ventilation, a century ago

I've been looking for information on small coop ventilation and posted some ideas on this thread a couple weeks ago:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=79375

Then! This weekend I was loaned some USDA bulletins from the last century. One called "Poultry Houses and Fixtures," (1934) has very little info on ventilation - install wall vents, use windows and curtains, build copula on roof. But, it's the "Dairy-Barn Construction" (1923) that has just a little information that may be helpful to others with small coops.

Keep in mind that dairy barns, even in the 1920's were considerably larger than what anyone is going to have in their backyard for chickens. The system referenced is named for F. H. King of the University of Wisconsin and was used for decades. You can actually find a little about the ventilation system and Professor King online. The system relies on tight building construction when air isn't entering anywhere but the inlet vents. Some of these barns were very well built. Here are 2 points that seem appropriate:

First of all, multiple inlets for fresh air better distribute fresh air, however, if these vents are on opposite sides of the building - drafts may occur. Wind will move air in on one side and out the inlet vents on the other. Those inlet vents will have become outlet vents even if there is an outlet elsewhere. This problem can be overcome by using inlet flues but that discussion goes beyond this one. It seems to me that a simple remedy is to put inlet vents on one side of the coop, only. "Poultry Houses and Fixtures" suggests inlets just above the dropping boards and that's probably a good place.

During hot weather it makes sense to have the outlet vent just below the roof. Hot air rises and since most of the intent is to cool the building - the hottest air should be vented.

During cold weather, ventilation (mostly of moisture) is still necessary but warm air should be kept inside the building. The way King found to do this was to extend a flue all the way down nearly to the barn floor (12 to 18 inches above). Above this flue opening, warm air generally stayed put but air near the floor (think manure) rose in the flue and exitted thru the roof.

The way I can see this working for the coop is to have an opening in the roof (or near the roof) that would ventilate the coop throughout the year. Attach a flue to it that extends all the way down within a few inches of the floor during the cold months. Some kind of damper may be used during the coldest days and nights.

Farmers 100 years ago built HUGE vertical outlet flues in the center of their barns. A large diameter plastic pipe (6 or 8 inches, maybe) might work better for a small coop. It could be simply pushed on or taken off depending on the time of the year. Something could be done to allow the chickens to stay off the floor during the Winter if they choose to do so.

Just an old, old idea I wanted to share. How beneficial it could prove to be would require either trial and error or someone with an ag engineering degree to figure out.

Steve

Thanks for taking the time to share...........

That was very interesting. I had a very old dairy barn that was converted for horses in Connecticut and I was amazed at how well it was ventilated. It was set up with a series of flues such as you describe throughout.

Orchidchick

I think the ideas that your source mentions may be relevant ones for some situations (especially very crowded coops/barns), but, no offence, I would question a number of points regarding their relevance to small backyard chicken coops:

Okay...I will ask it..what are flues?

Quote:
In this case, flues are tubes used for the movement of air.

Steve

Okay...thanks digitS

I'm in the pre-planning stages for building my first coop this spring. I just picked up a book called "fresh air poultry houses", written in the 20's. When's the last time I read a book from the twenties or before? Probably high school, english lit, or something. so it's pretty cool from that aspect.

I'm wondering if anyone knows anything about these woods open front houses. It sounds pretty interesting, like it might even work. But the book is so much of just repetitive statements about the importance of fresh air and quotes from doctors and such. Makes me kind of think of a laudnum ad, or snake oil ad or such!

Quite different from a barn design, with just the front windows open in winter, the coop built quite deep with the roosts in the back, and peaked roof, with clerestory windows up there (open in summer). the theory being that with just one large opening, wind/air pressure isn't going to allow for the weather to blow back in there, and provide ideal ventilation with protection from the weatther. Open windows face south.

I wouldn't consider something like this without the ability to close it up in really bad weather (close front, open upper clerestory), but for our not-eally-that-cold-usually western montana winters, it seems like an interesting idea.

Thoughts, experience?

Bumping back up, I'm AMAZED at the traffic on this forum!

Thanks for posting this digitS'. It is facsinating how they did things back then. There is much wisdom and ease in how they solved problems. I usually find at least one feature that I can incorporate into my current project.

Cold/vents/coop size/ it was all driving me nuts. There is the old they are just chickens and they are tough, do not worry part of course, but when my chickens went to a part of a large shed--think mini-barn, but they do not have pigs or cows like in the old days. The thought became why not build a shed in the shed and be done with all this thought. I enclosed a insulated box on 3 sides just big enough for them to hide from wind/cold/whatever. Then thought I have 2 groups that really do not like to be together so I built another. Now 2 sleep inside one box, with 8 on the perch most nights, and when cold or they are wet after run time we get up to 5 on the 10 in the box. ----So now my uninsulated vented roof shed does not have to keep me up coldnights. They have a chicken heated box that they seem to have figured out is the place to be when cold. The regular residents of the box seem to sleep close to the door when warm, and farther in when cold. -----I also have been in some well made and thought out barns from 1920-1930 with features I did not understand as a non-farmer. But without a couple dozen cows warming the place up perhaps the insulated box in the shed/barn is and idea for the backyard chicken in a larger building. Or perhaps not.