How is my ventilation?

[abenardini]

Ok, this is for the folks with fans...
This is what I have. The description says nothing about coops but says it can be used in barns and "farm buildings." So I assume that covers coops? View attachment 3142185View attachment 3142186

Very similar to the new one (if not the exact same one) I bought. I've used these for years and never had a problem. It's not to say there couldn't be an issue - you run that risk with anything electrical. But let's be honest....we have a ton of folks that advocate for red heat lamps and those can explode. I think a fan is lesser of these two evils. Just saying

 

[Ccort]

Thanks again everyone.

Any more tips on fighting the heat? I now see its going to be 99 degrees next week. The expected temps keep rising.

 

[3KillerBs]

I make a point of not disturbing my chickens during the hottest part of the day.

They settle into the holes they've dug down into the cool layers of the ground or perch somewhere they've got a bit of a breeze and I avoid causing them to get excited and possibly heated up.

 

[Shezadandy]

Ok, this is for the folks with fans...
This is what I have. The description says nothing about coops but says it can be used in barns and "farm buildings." So I assume that covers coops? View attachment 3142185View attachment 3142186

Yes, the key there is that it is for barns and it has a sealed motor!

As far as ways to keep the birds cool - in the run I always have a nice big wet area in a shady spot where they can dig in and be as cool as they can. I give them watermelon (the whole thing cut into chunks) at the hottest point in the day (but a couple hours before they head inside because ... well ... watermelon comes out as ...) - some folks do ice cubes in the waterers -depends on your waterers and your freezer capacity how creative you can get with that.

When they start laying, having air movement in the nest box is very important. They will go where they always go to lay eggs, regardless of heat, and kind of like being in a hot car, nest boxes can become little ovens, and just laying an egg is physical exertion.

Along with the exhaust fan running, at night have a fan blowing on them from the ground, so the air hits them under their wings. This will help them stay cool.

As for the coop over all - Even if you just find a way to put a TARP over the top of your coop - so it hangs about 12-18" above - the point is you want the sun to hit the tarp, and you want the shade from the tarp to cool the roof, and air moving between the tarp and the roof. (otherwise it won't do much)

If you can get a tarp big enough that it overlaps your building's footprint, that will help shade the walls too and therefore- your vents!

This can be extra ugly - but as simple as 8ft t-posts at each corner of the building- with the tarp strung in between. (making sure the tarp is sloped and there's a dip down the center so any rain just runs off it) It won't need to be up all year - once the temperatures come down, leave the posts in place and bring the tarp inside.

 

[Shezadandy]

Make sure any thermostat you get has an easy way to clean it out. I know my house thermostats can get clogged up with house dust and malfunction. All the more I would be concerned about using any thermostat with chicken dander in the air.



The older I get, the more I try to make things more simple. When I built my coop, I joined BYC forums and read, and read, and asked questions for almost a year before I built my coop. I learned a lot from the community and there is very little I would change in my build if I rebuilt it today. So that was a success, But I live in the great north where our temps get to -45F in mid-winter. My concerns were always on how cold the coop would get, never on how hot it might get like this thread's concern. Anyway, the only electrical use I need in my coop is the water heater to prevent the water from freezing in the winter. Other than that, I don't have anything relying on electricity.

I would suggest that if anyone is depending on a thermostat to turn on/off a fan based on a setting, that they also invest in a separate alarm system for overheat situations. Nobody wants to hear that you lost all your chickens because the fan failed to turn on and the birds got cooked in the coop. That would be too much heartbreak for me. But I always design my systems to have a backup in case of primary system failure. If the fan fails to cool down the coop and the alarm sounds, then I would be the person going out late at night to open up all the doors and windows trying to save the birds.

Yeah ... I decided to leave my setup alone without the thermostat.

If in doubt - turn on the exhaust fan and leave it on. It's a passive airflow - as opposed to say the high-volume fans I point at the chickens on hot nights. If I left those 5000cfm fans blowing on them in much cooler temps, that would be uncomfortable, but the exhaust fan is just keeping the fresh air blowing through.

I gave up sleeping in the hot weather at night - though doing the A/C (with the unit clad in air filters that get changed every day) helped so much last year. Before that I would grab the ones that have the hardest time and they'd get a night in the crate motel, but my knees and back have veto'd that as a long term plan ... what comes in must then go out the next day. Having the A/C made it so everyone was able to stay in comfort. I'd love to not have to use it at all this year! It would be one thing if I lived somewhere "hot"- but our warmest month is supposed to be August with an average temperature of 83, cooling to 57. I would have chosen a completely different set of breeds if years like last year were the norm. As it is as I add pullets I'm sticking to lighter more heat tolerant breeds, but I still have my big heavily feathered ladies to think about. Alas.

 

[linguini]

Thanks again everyone.

Any more tips on fighting the heat? I now see its going to be 99 degrees next week. The expected temps keep rising.

Last summer, I filled lots of empty bottles with water and froze them (e.g. the empty mixed nuts bottles from Costco) and left them in the coop overnight. These containers with cap can stack up nicely and made a cool "ice wall" for the chickens.

I also left some in the run under the coop where they like to hide in extreme heat (coolest spot) with fan blowing during the day.

 

[3KillerBs]

A note:

While ice and other such measures may be necessary in extreme climates in order to keep chickens at all,

And while such measures may be necessary during unusual heat spikes, especially those that come on rapidly without time for birds to acclimate,

And while such measures may be necessary for a person keeping birds bred for tolerance of extreme cold in an areas that get extreme heat,

It's not actually required if birds are given deep shade, generous ventilation, abundant fresh water, and access to the ground where they can "dig in" to cooler layers beneath the surface and breeds are chosen for their suitability to the climate they're living in. People who are unwilling to devote 1/4 of their food storage area to ice blocks for the chickens needn't feel guilty about it.

My normal summer temperatures from June through August (and sometimes into September), are in the mid-90's Fahrenheit and are frequently accompanied by 90+% humdity. But I have never made ice blocks for my flock, on this property or in town, and will probably never do so unless we get an unusual, triple-digit heat spike over a period of several days.

Now and then I wet a portion of the run on a particularly hot afternoon.

Remember, chickens are livestock -- bred over millennia to be tough and adaptable.

 

[gtaus]

Instead of a thermostat, how about plugging the fan into a timer?

Nothing wrong with a timer, but whoever posted the idea of a thermostat wanted more temp control.

I agree with timer over temp. The nights can get very stagnant while temps may be "fine".

OK. I live in northern Minnesota, so heat issues are not my main concern. Our nights tend to cool down even from the hottest days and my coop has adequate natural ventilation and air flow.

Now you all have me terrified that the fan will cause a fire. :,(

I read somewhere that household fans used in chicken coops are perhaps the number cause of coop fires. All that chicken dander will clog up normal household fans over time, seize the motor, and can cause it to overheat and catch fire. I don't know if a person should be terrified of using a fan, but I sure suggest buying a barn fan if you are going to use it in a chicken coop.

I couldn't agree more! This is why I also have a wireless outdoor thermostat that sends alerts to my phone when the temps and humidity get above my settings.

My weather system is a bit older, but I can still set high/low limits for the remotes and the house base unit will alarm if temps get out of line.

If it's a sealed motor, it's a lot safer. I've used sealed motor fans rated for out buildings for years and never had any issues.

Exactly. You pay more up front for a good barn fan, but it will last many more years and not be a fire hazard while in use.

Yes, the key there is that it is for barns and it has a sealed motor!

Yep, the sealed motor should keep out the chicken dander.

Yeah ... I decided to leave my setup alone without the thermostat.

Again, I don't have to deal with high temps where I live. However, I do have a metal base heater for my water fount. It automatically turns on at 35F. So far, it has really worked good for me for 3 winters. I like the fact that it does not turn on all the time, when the water is not freezing cold, so I just keep it plugged in from late fall until early spring. I think I save some money by having the auto temp feature on my base heater.

I imagine it would be the same for a fan, turning it on only when above a certain temp. But having a backyard flock to save money is really not a great plan to start with. Where I live, you can buy a dozen large eggs for $1.00 at the big box stores. Well, maybe a little more since COVID, but it's still a loss leader for the stores to get you in the door. It costs me more than $1.00 per dozen for eggs on feed alone, not to mention all the equipment and labor costs that don't get figured into my backyard flock budget.

In general, I try to keep my setup as simple as possible and I have very little need for electricity in my coop setup for most of the year. But, we all have different coop setups and live in different areas of the country, so if someone needs a thermostat, or fan, for their flock, then it does not bother me.

I'm glad OP bought a barn fan from the start. Should provide them with years of service. Somebody must have known what they needed. Good for them.

 

[gtaus]

This is what I have. The description says nothing about coops but says it can be used in barns and "farm buildings." So I assume that covers coops?

It has a sealed motor. For me, that is the key. I think you will be fine.

Any more tips on fighting the heat? I now see its going to be 99 degrees next week. The expected temps keep rising

I have part of my chicken run set aside to grow some scrub trees. Just some kind of wild fast growing trees that pop up around my area. But, they are providing nice shade during the day and my chickens will hang out there when the sun gets too hot for them. My chicken run fence is 6 feet tall, with bird netting on top, so I will have to trim these weed trees at that point. Right now, they are only about 3-4 feet tall but still have enough leaves to provide shade.

I built a pallet compost bin inside my chicken run. Just the normal three sided bin, but the front is only half height, and the other half is used as the top of the bin. That gives my chickens a place to sit on top during the day or hide underneath in the shade if too hot. My original idea was to use the pallet compost bin inside the chicken run to make compost, but instead I just turned all my chicken run into a composting system. I left the pallet compost bin in there just the same because the chickens love to sit on top or duck underneath it for shade. Gives them more options and provides them some distractions.

 

[Smalls Chicks]

Literal blood, sweat, and tears have gone into the coop and run. So please be nice. Honest, but nice.

Do I need more ventilation? Is there anything else I should add here, in general? The fan is an exhaust fan that can be set to a certain temp and then turn on automatically but I am thinking at turning the fan on to 74 degrees around 9pm each night, when they enter the coop. Thoughts on this are welcome too.

As I mentioned in another post, I am leaving town for a couple of weeks and want to make nay necessary changes NOW to ensure their health and safety.

Lastly, the windows, small vents and hole where the cord goes through are covered with hardware cloth. The large vent above the chicken door is metal and screwed in so did not put hc over it.

The fan is on the back wall. I could NOT put it above the chicken door because I have a large ramp covered with hc just outside of that chicken door. View attachment 3140410View attachment 3140411View attachment 3140413View attachment 3140415View attachment 3140417

Along the top edge of roof line, the roof material and sheathing could be cut away by 4-6 inches a the way across. Then place ridge venting in that whole area. Would provide very good vertical circulation allowing heat to escape. Will provide upward circulation, assisting with cooling process. Easy to do. Not very expensive. Very nice looking coop.