Help with ventilation in uk climate.

[stav1981]

I am designing my own coop having researched quite a bit on designs, I am stuck with ventilation. I want to keep 3 chickens and was planning to have a coop 4ftx2ft (ish). I am a bit concerned about having too much or too little ventilation. I live in the UK so the climate can be quite unpredictable, how can i balance ventilation with the cooler tempretures of the UK?

 

[nikki1]

I am designing my own coop having researched quite a bit on designs, I am stuck with ventilation. I want to keep 3 chickens and was planning to have a coop 4ftx2ft (ish). I am a bit concerned about having too much or too little ventilation. I live in the UK so the climate can be quite unpredictable, how can i balance ventilation with the cooler tempretures of the UK?

Hmm...what part of the UK? I live in Western Washington in the U.S., which tends to be similar to central/southern England...Cool, damp, grey. (Incidentally, I love it!) Our summer highs are low/mid 90's, and only for about a week. Winter lows rarely dip below the 20's. (Fahrenheit. Sorry, I don't have the Celsius conversion.)

I put plenty of ventilation in ABOVE roosting level, so the drafts would be above the sleeping birds. I didn't have any trouble with moisture/smell build up or frostbitten birds.

I also have winter hardy breeds, which probably helps. They're chunky and fluffy, which helps keep them warm. (I also have one with feathered legs, hoping it would be helpful. Nope. Just muddy!) I have to be mindful during our rare warm days to keep them cool, though. I make sure the shrubs where they like to lounge is kept cool and moist on those days.

Hope this helps!

--Nikki

 

[chfite]

Ventilation is important. Avoiding drafts is important. Chickens can stand cold weather quite well. After all, they all have down comforters. I have a 4 x 8 x 4 coop with 30 square feet of ventilation, but no drafts. I don't cover any of the ventilation in winter.

It never goes below 0F here. Typical cold weather days are rarely below 32F. My concern is when the high temperature is nearing 100F.

My coop is sheltered from the north wind by a larger building and shaded in summer. My chickens forage all day, but never seem to bother the avoid going out in the cold. In the heat of summer, they spend a lot of time in the readily available shade.

According to the global hardiness map, the UK is milder than the upstate of South Carolina, where I live.

Chris

 

[Alaskan]

Give us some more info on your possible problems.

Do you have high humidity all year? Lots of wind? Deep snow?