How about this for ventilation??

[MusicMan]

What if I used something like in the picture.

A hole cut in the side covered with hardware cloth. Then a couple inches away from that, with a couple inches of excess around the edge of the whole, you have a peice of plywood. The plywood would stop drafts, rain, etc... Maybe if you needed to you could make it closeable from the inside? What do you think?

Thanks everybody,
MusicMan

 

[Ridgerunner]

I was familiar with the Murray, Kentucky area about 35 years ago. As I remember, the summers were hot and sticky (occasionally above 100 though usually in the 90's) and the winters occasionally got down to single digits, maybe rarely below zero.

You did not give rough dimensions, which would help. I think what you are doing is covering the hardware-covered opening with plywood offset some distance, leaving an opening at the bottom for air to enter.

I don't see the gain for all this work. Your effective ventilation area is the size of the opening on the bottom, not the size of the area covered with hardware cloth. I think you would be better off to put the opening horizontal, covered with hardware cloth. If you put it on the side the wind and rain normally does not come from you can just put a 2x4 above it, remembering to caulk it, and it should keep the rain out. It will let light in too, which I don't think your design would. Your would have to caulk and slope the top of your design or it would hold water, rotting out faster. If you felt more comfortable, instead of a 2x4 you could slope some plywood above the opening to keep the rain out, but I'd recommend a horizontal opening, not a vertical opening.

I'd have some concerns in putting in an area that is basically inaccessable. Spiders and other creepy crawlies will set up residence in there, birds may be encouraged to nest there, or something else you don't want around may like to hide in there.

I have roughly the same climate as you, maybe just a tad colder in the winter. I built my coop in the end of a shed so I have one totally protected side. I have hardware cloth covered openings all around the top of mine, about a foot deep, under the overhangs and well above the roosts. These stay open all the time. At ground level, inside the shed side so it is totally protected against rain and pretty much wind (the shed is not solid windproff construction) I have a 7' x 1' opening, covered with hardware cloth, that can be blocked in winter.

 

[jafo]

I used floor registers such as in a mobile home. They are inexpensive, and come in all sizes. They can also be opened as much as I want, or closed tight. they work well. Home Depot, Lowes, Builders supply.

 

[patandchickens]

What you're describing can be useful as a baffle to decrease the amount of hard cold wind blowing straight into the coop, if one is forced to have a vent open on a windy side of the coop in the winter.

Otherwise though it is probably not worthwhile. And remember, the effective area is *the smaller of* either {the size of the hole in the wall} or {the sum total of the size of the four open areas on the sides of the baffle}, so depending how it's built, sometimes it can mean a lot less ventilation than you think.

At most, you might have it as an attachment for winter months; in a majority of regions and sites it would not be of any real value even in winter if you design your ventilation openings correctly so as to never be *forced* to have upwind vents open on cold windy days.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[2txmedics]

I could be wrong, but I would think it would cut off the nice breeze coming in to circulate around...if you have a roof over head and it comes out alittle, and you have the opening with no board behind the opening is that not enough protection???

Ive done mine like this, and where you see the opening across the top of the coop, all the way across the whole front of the coop, just behind that I have my Roost for them out of natural branches...now so that they can get away from that ventilation if they feel cool or like they want more away from that front part, I have a ladder roost to the back of the coop on each side.

When it rains heavy and Im talking storms, which we had alot lately, I still find them sitting right at the ventilation area sleeping good. I guess the mist that comes in from the water, they like. I have chicken wire across the front of that opening. But you notice my roof top comes out alot.

These branches also carry all the way to the back of the coop. so they can pick where they want to be.

 

[MusicMan]

Yes, we are actually about 30 miles from murray. And yes it usually stays a little above 100 on the hot days and rarely gets below freezing.

Quote:
Thats a really cool idea. What does everybody think about this... what if I put those little vents all along the bottom and the top and then in the peak of the roof I put some sort of vent all the way down the center??



Thank already everybody!
MusicMan



P.S. Patandchickens, your "Big ol ventilation page" is awesome.

 

[patandchickens]

The thing about using heating register type things as coop vents is that, remember, they are SMALL. And especially if you have a large coop w/a whole lot of chickens in it (you were talking about, what, 100, 300, something like that?), you need LOTS AND LOTS of ventilation. You would need vast numbers of those vents.

They're fine for a 5-chicken reach-in coop or tractor, but for a regular big coop, it is far more effective and cheaper to just build something purpose-made yourself. Cut the openings; secure hardwarecloth over 'em to keep out hungry visitors; hinge on a flap or slider with some sort of arrangement for having it partially open as well as open or closed. And there ya go

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[thedeacon]

With ventelation you want the hot moist air to escape. Your plan will allow some intake but no escape. Put the opening near the top of the coop, under eaves.