[Greenbuilding] chickens

molasses at q.com molasses at q.com
Thu Mar 14 15:33:45 CDT 2013


I did a fair amount of research on this when we built our coop and finally decided that insulating a henhouse is a bad idea (unless you want to put mechanical ventilation in, as well). The hens supposedly need airflow more than anything - partly because of the ammonia fumes, and partly so their combs don't freeze. Too little airflow and they'll get condensation on their combs, which can freeze. I tried insulating anyways - with straw and chicken wire - but realized after I did it that the insulation does NOTHING because I've got deliberately large holes for ventilation near the roof. Plus the straw settled... 


They really are fine in cold weather - they're wearing down comforters, after all. Buy the cold-hardy breeds. I've heard some people say that if you put a flat 2x in place of a round perch it'll keep their toes from freezing because then they can hunker down and cover their toes completely. 


In colder weather my two girls don't perch - they sleep in the one giant nest box on top of each other. The nest box is probably a bit warmer than the rest of the coop because it's a smaller space with fewer leaks and holes. I think if I were to do it again I'd do my best to make the nest box as air leak-proof as possible. It's fully open to the coop on one side, so I believe it gets enough air circulation to prevent against the condensation problem. I don't quite understand why people make separate nest boxes, but then again, we've never had more than two hens. Having just the one nest box for the two of them allows them to snuggle. We're about to get two more hens - we'll see if having just the one box causes issues. 



Heat lamps during the winter are a TERRIBLE idea because of the risk of fire. 


Kathleen 

----- Original Message -----
From: "Erin Rasmussen" <erin at trmiles.com> 
To: "Green Building" <greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org> 
Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2013 11:50:54 AM 
Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] chickens 




John, your post reminded me. Are there any greenbuilding group recommendations for insulating small hen houses? 

The hens generate a certain amount of heat, and a fair amount of ammonia smell. I can use biochar to help with the smell, but I'd like to improve the hen house so that it's a bit warmer in winter and cooler in summer. 



Thanks, 

Erin Rasmussen 

erin at trmiles.tocm 





From: Greenbuilding [mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of John Salmen 
Sent: Monday, March 11, 2013 2:58 PM 
To: 'Green Building' 
Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] chickens 



Apologies for the chicken message. Obviously not intended for the list 





From: Greenbuilding [ mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org ] On Behalf Of John Salmen 
Sent: March-11-13 2:56 PM 
To: 'Green Building' 
Subject: [Greenbuilding] chickens 


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