Stopped go in coop at night

[Ricognyze]

A fan in a chicken coop is a fire hazard unless it's rated for barn use or, possible, installed VERY carefully.

Feather dander and bedding dust can build up inside the motor and, if you're lucky, choke it out. Or overheat and start a fire.

A "Chef's hat" turbine is safer, but I prefer fully passive ventilation.

Thank you for the warning. Wish I had better passive ventilation, but not an option right now. I’ll look into the Chef’s hat you mention.

 

[Ricognyze]

Thank you for the warning. Wish I had better passive ventilation, but not an option right now. I’ll look into the Chef’s hat you mention.

Ahh, one of these. Not sure that’s going to be easy. Will need to cut a big hole in the roof. Will something like that be okay in the winter?

 

[aart]

Ahh, one of these. Not sure that’s going to be easy. Will need to cut a big hole in the roof. Will something like that be okay in the winter?

That is likely way too big for the small coop you have.
What's the diameter of the roof penetration?
Tho those can be good ventilators, it is in no way appropriate for your small coop.

Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Ricognyze]

That is likely way too big for the small coop you have.
What's the diameter of the roof penetration?
Tho those can be good ventilators, it is in no way appropriate for your small coop.

Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 3531897

Yes, I need to do that. Minneapolis MN. So some pretty cold winters— -15-20C isn’t unheard of and 95+ and humid in the summers. So we get both extremes. I am thinking at the very least of maybe adding a couple additional small vents on the sides at the top.

 

[Ricognyze]

I did a mite check and couldn’t find anything. I checked their vents and also ran a paper towel along the roost bars top and bottom at night and nothing. I did this shortly after dusk. Do I need to do it later in the evening perhaps?

 

[BarnyardChaos]

A fan won't do much good if the hot air has nowhere to go. I see a nice large vent on one end of the coop; is there another vent like it on the opposite side? If not..... I wonder if you could contact the manufacturer to order or request another vent cover? Then cut an opening the same size on the other side to fit it into.
You could cut an opening of whatever size, then cover it with hardware cloth - but you'd have to configure an awning or louvers or something to keep out driving rain. Whatever you do, yes, the coop NEEDS more ventilation.

If your run is completely predator-proof, and you're sure, you could leave the pop-door open at night. That will pull some cooler air inside as hot air rises out the top. A summertime draft from below will help a bunch to move warm air up and out, but in winter you do NOT want any cold drafts blowing on or below the birds' roosts.

I don't see how they're too crowded, really, for spring/fall/summertime use. It's 10 sq feet, so that's 2.5 sq ft per bird. As long as they're not confined to the coop day and night, and they have a sizeable run or pen for daytime use, I think it's fine. No more than four birds, though. What do you plan to do in the winter, if there are days it's too cold and blustery to let them out? If they do not have a weather protected pen, they will definitely need a bigger coop to accommodate feeders and waterers inside, and room to move about. Some folks just cover the run with heavy-duty plastic sheeting and it's perfect even on the coldest days. (I forget who, but one of our members here lives in Alaska, and posted photos of his set-up. His plastic-covered run works GREAT, and still has adequate ventilation 24/7.)

They'll be warmer than you realize in winter. That coop looks very tight so it won't be drafty, and the double-layer walls will be quite insulating and warm. As long as the birds roost below the level of vents, they won't be cold. Feathers are incredibly insulating.

At any rate, you may have to re-train the birds to use the coop at night, after you've corrected the issues. Just pick them up from wherever they've chosen to roost, and put them inside, for several days in a row. If all is well with the coop, they'll go in on their own after a few days of this.

 

[aart]

Yes, I need to do that. Minneapolis MN. So some pretty cold winters— -15-20C isn’t unheard of and 95+ and humid in the summers. So we get both extremes. I am thinking at the very least of maybe adding a couple additional small vents on the sides at the top.

How long have you had these birds?
I just can't imagine going thru a winter with that small of a coop.
Do you have a run too?

 

[3KillerBs]

Ahh, one of these. Not sure that’s going to be easy. Will need to cut a big hole in the roof. Will something like that be okay in the winter?

Yes, I need to do that. Minneapolis MN. So some pretty cold winters— -15-20C isn’t unheard of and 95+ and humid in the summers. So we get both extremes. I am thinking at the very least of maybe adding a couple additional small vents on the sides at the top.

You're in a very challenging climate because you need to meet both hot climate needs and cold climate needs.

Hot Climate Chicken Housing and Care
Article 'Cold Weather Poultry Housing and Care'

I hate to say it, but your coop is entirely inadequate -- made only for optimal conditions in a mild climate. It's going to be too hot and airless in the summer and too wet in the winter because their isn't going to be enough airflow to remove the moisture that causes frostbite.

It's 10 sq feet, so that's 2.5 sq ft per bird.

While that's better than commercial chickens get, it's well below the usual recommendation of a *minimum* of 4 square feet per adult, standard-sized hen.

This article has a more nuanced look than the usual guidelines: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-much-room-do-chickens-need.66180/

It's accepted that chickens in an area that gets significant snow that will prevent them from going out into a run need significantly more space in their coop -- unless said coop is attached to a weatherproofed run.

 

[wolfinator]

Did you check for snakes? I just went through this Sunday (6/4). I was in the process of collecting eggs and I've got one girl who has always ground nested since her first egg. I always shine a light where she lays because it's in the far corner under the one set of nesting boxes. I am visually impaired so at first I thought she was still there so I waited a few minutes and went about checking the nests on the other side of the coop, there's 15 nesting boxes in this coop. So I go back to her spot, shine the light again and realize OH , there's a BIG SNAKE there instead of her!!! Thankfully my son was coming over with a friend for a cookout, who luckily was capable of dealing with snakes. My boyfriend had the shotgun ready. I know, why didn't my boyfriend just get the snake himself, well he's physically disabled and couldn't get into where the snake was. My son was only a few minutes away but it felt like hours. My biggest fear wasn't the hens, it was the 10 chicks on the other side of the open top wall. The friend armed with the pitch fork tried stabbing it at first but it moved and and "ran" for it, it was heading up the wall, this thing was over 6' long! I was in panic mode now, it was heading for my chicks! Whew! He got it, twined around the pitch fork and took it to my boyfriend who shot it. Then the guy searched the coop, nursery and all 3 of my other coops. Nothing found thank God.

Black snake coiled around an egg.

However we did discover in my ducks coop that 2 of my ducklings had hatched a couple days early. Oddly they hatched exactly 1 year to date after my last ducklings hatched.

Mallard/Runner ducklings just several hours old (6/4/23)

Hopefully you don't have a snake or other predator problem.

 

[wolfinator]

The coop is approximately 40”L x 39"W x 42"H with 3 roosting bars. The size hasn’t been a problem as far as I can tell before. Attached are photos.

I have not checked for mites. When checking where is best to look? Looking for really tiny tiny bugs right?

Thank you.

Oh wow, I hadn't seen this part before I posted previously. That looks like it would be an oven in hot temperatures. It's the equivalent to sitting in a hot car in the sun with the window down an inch or 2. They were probably baking in there, therefore staying outside at night in the cooler air. I'm sure that's molded plastic so it's nearly impossible to add extra ventilation. The only way I can think of is to cut the top off below the existing vents, add framing to make more ventilation using hardware cloth going the opposite of the existing vents and use an exterior grade silicone sealant between the added frame and coop walls, put roof back and silicone it too. You can use metal bands with metal roofing screws to hold the parts secure. It won't look pretty but it would provide ventilation needed.

Or can you build/buy a different coop made of wood with more adequate ventilation? That may be a better solution instead of potentially messing up the plastic one.

Another thought is to get a child's playhouse and screw hardware cloth to the inside over openings and door area. I had wanted to do this for my ducks but couldn't find a used one that wasn't torn up and new ones weren't in my budget. One day I'll find one to modify for them.

I put thermometers in my coops to keep check on temperatures, I have one down low near the door and one at roost height for summer and winter. My 50+ chickens have not pecked at them, some have been there 4 years or more.