Holes in the hen house floor

[SundaeGirl]

We've just got our first flock, six dreamy lovely girls. I was feeling quite confident about their housing as we've inherited it from some experienced smallholder types and built a temporary run around it until the hens are a bit more at home and able to free-range.

I've just been reading that hens don't like draughts. The floor of our coop has six or so quite large round holes cut out of it - surely this is going to make quite a draught as the coop is about 8" off the ground? It seems odd with everything that I've been reading about vermin and predators like stoats, but the holes are quite deliberate and the former owners were the sort who knew what they were doing. (I'd ask them but they've moved on)

What should I do? Cover the holes? Why are they there in the first place?

It's to provide circulation. If yoy're worried about rats/stoats or other little nasties, cover the holes with small sections of weldmesh.

I'm sorry to say that I did have to chuckle about 'hens not liking draughts' - several of mine will insist on sleeping outside of the house in all weathers including snow and gales and they've suffered no ill effects.

Thanks, if it doesn't sound like I need to cover them then I won't. I'm sure we have the same chance of a stoat as anywhere else. (Would a cockerel see a stoat off?)

Honestly, there's lots of talk of them not liking draughts on various sites!

Ohjellybelly - have you checked for red mite? Refusing to go in at night is one of the classic signs of red mite.

With regards to the holes, it's normal to have some form of ventilation at the top of the coop (i.e. above hen head height) as, as you correctly state, they don't like draughts. I've never come across holes in the floor before! And don't imagine that just because someone is a smallholder they do everything correctly - sometimes strange ideas creep in and aren't challenged, and sometimes it's just piss poor husbandry (I remember one of the farms I bought my girls from - he quite clearly couldn't manage any more, but stood there and told us, proud as punch, that there was running water up on the farm now - no electricity mind - eek!)

To be honest, I'd either block them off completely and just use any ventilations at the top (or make some), or at the very least I'd block it off with fine gauge wire mesh to prevent rats / mice / other vermin & predators getting in.

Right, fine mesh it is. Now to find out where to get some...

DH is paranoid about rats, to the point where he didn't want food scattered at all but I think he's chilling a tiny bit so I don't want to undo that. I think there are gaps at the top of the coop where the sides join, does that sound enough? If so I could just board over the holes.

Yep - I check for red mites at every clean. I have loads of chickens and it's just a few of the more hardcore that insist on sleeping as high as they can within their WIR.

Ventilation holes should be at the top of the coop, but circulation holes or gaps in the flooring slats in coops are usually there to provide a good flow of air throughout the coop. If the holes are very large, certainly cover over and just make some smaller ones with a drill bit.

Thanks for help. I got the hens because I'd always wanted some and because the coop was here. I'm finding it a steep learning curve - partly because I didn't realise how much I would fall in love with them. No way is a rat having one of my girls!