How is my ventilation?

[Ccort]

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.

 

[nuthatched]

I think you could use more high level vents and I'd recomend getting rid of the fan, unless you clean it regulary, it could get choked with dander and create a possible fire hazard.

 

[Justso]

Sorry, no. X2 on losing the fan, and you'll need more passive venting in the winter.
Can you vent.
Can you add vents under the overhang above the nesting boxes?

 

[Ccort]

The fan has cooled it off a few degrees and quickly. Its done. God job at circulating the air, which seems logical?

As far as adding vents on the overhang, I am not sure, honestly. I thought of cutting out a rectangle from the back wall and covering it with hc?

 

[Justso]

Nuthatchd is right, you can't believe how incredibly filthy chickens are, it's going to kill that fan. If you want to cut a hole and cover it with hc, that would provide air flow but not passive ventilation. @3KillerBs
Describes it well Post in thread 'Ventilation' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ventilation.1520483/post-25603383

 

[Ccort]

Nuthatchd is right, you can't believe how incredibly filthy chickens are, it's going to kill that fan. If you want to cut a hole and cover it with hc, that would provide air flow but not passive ventilation. @3KillerBs
Describes it well Post in thread 'Ventilation' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ventilation.1520483/post-25603383

I am really, really concerned to not have the fan when its 95 degrees and high humidity. Isn't that just going to raise the temps?

 

[gtaus]

As far as adding vents on the overhang, I am not sure, honestly. I thought of cutting out a rectangle from the back wall and covering it with hc?

Nice setup, there. Hope it works out well for you. I agree with some of the previous suggestions and will add a few thoughts of my own for your consideration.

For my 2 cents opinion, it appears to me that the fan is on the low wall of the slope and you don't have any vents for natural air flow out on the high side of the roof. Hot air rises, and it would be more natural to have vents on the highest part of your roof line.

If you bought a poultry or barn fan, then I would not be too concerned about the fan clogging up and creating a fire hazard. If you are using a regular commercial fan, not made for barns, then you will need to clean it out regularly and often. Like the others, if it's just a home fan installed in the coop, I don't think that is a long term solution. Barn fans cost more money, but they would be worth it, especially for you as it appears your main ventilation at present relies on that fan.

I'm an old guy now, and maybe I'm less trusting in things like an electrical fan out in the coop. If nothing else, I would suggest some natural cross ventilation, above the chickens roosting bar, so cooler air can flow in from the lower side wall and escape from the vents put in the higher wall of the roof. I did not see any vents on the lower wall other than the fan setup. A natural cross ventilation setup with hot air rising and escaping out the high side of the roof line might save your flock if your fan loses power and/or stops working. Certainly, any natural ventilation you can add to your coop will help cool it down, so your fan will not have to work as long/much, which will save you some money and possibly add years to the life of a good fan.

 

[Ccort]

With more venting, am I correct that you are saying to add more about the front windows and then also directly across from that? (Above roost bars?) I'm curious...how big of a vent(s) are we talking for the back wall? Also, is the recommendation to just cut a hole and cover with hc or add an actual louvered vent?

 

[nuthatched]

As far as adding vents on the overhang, I am not sure, honestly. I thought of cutting out a rectangle from the back wall and covering it with hc?

HC would be far superior to louvered vents, cut a went all the way across, as you can, 3 or so inches high.

 

[Ccort]

Should I get rid of the small vent covers?