night , there should be no draught : Do not install windows or screens at this level . Unless you ’re a precision carpenter , there will be slender gaps between the composition of siding , the hatch to the nest box , the pop room access and any people doors . Fresh air will be tardily sucked in through these low gaps as the frustrate air exits the respiration near the ceiling .
While you ’re checking over your coop for drafts , be sure that any spread big enough for an egg - fuck strikebreaker or ophidian to slip through — an in or so — are stuffed with a bit of chicken wire to keep predators out . We do n’t want them enjoying the cozy conditions you ’ve created for you chickens .
This article in the beginning appear in the July / August 2017 issue ofChickens .
