Coop frost/vent

[RookieEgger]

so a couple questions. I have 8 good sized hens in a 8x4 coop that’s 4 ft tall. I notice in the morning a little frost on the ceiling. I’d like to think it’s vented well enough. One 4”x12” vent in the front and another on one side, I thought that would be enough. It’s not like there’s water dripping or anything. I just hesitate to go cutting and drilling holes because I don’t want to cause drafts, I hear that’s just as bad. Here in Maine it’s been in the single digits at night. I’m just a little concerned since I noticed a little spot of frostbite on one of the hens combs, they have longer combs. I’ve read the Vaseline trick which I may try although I can’t imagine it’ll be easy to apply on my girls, they are skidish. Thanks

 

[Wezdin]

Here is a great ventilation link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop.47774/

 

[123RedBeard]

Generally ... you want to have one square foot of vent per chicken ... you have only 2/3's Of a foot total, plus whatever little cracks around a door or window ... probably safe to say you have less than one square foot total ...

 

[RookieEgger]

Generally ... you want to have one square foot of vent per chicken ... you have only 2/3's Of a foot total, plus whatever little cracks around a door or window ... probably safe to say you have less than one square foot total ...

You’re telling me I need a 1x1 vent hole for each chicken? Seems like a lot...

 

[Apocalypse]

I have a 4x6 coop for 8 chickens. The entire top 3.5 inches on 3 sides of the coop are ventilation and it seems to be working well. By no means a square foot per chicken, but definately effective.

 

[RookieEgger]

I have a 4x6 coop for 8 chickens. The entire top 3.5 inches on 3 sides of the coop are ventilation and it seems to be working well. By no means a square foot per chicken, but definately effective.

I’m thinking about taking the bottom board of the eaves on the back side out. That would be about 4” x 8ft and out hardware cloth over it.

 

[RookieEgger]

I’m thinking about taking the bottom board of the eaves on the back side out. That would be about 4” x 8ft and out hardware cloth over it.

Although I may just try drilling a bunch holes in that stretch of eaves for a quick fix and see how that does. I have 30 min of daylight when I get home during the week. If it doesn’t improve then I’ll have to try something different over the weekend.

 

[wamtazlady]

Between breathing and pooping it is surprising how much moisture a chicken can produce.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I wouldn't just drill holes at random but do look into where you can add openings, especially up towards the roof/ceiling line as that'll let moist air escape. To deal with drafts, I'd put minimal ventilation on the side that got the most wind, especially since your coop isn't very tall. Photos of your coop would help.

 

[aart]

Shorter coops can be hard to ventilate.
The '1sqft per bird' thing needs to be taken with a grain of salt,
as obviously it won't apply to all coops.

Here's a good discussion that might help:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1048597/ventilated-but-free-of-drafts

Photos of your coop would help.

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