Coop ventilation

I've been working on these sketches for a few weeks now, constantly improving with new ideas or jotting down construction notes to the side lol. Anyway, I have a question about my coops ventilation. These images are still in progress- we will start the actual build next week. Some details first...

We plan on using a deep litter method. The roost is 18" off the coop floor (closer to the deep litter though). The windows shown will have hardware cloth embedded between the studs and sheathing. There will be hinged framed plexiglass windows over that for extra ventilation in the hot summer months. Since we live in Oklahoma, we can have VERY hot summers and pretty cold winters too. We get a lot of rain in the spring. The lowest windows in the front will be about 10" above the roost. The higher windows in the back will be about 16" above the roost. I am contemplating leaving a triangular cutout right below the roof (with hardware cloth of course) for ventilation in the cooler months (the grayed out triangles). The cutouts will measure approximately 4.5" high at the centers and 18" across at the base. Will this be significant enough for us? The floor plan is 24 sq ft and we currently have 6 chicks. Barring we lose any before then or we have a surplus of roosters, we intend on housing them all in the one coop.

These are my suggestions.

I think 18" is too low for roosts. They may opt to sleep in nests since they are close to the same height.

As you understand, ventilation is critical. Definitely leave some openings year round. Cold doesn't kill chickens, heat and bad/humid air in winter will.

I would only close your operable windows if there was a storm coming from that direction but kept open at all other times.

ChickenCanoe said:

...

Click to expand...

These are my suggestions.

I think 18" is too low for roosts. They may opt to sleep in nests since they are close to the same height.

As you understand, ventilation is critical. Definitely leave some openings year round. Cold doesn't kill chickens, heat and bad/humid air in winter will.

I would only close your operable windows if there was a storm coming from that direction but kept open at all other times.
[/quote

What height would you suggest for the roost then? The nesting boxes are exterior so I didn't suspect they would attempt to sleep there but I am new to this lol so will take all the help I can get. If I increase the height of the roost, will there be enough room between my chickens and the upper ventilation to prevent drafts that could harm them?

So they can't go into the nests from inside the building?

Roosts need to be significantly higher than nests. Noticeable to the chickens. Nests are comfy and if close to the same height, they'll choose comfy. That means poopy eggs.

I have a different take on drafts than most people. Chickens can live in trees (till taken by a predator). How does one keep drafts out of a tree?
The idea of having the ventilation above the chickens' heads is a good one but I don't do it.

My openings are right at roost height. I get a bit of frostbite in roosters in the dead of winter but never respiratory issues because there's always fresh air blowing through.





In the end, they're outdoor animals adaptable to a wide range of climates, not indoor animals.

ChickenCanoe said:

So they can't go into the nests from inside the building? Roosts need to be significantly higher than nests. Noticeable to the chickens. Nests are comfy and if close to the same height, they'll choose comfy. That means poopy eggs. I have a different take on drafts than most people. Chickens can live in trees (till taken by a predator). How does one keep drafts out of a tree? The idea of having the ventilation above the chickens' heads is a good one but I don't do it. My openings are right at roost height. I get a bit of frostbite in roosters in the dead of winter but never respiratory issues because there's always fresh air blowing through. In the end, they're outdoor animals adaptable to a wide range of climates, not indoor animals.

Click to expand...

Oh, sorry, they can absolutely get in from the inside. I only meant that there is nowhere for them to roost on top the boxes since they are exterior to the rest of the coop. I hadn't thought much about them attempting to sleep IN the boxes. We definitely don't want poopy eggs lol.