How much ventilation do my 5 week olds need in coop?

[banananutmuffin]

So I sent my chickens to the coop last night for the first time.

The coop is only 3x4, about 50" tall. It has a ventilation hole in the back (covered in wire) that I can open and close. This hole is about 6" tall and 30" wide. Across from it is a small window that I can also open and close. The window is about 6" tall and 6" wide.

Around here, temps are running a low of mid 40s and a high of mid-upper 60s. Not much wind moving, but it is rainy and stormy right now.

Originally, I had both the ventilation hole and window open, since I know many people say not enough ventilation is a common problem in coops. But my dad (a dairy farmer, but not a chicken farmer) says the small window is all they need right now, and the big ventilation hole is giving them too much air.

What do you chicken experts think?

 

[Judy]

How old are they? What breed?

 

[GiddyMoon]

You are in a hot, humid climate and your summers get nasty...no? You need more air than you think. It isn't the cold you will have to worry about..it will be cooking them in the summer when the coop may turn into an oven. There is an online book called Open Air Chicken Coops. It was written about a 100 years ago. I read it in less than an hour and has some really great info.

 

[banananutmuffin]

They are 5 weeks old, mix of breeds but almost fully feathered (just coming in on their heads now).

Average high during summer here is mid 80s. Humidity can vary. Can be really humid or dry as dust, depending on the year.

If it seems to start sweltering in the coop, I may install some type of screen panel over the pop door for extra ventilation.