New coop and chickens

[ValarieF]

Welcome to BYC! Have a qestion drop us a peep! We are here to help! Have a great day or night and have fun!

 

[Quadzilla32]

Can you measure (or guesstimate with some certainty) how much open ventilation you have on a typical night? And how many birds do you have?

Ill get some measurements for certainty but the coop is 4ft wide and the middle support is in the middle making each opening 2ft wide and roughly 4 inches high and there are opening on the front and back...if that makes sense. The windows are smaller shed windows and overall measurement is 14x21 but idk the measurement for the actual screened open section, maybe 8x8inch. I leave them fully open and when it cools off at night ill leave one cracked. unfortunately the design and placement of the windows might create a cross breeze and I don't want to freeze the chickens. The roosting bars are just low enough that if the chickens hunker down the window is a couple inches above their heads so I MIGHT have just enough clearance that they are ok.

I was thinking of adding a closeable wall vent at the bottom to help move air from the ground up and out. When it gets cold I could shut the vent and open it when it is hot out.

Aart, never thought of a thermometer but that is a pretty good idea especially in the coop.

 

[3KillerBs]

From a ventilation standpoint do you guys think there is enough ventilation? I really only have the two windows which I usually keep at least one open during the day and depending on the weather outside one at night. I also have open sections in the roof that are covered with HC.

Measure the height x the width to get the square inches of your total ventilation and use the converter here to get the square footage: https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/conversions/area/square-inches-to-square-feet.php

That will give you a good estimate of how adequate your ventilation is. BUT, as @aart said, measuring the temperature and humidity of your coop is the ultimate confirmation.

Closing the windows at night is concerning, because night is when humidity and ammonia build up most as the hens breath and poop in the same space for many hours.

unfortunately the design and placement of the windows might create a cross breeze and I don't want to freeze the chickens. The roosting bars are just low enough that if the chickens hunker down the window is a couple inches above their heads so I MIGHT have just enough clearance that they are ok.

Can you flip the windows to open at the top instead of the bottom?

 

[Quadzilla32]

Measure the height x the width to get the square inches of your total ventilation and use the converter here to get the square footage: https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/conversions/area/square-inches-to-square-feet.php

That will give you a good estimate of how adequate your ventilation is. BUT, as @aart said, measuring the temperature and humidity of your coop is the ultimate confirmation.

Closing the windows at night is concerning, because night is when humidity and ammonia build up most as the hens breath and poop in the same space for many hours.



Can you flip the windows to open at the top instead of the bottom?

hmmmm I never thought of that I suppose i could and leave them open all night. That would put it well over their heads and wont have any cross breeze on them.

 

[3KillerBs]

hmmmm I never thought of that I suppose i could and leave them open all night. That would put it well over their heads and wont have any cross breeze on them.

Yes.

AirFLOW above their heads is exactly what's wanted.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

 

[aart]

Aart, never thought of a thermometer but that is a pretty good idea especially in the coop.

Humidity too.

 

[RobochickofLubbock]

Have my new coop 99% finished with a few small finishing touches. Took a lot longer than I thought and ran into a few bumps along the way but think it turned out nice for my gals.

Really nice coop- lots of effort for those gals !

 

[Quadzilla32]

Measure the height x the width to get the square inches of your total ventilation and use the converter here to get the square footage: https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/conversions/area/square-inches-to-square-feet.php

That will give you a good estimate of how adequate your ventilation is. BUT, as @aart said, measuring the temperature and humidity of your coop is the ultimate confirmation.

Closing the windows at night is concerning, because night is when humidity and ammonia build up most as the hens breath and poop in the same space for many hours.



Can you flip the windows to open at the top instead of the bottom?

Killer,

So i stopped being lazy and finally flipped one of my two windows so i can leave it open all the way and have it well above their heads. I have another window on the other side of the coop that i left normal. My thought is that when it gets hot during the summer I can leave it open and have some nice air flow when its still 80+ at night and cool the birds off. My only concern is that if i leave it cracked during the winter some cold will blow in and freeze them. I have an elevated roof that is always open along with the other window which i plan to leave open 24/7. Do you think the birds would have enough ventilation with just the roof and one window? I would like to be able to shut the one window so they don't get any cold breeze on them when its snowing.

 

[3KillerBs]

Killer,

So i stopped being lazy and finally flipped one of my two windows so i can leave it open all the way and have it well above their heads. I have another window on the other side of the coop that i left normal. My thought is that when it gets hot during the summer I can leave it open and have some nice air flow when its still 80+ at night and cool the birds off. My only concern is that if i leave it cracked during the winter some cold will blow in and freeze them. I have an elevated roof that is always open along with the other window which i plan to leave open 24/7. Do you think the birds would have enough ventilation with just the roof and one window? I would like to be able to shut the one window so they don't get any cold breeze on them when its snowing.

You can test how much of a draft there is by going into the coop on a windy day with a light ribbon or some such thing and seeing how much air is moving around in there.

Some people leave a window open, but put furnace filter material in it to keep out drafts. The fresh air filters in but the wind doesn't blow through it.