Ventilation in cold climate/small coop

[sarahfvosz]

I'm reading that chickens should have 1sf ventilation per 10sf of coop. For my 4X4 coop I need 230 square inches.

How does this look for a plan? (I attached front and side view of leanto design) We will cut six 4X6" vent on either side, and a 4X21"vent in the front. We will line with hardware cloth and have vent covers that can flip closed. The summers here are cool but can be humid. We weren't planning on having any functioning windows but could make a couple 12X12" ones if that would be a good idea.

Anyone ever place a hygrometer in the coop to keep an eye on humidity levels? Wondering if this may be a good idea for the winter- so I can keep it as closed up as safely possible. (If so, brand recommendation please )

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I put a hygrometer in the first smallish coop I built and discovered how even more humid it was inside than the high humidity we had outside. I immediately cut much bigger windows in the coop. However the building was 6'X8'.
You can't go wrong with more ventilation. Chickens are outdoor animals with tiny compromised respiratory systems. They need continuous fresh air.
Also, don't worry about the cold. Chickens can handle it. What breeds will you have?

 

[sarahfvosz]

Don't know what breed yet- working on finding out today. They are local so I'm sure they're hardy.

I think I will get a hygrometer- would be interesting to see.

 

[jthornton]

I have a BME280 connected to my Chicken Control Raspberry Pi 3 and toss up a web page with all the stats from the coop. Working on a graph for history.



JT