will mosquito netting cut down on air flow too much?

[chickengal30]

Hi all!

I'm hopeing some of you will be able to answer my question. I have a coop and attatched run that is covered in the small holed hardware cloth, Im in Florida so have our fair share of mosquitos. If I cover the hardware cloth in screen or mosquito netting, will it cut down on the air flow too much.

It gets so very hot here and I'd hate to make it worse for my four girls who will be moveing into the coop/run as soon as its finnished. The run (its 8' x 8') thats attatched to the coop (its 4' x 4') is framed 2" x 4"s and hardware cloth on all four sides with a metal roof.
Do any of you have screen up to keep the mosquitos away? Hows it work for you? Thanks for your time, I looked it up in past posts but didnt realy get any definate answers. Thanks again

 

[ChooksinChoppers]

I wouldn't think that mosquitos would bother chickens? Porbally they would eat them first..maybe, hopefully, since I am in florida too and need to know.... I think the mosquito netting would cut down air flow quite a bit.

 

[patandchickens]

It does make a difference, but if you have ample-enough ventilation e.g. most of the coop is mesh you should "probably" be ok (if you weren't, the chickens were probably going to be unhappy on some days *anyhow* and benefit from a fan or etc) so personally I would say that if you have a very open-to-the-air coop and you think it is worth it, then go ahead. Remember that if you are only screening the 'house' part of things, some mosquitos will go in thru the popdoor during the day.

If you are not sure whether it's well-ventilated enough at present, put a thermometer in there and compare its temperature in late-afternoon on sunny days to the temperature in the shade elsewhere like under a nice tree. If the temps are the same, you've got enough ventilation to deal with the heat as best you can. If the coop temp is hotter, then you are already a bit short on ventilation (or it needs to be in a larger area of shade, as it is quite a small coop)

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Ridgerunner]

Mosquitoes can spread fowl pox. That is a serious problem if you show chickens. It is usually not life threatening, but it does disfigure them and can cause serious health problems if it gets inside their mouth. I don't think that is something that too many of us worry about. Mosquitoes may spread other diseases to chickens but I am not aware of one.

The risk with mosquito netting or screen is that chickens make a lot of dust. My concern would be that air flow gets blocked so you lose your ventilation. I've seen hardware cloth clogged with spider webs and dust on old chicken coops, let alone screen. I don't know what your specific risks or risk tolerances are, but I don't do it. I could not keep mosquitoes out, even if I wanted to.

 

[elmo]

I have the windows and vents on our coop screened under the hardware cloth, and I haven't noticed a difference in air flow as a result. However, I do have plenty of ventilation, and the coop is in the shade so it stays as cool as can be expected around here in the summer.

Dust does build up on the screens like everywhere else, so periodically I dust them off with a cloth when I'm dusting the rest of the coop surfaces.

Our two year old hens all got fowl pox in the fall of their first year. This was before we built the new coop with the mosquito screen. Our year old hens did not get fowl pox. I don't know whether this is because of the screening, the fact that they were hen raised and not artificially brooded, or simply because fowl pox was less prevalent last year

I do know it can't be pleasant to roost in a cloud of mosquitoes biting your comb and wattles all night. That's why I put in the screening.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

We haven't had a problem in our coop, but it has a lot of summer ventilation. The screens do collect dust and need to be cleaned, either brushing or vacuuming it off. We also clean dust or cob webs off light fixtures and walls as needed, so it's no big deal for us.

Being in the woods, the mosquitoes are bad here even during the day, in the shade. My husband ducks into the coop sometimes, to get a break from them, when a cloud is chasing him. He likes to visit with the hens for a bit and then go back out. A few get in through the pop door, but there's never more than a couple in there, during the worst seasons. It's nice in there. I've seen the chickens eat them. We occasionally slap one when we're in there, but that's also better than a huge cloud mobbing you. So, I'm happy we did it.

 

[chickengal30]

Well thankyou so very much for your help!
As I have plenty of screen left over from one of hubbys jobs, I think Ill try what Pat sudgested - put up the netting and then keep an eye on the temps and see if it makes a difference, and yes, adding a fan is doable too. Ill do the coop (which has four windows/doors, so plenty of ventilation) and run as the door to the coop will always be open (but compleatly secure and enclosed) so just netting one or the other would be pointless. Thanks again for your help, Ill let you know how it turns out. The Fowl Pox thing does worry me as well as the girls getting all bit up at night, so if this works, that'll be great. These are my my first girls, and Im just loveing caareing for them!

 

[wekiva bird]

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