Help needed. Possible mold from water seeping in.

[Sbenson92620]

Plenty of ventilation will be your best friend here. You'll want to aim for 1 square foot of ventilation per adult, standard-sized hen.

My test to know if I need more ventilation is to put my head and shoulders into the coop on a warm, sunny day. If it's warmer in than out I need more ventilation.

That's good to know, thank you. I'll have to test it tomorrow afternoon. The corrugated roof allows for some ventilation but obviously not enough. I appreciate the tips!

 

[3KillerBs]

That's good to know, thank you. I'll have to test it tomorrow afternoon. The corrugated roof allows for some ventilation but obviously not enough. I appreciate the tips!

Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters and knowing what conditions you are dealing with would help us make better suggestions.

 

[Sbenson92620]

Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters and knowing what conditions you are dealing with would help us make better suggestions.

I'm in Massachusetts. I bought the coop used but it sat empty for a while before I bought it. I'm assuming that the period of being uninhabited and closed up didn't help. I did notice a little bit of darker spots in two corners when I first cleaned it out but didn't think anything of it.

 

[3KillerBs]

Hopefully some northern chicken keepers will chime in, but my first thought is to suggest a louvered gable vent to let air flow without letting rain/snow in.

 

[Sbenson92620]

Hopefully some northern chicken keepers will chime in, but my first thought is to suggest a louvered gable vent to let air flow without letting rain/snow in.

I tried to find a suitable one with no luck... I ended up doing a dryer vent. There is a little cap I can put on the opening if I feel I need to close it fully or even part way. I dont so much like the look of the dryer vent but the hood will definitely prevent snow and rain from getting in, even if its blowing sideways... which it tend to do here lol. I put one on the front and one on the back. And I'm securing the opening with hardware cloth tomorrow.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Not to be the bearer of bad news but you're probably going to need more ventilation - you want at least 1 sq ft per bird open 24/7, which is often very difficult to achieve in a small unit. Have you considered opening up some/most of the wall that's facing into the run portion? How many chickens do you have?

 

[Sbenson92620]

Not to be the bearer of bad news but you're probably going to need more ventilation - you want at least 1 sq ft per bird open 24/7, which is often very difficult to achieve in a small unit. Have you considered opening up some/most of the wall that's facing into the run portion? How many chickens do you have?

I have 4 girls. Easter eggers. There is a hatch door on the back wall that I would like to be able to convert into a 'screen door' for the good weather. I was hoping to build a wood frame and attach 1/4" hardware cloth. That way it would be secure but still allow a good deal of air flow.

 

[Sbenson92620]

Not to be the bearer of bad news but you're probably going to need more ventilation - you want at least 1 sq ft per bird open 24/7, which is often very difficult to achieve in a small unit. Have you considered opening up some/most of the wall that's facing into the run portion? How many chickens do you have?

I should add that the coop is 3'x4". I've read 1sqft per every 10 sqft of coop space. I've read conflicting information though so I'm not sure what exactly the right thing to do is. I'm here to learn!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I should add that the coop is 3'x4". I've read 1sqft per every 10 sqft of coop space. I've read conflicting information though so I'm not sure what exactly the right thing to do is. I'm here to learn!

The recommendation is a minimum of 1 sq ft per bird or 10% of floor space (which is what you're referring to), whichever is greater.

 

[Sbenson92620]

The recommendation is a minimum of 1 sq ft per bird or 10% of floor space (which is what you're referring to), whichever is greater.

Ok, thank you so much! I'll see what plans I can make to add more ventilation