I'm pretty sure there isn't enough ventilation.

[patandchickens]

Quote:
High humidity promotes frostbite (you get frostbite at less-cold temperatures in humid air than you do in dry air). (e.t.a. - this is not theory, it is the way things actually work, in humans as well as chickens, but I am not sure of the exact mechanism)

Cut a hole in the siding and install soffit vents? they make several different sizes. 1.5", 2" diameter and larger, screen built in to stop insects. just drill with a hole saw and tap it into place. Fairly inexpensive and can be reused if you rebuild.

No no no no no. Sorry, but HOLES ARE NOT USEFUL VENTILATION. REason being, they are way WAY too tiny small.

As a reality check, the area of a 2" diameter circle is a little over 3 square inches. The area of a 4" diameter circle (the biggest hole saw bit you're likely to find) is still only about 12 square inches.

A square foot (1x1' square), which is still not enough ventilation for most coops, would be 144 square inches -- it would take 46 2" holes, or 12 4" holes, to equal that still-not-usually-anything-like-adequate amount of vent area. (Except actually it'd take even more holes than that, because airflow is less through lotsa small holes than through one big hole of the same total area)

DO NOT USE HOLE SAWS TO CREATE VENTS. (By extension, then, not soffit vents that are designed to fit *in* holesaw holes)

You want big ol' openings. REally really.

Pat​

 

[justcelia]

Michigan, snow on the ground.
Lots of ventilation (I listened to the folks here!) 3x3x4 high coop area: 12x12 pop door always open and entire upper 7 inches high open around the whole thing. I thought the girls would be cold but they are thriving and no frostbite! I had the mistaken thought that they need total wind block, but they need draft block and LOTS of ventilation. I am SO glad I found these folks! so much knowledge!

Celia
85 days till Spring!

 

[BarkerChickens]

We bought a 6"x12" vent cover from home depot (like those that are in the rooms for the a/c-heating vents). We put a couple of them below the roof line (so water won't get inside). Seems to work fine. Also, where the roof 2"x4" beams meet the top of walls we put in the 2"x4" spacers to close the wall, but each spacer has a 2" diameter hole every 6" inches or so for the entire 12' length of the wall on both sides of the coop. We covered them with 1/4" wire mesh to keep out small birds.

 

[gsim]

Quote:
Check my page for ventilation. I did 6 sq ft PERMANENT full-tijme ventilation for 24 hens. That does not count door, pop doors, and the 4 windows. My coop is always dry year round. Never sweats and never any frost inside.

 

[gsim]

Quote:
If it is a flat roof, just drill/cut holes around the perimeter. Be sure to have some at the highest place for venting the warm moist air from poop and breathing. If a peaked roof, just cut a hole at the peak and then put sheet metal bent to the same pitch, but larger than the hole, over it, but up on four 2" blocks of wood. Put a strip of hardware cloth over holes to keep weasels out.

 

[ptots]

I've built many houses for people. lot's of them had the entire ridge vented. There's different ways to do it.