How many vents in a 8x8

[Chad the Chicken Man]

Hey guys I was just wondering, I have a chicken coop that is 8x8 and its 8 ft tall in the front and 6 ft tall in the back. and i have two 6x14 inch vent in the back of the coop, I was wondering if this would be enough vents on the coop. the side with the vents faces north if that matters at all. Thanks guys hope everyone has a great halloween!!!!

 

[jenjscott]

It needs a vent on the high wall to get a little "flow through" to pull the humidity out. doesn't need to be much.

 

[gsim]

I would not want vents on N side in Wisconsin. Definitely have a high vent for heat and fumes. Low vent should be on S side where you live, and then use N side in summertime. I vent more in summertime day and night. In wintertime, I vent a lot in daytime hours, but close up somewhat at nightime with less ventilation. Just reduced enough to have no drafts.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Yes, you're going to have a real problem with the vents being on the *north* side in your location. Also you will want a lot more vent area than you've got, unless you have only a couple-few chickens in there.

I would suggest if possible maybe cutting a 6-10" high slot all the way across the south side, maybe also some on the east side (esp. if you have a considerable chicken population in there). Make weatherstripped sliders or flaps to close them down however much the day's weather requires. And then you should be in a good position to accommodate the winter's changing weather without having to actually close vents down too much.

BTW it may sound logical that you need a low or opposite-side vent in order to get decent airflow, but that's not the case, and in Wisconsin you would definitely not want *either* in wintertime! Especially not a low vent. Honest, it works real well with just high vents, even if they are only open on one side of the coop. And that way you don't get drafts or excessive cooling.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Chad the Chicken Man]

Ok so close down the north side walls and put a few on the south side walls. and i have 20 birds right now but im trying to get down to 15, just dont know which ones i wanna keep