Lean to style coop ventilation

[sbutler12025]

I am nearly finished with my large 16'x8' lean to style coop! My boyfriend and I built it from the ground up with no plans and no prior experience. I absolutely love it so far! I have many small things to do yet and some more predator proofing to do but it has come together very nicely.

I'm wondering though. Is my venting adequate? I left openings along the top on both sides. Will this make the coop to cold in our NY winters? I've only gotten the front side (highest point) all hardware clothed so there's still time yet if I should close up the back. I've sat in here during a pretty intense thunder storm and no rain blows in. There will be more overhang than what is currently there we just left that part for after I got the hardware cloth on.

 

[nuthatched]

looks good to me, though, if you want, you can add vents to the sides.

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Rule of thumb is 1sq foot of ventilation per chicken in the coop, and you can't include the pop door or anything that will be closed in that equation. As a chicken keeper from the Ontario snow belt, I can confidently say that as long as your chickens aren't wet or roosting in a draft, they will be plenty warm in the coop. Moisture is the bigger danger in the coop when compared to cold, moisture build up increases the risk of frostbite, as well as ammonia build up which increases the risk of breathing issues and eye irritation. If I'm working outside in the winter, I often take a break to visit the chickens just to warm my hands on their tiny furnace bodies!
I actually know a few people who use 3 walled coops, like 3 solid walls one wall entirely hardware cloth, which they keep out of the prevailing wind, and I made a point to ask them how they're birds did during the winter, and they like I have never had a loss do to cold.

Hope this helps!
That's shaping up to be a nice looking coop for first timers winging! Pat yourself on the back for your effort!

 

[aart]

Some pics all around, inside and out, in the daylight would help here.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

Smart of you to put the vents up high like that. Ammonia rises, as does the warm, moist air that the chickens produce so that's exactly where the vents need to be.

The Usual Guidelines are that chickens need 1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation per adult, standard-sized hen. As @LateBirdFarms explained, this is just as important in the winter as in the summer.

Here is BYC's best article on cold weather chicken-keeping: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/

Please do share more pictures of your build.