Adding ventilation to the coop

[Justicedog]

I’ve been reading more and more about the importance of ventilation. I’d bought the expensive Amish built coop about 10 years ago thinking it’s everything the chickens needed. Even more as it’s got more than double the nesting boxes.
It can get hot in the coop, which I guess means that it needs more ventilation.

What would be the easiest and best way to get more ventilation in the coop while not making it leak?

The carpenter bees have really enjoyed the coop and they did add a ventilation hole on one side.

 

[black_cat]

Up in those peaks, you could cut out triangles of wood and replace with hardware cloth. Along the sides, you can do similar things with cutting out wood and adding hc, or also get some of those pop-in vent covery things at a hardware store.

 

[DobieLover]

I would remove the cap shingles, set your circular saw to cut one inch from each side of your ridge where the two pieces of OSB meet (you'll set the depth to the thickness of the shingles and the OSB), install two pieces of ridge vent and then new cap shingles. You could contact roofers or find a roof construction project and ask if you can purchase extra ridge vent pieces and cap shingles left over from jobs or just buy new.

Cut out the area above the windows shown by the red rectangle and cover it with 1/2" hardware cloth then cover the cut edges of the hardware cloth with trim boards on the outside.

Cut out each gable end with the largest sized louvered vent grill you can find (area shown in green) and install vents on each end.

 

[3KillerBs]

What @DobieLover said.

Alternately, extend the roof at the gable ends (How to here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...e-overhangs-eaves-of-a-shed-coop-house.76599/), and open the entire gable triangle instead of using the louvered vents.

 

[Brooks_]

In addition to what @DobieLover and @3KillerBs said, I would rotate the windows to open down instead of up.

 

[Sueby]

I have an amish coop too, but mine has a ridge vent. & I did cut under the eaves on both sides & added hardware cloth:

In the winter I leave one of the windows open too but stuff it with an AC filter.

ETA: the carpenter bees love mine too.

 

[Justicedog]

In addition to what @DobieLover and @3KillerBs said, I would rotate the windows to open down instead of up.

I've got one window to replace (son got it with a puck a couple years ago). I'm not much for construction work. I try, but then get in way over my head. Good idea about flipping the windows to open down rather than up. I also want to make it so that they open from the outside, rather than the inside. Seriously, who thought that would be a good idea? Who wants to crawl through the coop to open and shut the windows? I am hoping that it will be fairly straight forward - pop the framing off (it's nailed in), turn the windows around, and set it back in and screw the framing back on. What could go wrong?

I went and bought some vents - hopefully that will be an easy and good start and nothing will go wrong with that. Then I can move on to the other suggestions.

This is where either having a dad who did this type of work and taught me or having a handy husband would really come in handy.

 

[Brooks_]

I've got one window to replace (son got it with a puck a couple years ago). I'm not much for construction work. I try, but then get in way over my head. Good idea about flipping the windows to open down rather than up. I also want to make it so that they open from the outside, rather than the inside. Seriously, who thought that would be a good idea? Who wants to crawl through the coop to open and shut the windows? I am hoping that it will be fairly straight forward - pop the framing off (it's nailed in), turn the windows around, and set it back in and screw the framing back on. What could go wrong?

I went and bought some vents - hopefully that will be an easy and good start and nothing will go wrong with that. Then I can move on to the other suggestions.

This is where either having a dad who did this type of work and taught me or having a handy husband would really come in handy.

Yes, open from the outside.

Don't worry, you'll do fine.

 

[K0k0shka]

It's not very clear from the pictures, but in the photo with the human access door open, what is that frame with hardware cloth on it over on the left side of the photo? Does that go in the doorway? If not, I would also suggest to add a screen door for the human access door to replace the solid door in the summer. That's what I did and it really helped. I made a screen door out of a wooden frame and hardware cloth stretched across. I opened the solid door all the way back and tied it in the open position (so it doesn't flap back in the wind). Then I put hinges on the opposite side of the door frame and hung the screen door there, and added latches for it. And I added two fans in the coop. It really helps get that hot air out. If we'll be having a rain storm, I may close the solid door temporarily so that rain doesn't blow in and wet the bedding, but it rarely rains in the summer here so it hasn't really been a problem.

 

[Justicedog]

It's not very clear from the pictures, but in the photo with the human access door open, what is that frame with hardware cloth on it over on the left side of the photo? Does that go in the doorway? If not, I would also suggest to add a screen door for the human access door to replace the solid door in the summer. That's what I did and it really helped. I made a screen door out of a wooden frame and hardware cloth stretched across. I opened the solid door all the way back and tied it in the open position (so it doesn't flap back in the wind). Then I put hinges on the opposite side of the door frame and hung the screen door there, and added latches for it. And I added two fans in the coop. It really helps get that hot air out. If we'll be having a rain storm, I may close the solid door temporarily so that rain doesn't blow in and wet the bedding, but it rarely rains in the summer here so it hasn't really been a problem.

Yes, that hardware cloth frame goes in the human access door, so that's open usually - always when it's hot, though I do close it some nights when I'm worried about predators, though that's more of a worry about what could happen, rather than anything that has happened. The solid door is pretty solid (or the way the coop leans) so it doesn't shut unless I shut it.