How far above the roost should vents be? Also winter vent question.

[gale65]

It'll be about 5'4" tall at that side and I want to put vents on that wall so how far above where the roosts will be should the vents be? This will be for winter so they won't be blocked.

For winter vents, do I just need to make sure vents are high up (the coop will be about 6'2 on one side and 5'4 on the other) and for summer use closeable windows down lower?

At what temperature do I stop wanting a vent at the lower level to be open?

I'd love to see pictures of your coop ventilation. I want to do this right the first time because I don't think dh will want to do any modifications once we get finished.

 

[gale65]

another question. With a tall coop do you put vents at the roof line and also windows?

This might cut down on the amount of siding we need.

 

[Renthorin]

My coop is 6 feet in the back and 7 up front. I have two windows on adjacent walls. I put my vent at the top of the shorter wall but now I wish I'd put it at the top of the taller wall. I assume the heat evacuates better from the top of the wall.

 

[gale65]

Quote:
Good point. I guess airflow would automatically go to the taller wall vent. I was thinking of putting a 6" by the length of the wall (minus 6" on each end) at the top of all of the walls. Would that be overkill? In addition to that a window on the north and south ends for airflow in the summer. Plus the door will have a window that equals at least half the length of the door (the door will be on the west side). Maybe keep upper ventilation open in the winter and all ventilation open in the summer.

 

[Renthorin]

From everything I've read on this forum, I don't think you can have TOO much ventilation, even in the winter

I plan to keep my windows open on all but the coldest of days. As their coop-to-run door will be open most of the day, I don't think having the windows open will make much of a difference.

 

[Nostalchic]

I have long ventilation gap- screened and covered with hardware cloth - at the top of both the north and south walls of my 8'x14' coop, extending the length of both walls. I can close off the north vents in the winter, but never close the ones on the south (which is the higher wall, the roof slopes down to the north, 8 feet to 6 feet). This allows for some airflow in any season, but prevents drafts in winter when the north vents are closed. We also have three big double hung windows on the south wall, and an east door that can be left open (screened) in summer. It's pretty comfortable in there in any season. You just want the vents to be well above the roosts, so there aren't drafts directly on your chickens while they're on the roosts.

 

[CarolynF]

Here's a link to some pretty good ventilation information. More is better than less as long as you can close it off when needed.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION

You might also want to think about the prevailing winds in your area. Ours come from the south most of the time, so by putting vents on opposite walls to allow flow-through we get the best air flow. Before air conditioning this was the best available solution in houses, too.

 

[gale65]

Does anyone know how far below the vents the roosts should be? I'm guessing at least 18" to keep out drafts, maybe 24 to be safe?