Question for Pat RE: ventilation

[Rocky Top Chick]

Hi Pat.

Since you are the ventilation expert I wanted to know how will I know if I do not have enough ventilation in the Winter. We did great this Summer, with three windows open, people door open, with screen door inside coop. We also have a foundation vent up high on one wall. What I have done since it became slight cooler at night is reversed the storm windows we have so that I open them from the top so that the birds will not be in direct airflow. This way the air circulates above them on the coop. I guess this winter the windows will fog up if there is too much moisture inside? BTW 17 chickens in a coop that is 6 X 8 and 6 X 4 (L shape)

Thanks,

 

[patandchickens]

First, where are you (grasping at straws I will say maybe the Southeast?). What arrangements you need depend on your lcimate.

If your windows run fairly close to the tops of the walls, and you can open them from the tops, that is a very useful configuration for wintertime, no matter where you live. The foundation vent won't hurt either though one foundation vent is not really going to make that much difference in that size coop.

I would suspect that you are probably somewhere between "ok" and "not too awful far from ok", depending on climate and window size/location and so forth. If you *wanted* to put in some more vents high on the downwind walls it would not hurt but you certainly might find that you can get by ok without them, so as long as you don't mind going out and doing it later you *could* just wait and see.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Rocky Top Chick]

Pat, I am in the foothills of NC. The Winter isn't to terrible as far as temperatures so I think I am safe for the time. This ventilation thing is confusing to me. I just keep trying to remind myself that my grandparents had chickens roaming around all the time and they did just fine. That's what happens when you put a city girl in the country, I worry too much.

 

[patandchickens]

Ok, I lived in Durham NC for six years and did some fieldwork in the mts, so I can sort of relate

I think that with your windows opening from the top, you are probably in good shape for the winter

Good luck, have fun,

Pat