Exterior wall vent - do I need 2?

[SparksNV]

I found new, in the box, exterior wall vents (24"x30") for $5 at Habitat for Humanity. Bought one - should I buy another one? These are made from molded resin - has slats on both sides with screen inside - doesn't look like much light, snow or rain will get in but will vent the coop. I hope to build a coop big enough for 5 chickens - plus a run.

 

[calista]

Yes! You need cross-ventilation. If it were me, I'd buy FOUR and put one in every wall.

Ammonia build-up in a coop will be one of your biggest problems if you don't have sufficient air exchange to get rid of it.

 

[briteday]

I like to use floor register vents. The slats can be closed when the weather is inclement. If the OP is from Sparks, NV...the weather is generally so dry that our area doesn't have much trouble with ammonia, at least during the summer. I live n the same general vicinity and only in the Spring, if it is wet, do I smell ammonia ever. We only get about 6-7" of rain in an entire year.

 

[tammyd57]

Doesn't it get pretty hot there too? If so, you want as much ventilation as you can get.

 

[SparksNV]

Yes, I'm in Sparks - I did pick up 2 floor vents at H for H also. They had about 4 more - should I get those too AND another attic vent or would that make it too cold?

Thanks again!

 

[patandchickens]

That is unlikely to be very predatorproof -- raccoons can rip that kind of thing apart. Personally I wouldn't do it.

As for whether you need more ventilation, the answer is almost certainly "yes" (quite likely "whoa yes a lot more", unless it is quite a small coop) but it depends on your coop size and chicken population.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[briteday]

I'm all for more ventilation. I use the floor vents and cover them with hardware cloth so that predators cannot enter. I like the roof ventilation as well since our problem is more about heat than it is about cold. And my shed is under a deciduous tree so that the roof is shaded in the summer but gets sunlight to warm it in the winter. I also have a very large window that has hardware cloth and is open all summer long. Also, in our climate, chickens can spend most of their time outdoors. And I take the loss to hawks as part of the deal since my chickens free range. Teh roostere keeps them a bit protected and the native sagebrush gives them a place to hide. We have two red tail hawks that nest a few doors down from us in the dead cottonwood trees. Yet, we haven't lost a single chicken ever to any kind of predator.

A small coop (something like a large doghouse attached to a run) would probably do fine with a few vents.

 

[CityChook]

It's never a bad plan to have the inside of the vent lined with hardware wire just in case. Regardless of the material you choose to use for your actual vent. Mine are metal -- they are simple air intake vents from Home Depot - and they're wired on the inside. I haven't had any critters mess with them, but I'm sure if they wanted to, a raccoon could bend the slat without too much trouble.

BTW, my problem IS cold (not so much hot) and I'm a firm believer in ventilation=more=better. You can always close it up when temperatures get too cold. I leave all vents open until it goes below 0F. Keep your vents high above the chickens heads at the top of your coop so that warm/moist air that rises has a way to escape.