Plastic Roof Vents

[Chick_a_dee]

I was in Lowes the other day looking at bathroom stuff and a really awesome Electrolux lockable fridge when I saw a roof vent like this one

http://anythingwild.ca/images/photosII/screened-roof-vent.jpg

That was CLEAR to let in the light. How cool is that? How well would one of these guys work on a chicken coop (with no attic) in Southern Ontarios climate (snow snow snow)?

Anyone used one of these on their coop?

 

[patandchickens]

Enh. Some BYCers have used them. I suppose it is harmless. It is not however going to do you *much* good, neither in the light department nor in the ventilation department (remember, the actual ventilation it gives you is only the circumference of the hole times the height of the gap between it and the cap -- typically in these sorts of vents that is on the order of 0.25-0.4 sq ft, i.e the equivalent of a hole 3x12" to 5x12", which is not very much at *all*.

And a little bit of snow will sift in, although in most cases it won't be an important amount.

Truly I would not bother, install normal vents protected by the eaves and gable ends, you will get MUCH more "bang for your buck". And if you want more light, screw in a plexiglass or corrugated plastic panel

JMHO, good lcuk, have fun,

Pat

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Thanks Pat, also how do you feel about Whirlygigs? I have one sitting on an old outbuilding that is being torn down lol.

The problem with our new chicken palace is that it is going to be a chalet style, mostly a-frame with a 2ft-ish high knee wall to give the chickens a bit more living space which a typical a-frame does not.

 

[patandchickens]

Well, you can still have large (like, LARGE LARGE) vent areas at the tops of the 2 gable ends (1 of which will presumably also be the door, but no reason not to have vent in door). As well as eaves vents for summertime.

The turbine things do have their uses, mainly when you HAVE to vent thru the top of a roof of a rather large building with few or no side openings and want to eke out as much as you possibly can... but they are rather unstable and prone to loss, and really they do the most good when you need them the least (they are most useful on windy days, when passive ventilation was going to be quite adequate for a small coop ANYhow).

For a small coop, given a choice between a few of those attic vents and a whirligig honestly I'd choose the attic vents b/c they are somewhat less apt to let in snow IME and mostly because they are WAY WAY easier to attach *securely* and keep staying put during high winds... HOWEVER I would not personally bother with either in most cases because you should be able to do just fine with eave and gable-end ventilation.

If you *do* use a through-the-roof vent, make sure it is pretty far from the roost, as cold air will sink thru it at night and form a bit of a draft.

JME, good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Thanks Pat. I'll try to fit a vent above my door, but I'm trying to plan for a off-the-rack steel entry door with a big window in it (to match our house).