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My tastes run more towards "odds and ends of wood, and a pair of hinges" type thing, but you can frame up something fancier if you want, even a sliding panel if you really wanted. I'd suggest making it sturdy enough not to warp, and rig something to hold it open and shut (screw eyes and a hook will do the basic job). I wouldn't personally bother with commercially available things because they are all so tiny and overpriced.
My tastes run more towards "odds and ends of wood, and a pair of hinges" type thing, but you can frame up something fancier if you want, even a sliding panel if you really wanted. I'd suggest making it sturdy enough not to warp, and rig something to hold it open and shut (screw eyes and a hook will do the basic job). I wouldn't personally bother with commercially available things because they are all so tiny and overpriced.
How do I know which vents to keep open? Are there simple rules of thumb as to whether I use too much or too little ventilation, such as a tangible ammonia smell, condensation on windows, feeling a draft, etc? And even so - how do I know which vents to open, and which to close? How do I, for example, choose between opening up a low vent or more high ones?
I think you're overthinking this... you have common sense and will make intelligent decisions. Like, if it is hot in the coop, open all the vents; if it is real windy from some direction and you don't want that much wind in the coop (either b/c bedding is blowing around or b/c it's getting too cold and wind-chill-y in there), then you close the vents on that side, etc etc.
There is a learning curve involved, because your coop will not behave exactly like anyone else's coop. So, put a max-min thermometer out there and just try different things and you will figure out how you need ot adjust things to get the effect you desire.
As far as low vs high vents (if you even *have* both - low down vents are not nearly so important IMHO as high up ones, and can be dispensed with entirely if you have large windows or wire walls or your coop just doesn't ever get real hot), you would want bottom-to-top air movement when you want to cool the coop especially much; you would use only upper vents (lower ones closed) in winter when you do not want cold drafts on the chickens.
That sort of thing. Really, you will figure it out quickly!
Have fun, relax
,
Pat
I think you're overthinking this... you have common sense and will make intelligent decisions. Like, if it is hot in the coop, open all the vents; if it is real windy from some direction and you don't want that much wind in the coop (either b/c bedding is blowing around or b/c it's getting too cold and wind-chill-y in there), then you close the vents on that side, etc etc.
There is a learning curve involved, because your coop will not behave exactly like anyone else's coop. So, put a max-min thermometer out there and just try different things and you will figure out how you need ot adjust things to get the effect you desire.
As far as low vs high vents (if you even *have* both - low down vents are not nearly so important IMHO as high up ones, and can be dispensed with entirely if you have large windows or wire walls or your coop just doesn't ever get real hot), you would want bottom-to-top air movement when you want to cool the coop especially much; you would use only upper vents (lower ones closed) in winter when you do not want cold drafts on the chickens.
That sort of thing. Really, you will figure it out quickly!
Have fun, relax
Pat
