I am almost to the 'indoor' stage of my chicken building, and am trying to figure out the vents. I don't have pics (surprise, surprise ), so I'll try to give you a visual The 'coop' is 10'x10'. I am using vertical space to increase my bird count, since this is where my bantam breeders will be. Each 'pen' inside the building will be 5'x3'x3' high. I was thinking I would need to put vents along the top of the walls, but now I'm not sure? Each pen will have solid top, walls, and floor, with the only screen/wire being the front of the pen. So do you think I need to have vents in each pen instead? I had thought about that before, but I just want to make sure. Also, the vents are supposed to be on the top or the bottom? Or both?? Thanks for your help
The vents need to be where the air can circulate without causing a draft across the chickens, at least one should be at the top, otherwise, stale air is trapped inside above where the vents are. You will need building vents, but might also need pen vents depending on the setup. I would say perhaps a small one at the back of the pens opposite the wire front to prevent stagnant air in the pen. Are your pens going to be stacked?
Quote:If the pens are only 3' deep, you will probably be ok with just venting the building as a whole and relying on circulation thru the mesh fronts of the pens. Especially if some or all of the building's vents are on wall(s) not covered by pens. If vents are all on walls that are covered by pens, you will not have as good air circulation and I am not sure I want to place bets on whether you'd need some separate venting for each pen. Depends on your management as much as anything, I suspect. You might be ok without 'em, might not, just have to decide whether you'd rather cut vents now 'in case' or plan on retrofitting if it turns out to be necessary. If the pens are 5' deep I would suggest some ventilation between pens, maybe even a vent 'stack' running up the wall behind each vertical column of pens. Also, the vents are supposed to be on the top or the bottom? Or both?? Thanks for your help Is the building basically solid walls? And, are there popdoors to runs? If the building is basically solid (maybe a window or two) and no popdoors, it is likely to get awfully hot in summertime even if you have both top and bottom vents - in KY a wall that is mostly mesh would be a real good idea. A whole buncha popdoors, if you're doing that, might provide enough air intake and cross-ventilation to be ok, again I think I will weenie out and not lay a bet one way or the other For sure I would make sure some vents at the tops of walls, preferably 'uninhabited' walls if such are available, though, as you may not want to use the lower-down vents/windows/whatever on the coldest nastiest days, esp. if these are bantams. Good luck, have fun, Pat
It's also helpful to be able to close the vents if you have a sudden cold spell or a storm. Most hardware stores have ones on them with a lever closure and fly screening to keep out bugs. Not expensive, either. Put them high enough that the birds do not get a draft, but so you can reach them too. Your coops is close to mine in size. We were able to vent into the loft of our barn near the access fascia, so we never get snow or rain against the opening. There are little plastic shields you can get for the tops, too, for the outside if wind is a problem.
