New Coop Blueprint

[aart]

My fan blows cooler air in the from east side of the coop.
No dust-fire hazard that way
The hazard is when dust gets on the motor windings, pretty hard to clean that off.

 

[3KillerBs]

We clean the fan everyday before it is turned on. In the pictures i posted i changed some things. Green is 4 inches of open ventilation at the top (all walls have this) Blue is a 20”x6” window. And the pink is the nesting boxes.

You can't clean inside the motor. That's where the fire will start.

Since this is a new build rather than a conversion, best to plan for good passive ventilation with natural airflow so that you don't need a fan.

If you know what your seasonal weather patterns are you can place vents and windows to take advantage of them. For example, in my new, open-air coop we've intentionally oriented it to take advantage of the fact that there is almost always a breeze flowing up the hill in the hot part of a summer day.

 

[CKfarm22]

My fan blows cooler air in the from east side of the coop.
No dust-fire hazard that way
The hazard is when dust gets on the motor windings, pretty hard to clean that off.

I’m new to chickens and this was our first summer with them, so i didn’t know. We built a coop not knowing anything.

 

[Alaskan]

We clean the fan everyday before it is turned on. In the pictures i posted i changed some things. Green is 4 inches of open ventilation at the top (all walls have this) Blue is a 20”x6” window. And the pink is the nesting boxes.

Not sure from that picture.... but I would have windows on either side of the perch, that can be opened in the summer so air blows in ON the chickens in summer. So probably bigger than in the photo.

And then, different ventilation that can be open year around higher up, above chicken heads.... if a window then made with an awning to keep out all snow and wind.

 

[CKfarm22]

Not sure from that picture.... but I would have windows on either side of the perch, that can be opened in the summer so air blows in ON the chickens in summer. So probably bigger than in the photo.

And then, different ventilation that can be open year around higher up, above chicken heads.... if a window then made with an awning to keep out all snow and wind.

Pink is the perches. Blue is the windows. So in the blueprint i do have windows that are over the perches. The little rectangle on top is ventilation that will be open year around.

 

[4timandlisa]

I think when Alaskan referred to “eves”, they meant “eaves”. Eaves are the part of the roof that extends out past the building. There is usually a gap between the exterior wall and the roof made by the joists/rafters of a roof and these gaps can make for great ventilation in a coop, as long as they are covered by hardware cloth so predators can’t access the inside of the coop. I’m including a picture. The gaps at the eaves are covered with boards that have the round holes drilled in them. Hope this helps!

 

[3KillerBs]

The little rectangle on top is ventilation that will be open year around.

This needs to be MUCH larger.

One square foot of 24/7/365 upper-level ventilation per adult, standard-sized hen is the suggested minimum -- this is in addition to the windows that will open and close according to the seasons and the weather.

Have you considered a Monitor roof? Or one or more functional Cupolas? These are traditional solutions for the natural venting of livestock housing to provide abundant fresh air with no danger of drafts.

What does your roofline look like?

 

[CKfarm22]

I think when Alaskan referred to “eves”, they meant “eaves”. Eaves are the part of the roof that extends out past the building. There is usually a gap between the exterior wall and the roof made by the joists/rafters of a roof and these gaps can make for great ventilation in a coop, as long as they are covered by hardware cloth so predators can’t access the inside of the coop. I’m including a picture. The gaps at the eaves are covered with boards that have the round holes drilled in them. Hope this helps!

Okay thus makes a lot more sense because in my mind i was like how in the h-e-double hockey stick am i supposed to do this

 

[CKfarm22]

This needs to be MUCH larger.

One square foot of 24/7/365 upper-level ventilation per adult, standard-sized hen is the suggested minimum -- this is in addition to the windows that will open and close according to the seasons and the weather.

Have you considered a Monitor roof? Or one or more functional Cupolas? These are traditional solutions for the natural venting of livestock housing to provide abundant fresh air with no danger of drafts.

What does your roofline look like?

All of the sides of the coop are going to have this type of ventilation. Two sides are going to have a 6’x4” ventilation and the two other sides are 5’x4” ventilation.

 

[3KillerBs]

All of the sides of the coop are going to have this type of ventilation. Two sides are going to have a 6’x4” ventilation and the two other sides are 5’x4” ventilation.

What is the total square footage and the total number of chickens?

Here's a square inch to square foot converter that I've found handy.

https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/conversions/area/square-inches-to-square-feet.php