Chicken Coop Construction

[chris]

Holes above head height = ventillation, and below head height are draughts --- great bit of advice I read on here - CAn't remember who originally said it mind!

You can either drill holes, or make a sliding vent door?

Or.. replace the roof with something like onduline

Either way, you'd be wise to mesh the inside of the holes though, to stop any rodents getting in!

edit: looks great btw I definately prefer the lighter shade!

[Hilary B]

You need ventilation. Even in the snowy middle of the Highlands, well-fed healthy chooks are unlikely to suffer from cold as long as they are out of the wether (especially the wind) (slight risk of frostbite on combs, in really bad conditions). Lack of ventilation can lead to all sorts of health problems!
When we were in Orkney (not the coldest place, but often very windy) our chooks lived in an old tin hut with no door. Never saw any sign of problems from the cold. The hut was sited near a barn, where the wind didn't often get.

[Scarlet]

As Hilary said, and in the summer they can very easily overheat and die. I would take the roof off and replace it with onduline and also cut a square out at the top of the door and replace with mesh.