Coop Vent Help for the winter! Show me your coop vents please.

[tdgill]

enjoying the topic of ventilation as usual...

Something I wanted to point out to keep in mind. Especially with some of the smaller coop designs. As much as we love our chickens and want them to be warm and cozy, they need air to breathe...Fresh air is most likely more important than warm air.

I find that I have gotten even more interested in our weather, and its patterns, wind speed and direction and forecasted changes. I now know due north south east and west in my backyard. I can feel the climate and conditions inside my coop. I would assume deep litter method doesnt work well in a smaller coop filled with chickens thru the winter time...

 

[LynneP]

tdgill- That's the reason I didn't use deep litter method- only 12 birds, and because I am retired, I have time to renew the bedding and remove almost all the overnight manure and much of the daytime stuff with a scraper and catch bucket. In fact today was calm and sunny so I used a small stove shovel to remove the oldest bedding, treated the base of the coop with 2C food-grade diatomaceous earth, then let the hens scratch the contents of a new bale around the coop. If I clean up the new manure daily and then renew the bale every 10-14 days depending on dampness, I never have to clean the coop down or worry about ammonia and molds. Our floor is concrete topped with 2" old horse planks then wood shavings. You're right also in that a low ceiling, while warmer, can hold ammonia, making ventilation concerns even greater. There is room to assess your setup and adjust accordingly. Having chickens or any lovestock means you have to study your arrangement, your animals and as you say, the weather patterns- it's a rich part of our lives.

 

[cnjtnt]

How do you know if you need more ventilation? I'm assuming if I walk into the coop and it smells strongly I definitely need more (it's washington, which means lots of rain/drizzle/moisture in winter so It's harder to tell if the humidity in the coop is higher than outside....grr) I realize smell also indicates I need to freshen the bedding, etc. But if I walk in and don't really smell anything are we most likely good (for the current weather conditions, of course)?

Mom thinks the chickens will be too cold as we get some strong winds at least a little every day, Dad thinks the chickens will be too hot as we have a heat lamp in the coop at about 5or 6ft hight (have 2 youngin's and one mostly featherless hen due to an over zealous rooster, concerned about frostbite for her ) I think Dad is planing on installing a thermometer that will tell us the High and low in the last 24 hours (he's an elecetrition, it's his element

) So we should get the temp figured out.

 

[tdgill]

yeah, thats the thing. We're ABLE to walk in our coops and see what the conditions are while smaller coops you'd have to monitor them another way and best to err on the side of caution with plenty of ventilation as opposed to not enough?

 

[patandchickens]

The biggest two signs you need more ventilation are: #1, the coop smells ammonia-y and burns yer nose hairs (*always* means you are *severely* underventilated); and #2, you are getting condensation and/or frost forming inside the coop (although sometimes this is unavoidable in very cold climates and merely means you need to insulate better; but if it is not super cold out, then it is for sure a sign of insufficient ventilation).

It's no harder to notice ammonia smell in a small coop than in a large one IME -- you just have to pay attention when you open up the access door

Pat

 

[LynneP]

Well yes, tdgill, with the proviso that having vents you can close in the most severe weather is an asset. We get monster blizzards here so that's always on my mind...but we also have a window that opens, guarded with 1/2" guage hardware cloth, a standard door into the run, ventilation into the edge of a protected loft and a porch into the main floor of the barn that can keep a cross-breeze. I guess I'm saying it's about options, and when we build, having lots of options for weather is important.

As pat says if you can smell ammonia, you have not been getting enough air through and if you get mold it's a tragedy for you and the birds. I get a little condensation on the window (plexiglass) but the birds sit there on a min-perch, too. They even draw in the ice crystals!

 

[BradnKellie]

I installed a heater thermostat that I got at Lowe's for about $15. It controlls the power to the electrical outlet that my heat lamp is plugged into. This way, I can set the minimum temperature that I want to maintain the coop at.

 

[PandoraTaylor]

We are installing a new coop, into an insulated shed.
Since the shed is already insulated (except for the new roof)
I don't see options for ventillation; on the other hand:

1) it does have a south facing (opening) window
2)it is a large shed, and the coop will be less than 1/4 of the building
3)will have at least 3 foot to the ceiling......
4)Open hardwire front with 2x4 frame.....
5) Nesting boxes & roosts will be on inside Wall
6) cleaned Dropping Boards Daily!
7) heat Lamp for negatives in Temp
8) Electric outlets installed (fan if needed to circulate warm air)

total 37 chickens
Total Area 18'x 22'x 12'

Please remeber I am in Alaska; it is Cold here - usually stays that way for most of Dec-Feb (-35 to -65)
what is your opinion?
should I install some other ventillation?

 

[tdgill]

I like the heater thermo. cool!

wow, i never even considered mold...

cool posts as always guys. thanks

 

[hollyandty]

I have 2 coops of the same size. They have 6-inch walls, floors and ceilings and have 6 inches of insulation all around.
My one coop was finished just after the snow flew and doesn't have any windows or ventilation yet. We heat it with a small heater and keep it at 40ish on the lowest setting. The humidity is way too high and since it is warming up this week (over zero) I am going to get at least one vent put in. It is 10 x 10 and houses 34 D'Uccles.

My other coop houses about 30 Buff Orpingtons and has windows high up on the front side. I have kept one window open all winter, and so far and I am not having any problems with humidity. I heat it with the same heater as the other one but I have 2 heat lamps going as well. (I guess that is the open window factor) Since it warmed up so much my coop is at 50 degrees today so I shut off the heat lamps. I am planning to add a drop ceiling today to conserve a little more energy.

Here in North Pole it stays cold all winter so the frost on the windows/doors won’t be a problem till spring.