Giant Peak Vents?

[shopchicks]

I am getting ready to build a 4x8' coop. I was planning on using a 12/12 roof pitch, so that the coop will be 2' tall on the sides, and 6' tall in the middle. I just saw these cedar peak vents on Craigslist for only $10. The only problem is that the only 12/12 one is 60" long at the bottom, making it 2.5' tall. Now that would certainly give me lots of ventiliation, and I could cover the lower half with plastic or a board in the winter. The roost would be 2' off the floor, and the bottom of the vent would be at 3.5'. Would that be OK? I am also planning on having open soffits covered with hardware cloth, and I have a casement window about 16x40" for the side opposite where the peak vent would go. Will this cross the line from ventilated to drafty?

http://boise.craigslist.org/mat/1718536367.html

 

[TurkeyMountainChickens]

Ventilation is good! However, at only 1.5 feet above the roost, you might have it blowing directly on the birds (unless they are bantams). In the summer that's OK, but in the winter you'll definitely want to cover the bottom foot or so with plywood.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It might be OK but you are taking the chance that they have to roost in a draft. It is not that you will have too much ventilation, just that the air flow may be a problem. You can block off some of the air flow in winter to maybe stop the drafts blowing directly on them, but in Idaho you will need decent ventilation in the winter. It does depend on the layout inside the coop. Why don't you go up on the height of the coop, say to 4 foot sides instead of 2 foot? To me this would solve a few potential problems. I'm assuming a walk-in coop.

With that height and slope, you are going to be banging your head when you work in there. I don't care if you are 4' 8-1/2" tall, you will still bang your head. Consider not only the slope, but the height of the litter you are walking on and the thickness of the roof framing.

You can put your nests up off the ground level (don't forget the height of the litter when determining height of nest boxes) so the nests will stay cleaner and you don't have to bend so far to gather eggs. By raising the nests enough so they can get under them, you increase the effective size ofyour coop. You will still have enough vertical room so your roosts are clearly above the nests so you have a lot less chance of them sleeping in your nests.

It will cost a bit more, but the work is about the same. You may have some limitations I am not aware of, but I think the benefits would outweigh the cost.

Good luck with it.