Converted playhouse - Ventilation?

[AllSeasonAustralorps]

Hello!
I am a new chicken owner who is converting the underneath portion of our playhouse into our chicken coop. We live in Wisconsin, so our temps definitely can get into the -20s in the winter. I am most concerned about ventilation in the coop during winter. The actual playhouse is above their coop and has decking boards for the floor which has some gaps in it. The playhouse does have a roof on it so it should help to keep the coop nice and dry. I am wondering if this will serve as appropriate ventilation during that time? Thank you for your thoughts!

 

[Swbertrand1]

Photographs of the setup you're describing would be VERY helpful. It's much easier to visualize that way

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
Pictures will help! @aart has a good article about ventilation on his page, and generally, more space and ventilation is better than less. We need photos!
Mary

 

[AllSeasonAustralorps]

Attached are the photos of the work in progress. I still have to add hardware cloth behind many of the windows that I plan on using for summer ventilation. I will have to take a photo of the decking above, but alas, it is raining cats and dogs today (always when I have time to work it seems!). The door (still to be cut) and run will be attached on the side that is adjacent to the slide/ladder so the run will be parallel to those.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Going to need more year-round ventilation than crevices above the coop ceiling. Just trying to think of how to install something to serve as awnings above the existing ventilation... is it possible to top hinge some of the windows so they can be left open during nights/winters while the window itself acts as an awning?

 

[AllSeasonAustralorps]

Thanks for your reply!
Yes, I think I could switch the hinges on the window that is on the side to the right of the steps to open up vs swing out. Do you think that drilling some circular holes and covering with hardware cloth in the side board beneath the decking boards would help?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Do you think that drilling some circular holes and covering with hardware cloth in the side board beneath the decking boards would help?

It could, but I think folks really underestimate how much ventilation a few circular holes provide (answer: not very much). So whenever possible, cutting longer/wider openings would provide a lot more ventilation. You could cover those with louvered vent covers or more awning-type flaps to help protect from the elements.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Also the wall area under the slide would be a good spot for a less-covered-up vent or two, as the slide above should provide some degree of climate protection.

 

[AllSeasonAustralorps]

Also the wall area under the slide would be a good spot for a less-covered-up vent or two, as the slide above should provide some degree of climate protection.

That’s a great idea! Thank you for your help!

 

[3KillerBs]

Hello, welcome to BYC. I seem to have missed this thread yesterday.

Is the playhouse still used by small children? If so, you'll need to be extremely diligent about sanitation and handwashing because the chicken poop dust will get on everything.

Yes, there is a lot of scaremongering about Salmonella and Campylobacter, but they *do* exist and our beloved backyard chickens *can* transmit them to our families, especially young children who put everything in their mouths.

Do you think that drilling some circular holes and covering with hardware cloth in the side board beneath the decking boards would help?

No. Cutting circular holes with even a good-sized hole saw adds square inches when what you need is square feet.

Top-hinged windows/vent covers over openings covered in hardware cloth are better because they act as their own awnings and can be adjusted to suit the current conditions.

I agree that under the slide is a good place for a vent.