During summer months our loft is fully protected with mosquito screens covering every opening including port hole. We use smart board siding to wrap all the way around our loft ensuring nothing can protrude up through the grate flooring.
We use open grate flooring in the loft during summer months for easy cleaning, but note… we do not have it exposed to the elements. Meaning, we cover/wrap the entire loft year round with smart board siding as skirting to ensure the safety of our birds from mosquitoes, rodents and weather elements.
Summers get hot so we put a fan inside the loft every summer to ensure they stay cool and comfortable. Mosquitos and bugs create health issues so we have mosquito screen covering every single opening for full protection.
Winter gets cold and grate floors can make feet cold and exposed. So, we cover the entire grate floor with a sheet of plywood and then cover that with fresh straw. Changing the straw all winter is actually quite simple for keeping loft clean. As for the windows & doors, we cover the screen with glass windows and the port hole with removable wood. Not to mention a heat lamp keeps them happy and cozy all winter night. 16 hrs of darkness in winter is too cold & long so lights really help keep them active and warm.
Cold air blowing in is hard on birds. Cover all screens with window panes or use Plexiglas to keep lofts warmer. Any cold air you can keep from blowing in makes a big difference for your birds.
Winters can make your birds cold, sick and die. We, on the other hand have never had an issue with that since we keep our lofts clean everyday all year round. We winterize our lofts covering portholes when not being used, covering screens with actual glass windows and change screen doors to insulated doors and finally we use heat lamps to keep them warm which prevents them from shivering during the long dark cold nights.
