Opinions on ventilation for my coop

[Vada the rooster]

Hello all!
Last mid winter, I moved my ladies roosting area into another section of my barn. Mainly to give them another room to get away from one another. I currently have 34 hens that share this barn space. I live in Buffalo New York, and our winters are fairly cold and snowy. (My run was not very winterized so they did not spend much time outside. This year I have expanded my run and I am winterizing it, so they hopefully will go outside daily.)

The room where their roosting bars are located, was an old workshop, it is partially insulated and has a window. The window is located on the non-weather side of my barn, so it does not get direct wind 95% of the time. Last winter I was able to leave that open a crack without making the room too cold and/or drafty. I would like to add some more ventilation to ensure any moisture can escape and hopefully avoid needing the window open for the winter months.

At the moment, the window and a door going into the main part of my barn is the only form of ventilation for this coop. The door is not a perfect seal, so it will allow for air to move through.

My question is, do I cut and add a vent in the exterior wall of my barn and an interior wall to allow for the air to flow? Has anyone ever added an exhaust fan to help move the air out of the space?

Any suggestions are welcomed. I do have plans to make another large perch.

Link to a video of my coop.

TYA!

 

[Sally PB]

Rule of thumb: 1 square foot per bird of open 24/7/365 ventilation. "Open" mean covered with hardware cloth to keep out predators. You may want awnings to keep the winter wind from blowing directly on the birds.

Chickens can keep themselves warm in VERY cold temperatures, if they stay DRY. (They're wearing down parkas,, after all.) Add moisture to the air, and that's a recipe for frostbite.

I'm in Michigan, and our winters are cold and snowy too. I have plenty of ventilation, and during the day, the pop door and people door are also open. In late November, I put furnace filter material over the openings to cut down on direct breezes blowing through. There is still air exchange through these openings. I also lower the roosts so that any air moving through is over the chickens' heads.

Under the soffits or at the peak are great places to add ventilation, since both warm (moisture laden) air and ammonia rise.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Agree with Sally - you want LOTS more ventilation to help enusre moist, ammonia laden air is moving out - in ways that don't result in a draft on your birds.

Yes, if you have power, you can use an exhaust fan - make sure you get one suited for the environment - all that feather, dust, dander will turn a typical household fan into a fantastic fire hazard in no time flat. Passive ventilation remains the preference - so there isn't a problem when the winter storm knocks out your power for days - but if you can't do that, fans will work. With sufficient overhangs, you can have a fan blowing IN at the gable, well above their heads, and NOT drawing in dust, dander, etc.

And square FEET of ventilation, not window open a crack or door doesn't seal well. Trapped heat also equates to trapped ammonia and trapped moisture - meaning frost bite chances increase, respiratory infections increase, wounds take longer to heal, and the environment becomes increasingly toxic. Your chicken house should not require personal protective equipment to enter.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

and this may help you when someone asks "won't your chickens be cold"?

Its the book on "Woods' Coop" (the person, not the place) design, which is a partially open air coop design for the upper US, also used in Alaska and Canada. Nearly 100 years old. No heat, no fans. Just physics.

 

[Vada the rooster]

and this may help you when someone asks "won't your chickens be cold"?

Its the book on "Woods' Coop" (the person, not the place) design, which is a partially open air coop design for the upper US, also used in Alaska and Canada. Nearly 100 years old. No heat, no fans. Just physics.

Thank you! I will definitely read through this.

Rule of thumb: 1 square foot per bird of open 24/7/365 ventilation. "Open" mean covered with hardware cloth to keep out predators. You may want awnings to keep the winter wind from blowing directly on the birds.

Chickens can keep themselves warm in VERY cold temperatures, if they stay DRY. (They're wearing down parkas,, after all.) Add moisture to the air, and that's a recipe for frostbite.

I'm in Michigan, and our winters are cold and snowy too. I have plenty of ventilation, and during the day, the pop door and people door are also open. In late November, I put furnace filter material over the openings to cut down on direct breezes blowing through. There is still air exchange through these openings. I also lower the roosts so that any air moving through is over the chickens' heads.

Under the soffits or at the peak are great places to add ventilation, since both warm (moisture laden) air and ammonia rise.

Thank you! I will have to get creative as this coop is a room inside of a large barn, so no soffits or peaks. I will add ventilation on the 2 exterior and interior walls. The room is 10x12 so square feet wise I should be good.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Thank you! I will definitely read through this.

Thank you! I will have to get creative as this coop is a room inside of a large barn, so no soffits or peaks. I will add ventilation on the 2 exterior and interior walls. The room is 10x12 so square feet wise I should be good.

Is their space between the ceiling and the roof??? Possibly you can open part of the ceiling then vent that out.

 

[Vada the rooster]

Agree with Sally - you want LOTS more ventilation to help enusre moist, ammonia laden air is moving out - in ways that don't result in a draft on your birds.

Yes, if you have power, you can use an exhaust fan - make sure you get one suited for the environment - all that feather, dust, dander will turn a typical household fan into a fantastic fire hazard in no time flat. Passive ventilation remains the preference - so there isn't a problem when the winter storm knocks out your power for days - but if you can't do that, fans will work. With sufficient overhangs, you can have a fan blowing IN at the gable, well above their heads, and NOT drawing in dust, dander, etc.

And square FEET of ventilation, not window open a crack or door doesn't seal well. Trapped heat also equates to trapped ammonia and trapped moisture - meaning frost bite chances increase, respiratory infections increase, wounds take longer to heal, and the environment becomes increasingly toxic. Your chicken house should not require personal protective equipment to enter.

View attachment 3635070

Thank you! I will get quite a bit more ventilation in there for winter. I appreciate your insight on the fan as well.

Is their space between the ceiling and the roof??? Possibly you can open part of the ceiling then vent that out.

Bear with me, I did my best doodle to give you an idea of my setup. The yellow is the different sections of my coop inside the second story of my barn. These coops were preexisting from a farmer many many years ago. I’m thinking I could add vents at the top of the exterior walls, see blue doodles, to let fresh air in. Above the chicken rooms/coops is a hay loft, I could add a few vents in the ceiling too, which would allow air to escape that way.

Ignore the run we were in the process of building it and it has since gone through an expansion and completion.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Yes, that helps me understand, and no, I have no alternative ideas, Punching holes in the walls seems to be it.

 

[Vada the rooster]

Agree with Sally - you want LOTS more ventilation to help enusre moist, ammonia laden air is moving out - in ways that don't result in a draft on your birds.

Yes, if you have power, you can use an exhaust fan - make sure you get one suited for the environment - all that feather, dust, dander will turn a typical household fan into a fantastic fire hazard in no time flat. Passive ventilation remains the preference - so there isn't a problem when the winter storm knocks out your power for days - but if you can't do that, fans will work. With sufficient overhangs, you can have a fan blowing IN at the gable, well above their heads, and NOT drawing in dust, dander, etc.

And square FEET of ventilation, not window open a crack or door doesn't seal well. Trapped heat also equates to trapped ammonia and trapped moisture - meaning frost bite chances increase, respiratory infections increase, wounds take longer to heal, and the environment becomes increasingly toxic. Your chicken house should not require personal protective equipment to enter.

View attachment 3635070

Thank you! I will get quite a bit more ventilation in there for winter. I appreciate your insight on the fan as well.

Yes, that helps me understand, and no, I have no alternative ideas, Punching holes in the walls seems to be it.

thanks! Hole punching it is.