Evaluating ventilation?

[lazy gardener]

FOFU??? It is a good idea to have a hygrometer/thermometer in the coop so you can monitor and make adjustments. Love that rain guard awning!

 

[junebuggena]

Ventilation is most important at night, when the birds are closed up in that coop for 10 to 16 hours at a time, depending on the time of year. That is an awful long to time to be closed up in a tiny room with a bunch of others (all pooping all night long) and no fresh air. Louvered vent covers, available in a range of shapes and sizes at most hardware stores, can be installed to improve airflow while keeping the elements out.

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

FOFU??? It is a good idea to have a hygrometer/thermometer in the coop so you can monitor and make adjustments. Love that rain guard awning!

I do have a wireless hygrometer/thermometer in the coop and the base sits on my kitchen counter so I can monitor the sensor in the coop.
All seems fine, so far. But we have a long winter to go!

Oh..."Fear Of Fouling Up." Something I have suffered from since the moment I got my chicks, lol.

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

Holy crap....50mph winds tonight.
Closed up the coop.
I shall let you know how that went in the morning.
DH is already working out plans for more ventilation. He will be headed towards the coop with a Sawzall as soon as weather permits.

 

[aart]

FOFU

That's a new one to me, had to look it up!

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

The girls were fine this morning. Coop was 33 degrees, humidity was 60%, no moisture on the windows, no detectable poop fumes. The winds are whipping.
I opened everything up for now.

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

@aart ---what do you think of adding something like this in the bottom panel of the coop's people door? The door is sheltered from prevailing winds (the pop door side and the windows side gets hit by winds). The birds will be up and back from the door and I don't think drafts will be an issue. The vent is 15" x 15."
Looking for good air exchange and there simply isn't much room above their heads to provide that.
Agonizing, as usual.
TIA for your advice!

 

[Kusanar]

Reading this, I wonder if a device I have seen on green houses could be made to work in reverse for a chicken coup. Basically, on the green house, it is a window with metal shutters across it (many small ones, think window blinds) that stay shut, but when the GH gets too hot, the fan just inside the window starts blowing OUT and opens up the "blinds" to let the air out.

One could rig something with blinds that are on a slight angle downwards and put springs on them that are just strong enough to keep the blinds up, then a breeze could blow through the mostly open window but if a big gust of wind hit them, the pressure on the downward sloping metal (or wood) would slam it shut (could line with felt to minimize noise) and keep the big gusts out while allowing the breezes to flow through.

 

[lazy gardener]

I do have a wireless hygrometer/thermometer in the coop and the base sits on my kitchen counter so I can monitor the sensor in the coop.
All seems fine, so far. But we have a long winter to go!

Oh..."Fear Of Fouling Up." Something I have suffered from since the moment I got my chicks, lol.

@aart ---what do you think of adding something like this in the bottom panel of the coop's people door? The door is sheltered from prevailing winds (the pop door side and the windows side gets hit by winds). The birds will be up and back from the door and I don't think drafts will be an issue. The vent is 15" x 15."
Looking for good air exchange and there simply isn't much room above their heads to provide that.
Agonizing, as usual.
TIA for your advice!

View attachment 1183316

I'm not Aart, but I have a vent almost identical. I mounted it at floor level on south side of my coop. I do block it off during the winter, but, it really could be left open, and in your situation, that would be a good idea. I picked it up for $4 @ Habitat for Humanity Restore. Any one doing a coop build needs to check out these places if you have one near you. I have bought some incredible materials there: hinges and other hardware, windows... Sometimes I go in there, and come away almost in tears b/c I found a super bargain, but don't have a project to justify bringing it home!

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

I'm not Aart, but I have a vent almost identical. I mounted it at floor level on south side of my coop. I do block it off during the winter, but, it really could be left open, and in your situation, that would be a good idea. I picked it up for $4 @ Habitat for Humanity Restore. Any one doing a coop build needs to check out these places if you have one near you. I have bought some incredible materials there: hinges and other hardware, windows... Sometimes I go in there, and come away almost in tears b/c I found a super bargain, but don't have a project to justify bringing it home!

@lazy gardener ---I checked and found one that is not quite near me but worth stopping at when I am up that way. I have some stuff that I could donate, too. Most notably three brand new toilet seats that came with our house but which we changed out for the soft-closing type. Also have some builder-type light fixtures that also were brand new and changed out. I have to look in the basement in our leftover building stuff to see if we have anything else.
Thanks for your input!