Roof vents

[WendyF]

DH & I have an earnest start on our 'Happy Hen Hut' & he really doesn't like me wanting to cut in 8" vent slots backed by 1/2" hardware cloth all along the tops of each wall. I have no carpentry experience but got this idea from bycers. He wants to know why we can't use the roof vents installed on homes & garages. Can anyone help me with this? Could roof vents be adequate? Our coop has an 8'x8' footprint. The front wall is 8' & the rear wall slopes down to 6'. We hope to comfortably house 10-12 spoiled hens. It can get quite cold here. Last year we had a few 7 degree days. It is insulated & we will use the deep substrate method.~

 

[Schroeder]

How about using a couple of the roof vents, and just put in 2 of your 8 inch vent slots. One in front, and one in back for cross ventilation. Avoid creating a draft across the roosts.

 

[RonP]

I use an average of 1 square foot of ventilation per standard bird.

That might seem like a lot, but it works well.

My temps also drop to low single digits during the colder days of winter.
My coop is not insulated.

As long as there are no drafts (wind chill factor) the birds will be fine.

If roof vents will add up for you, great.

 

[WendyF]

Thank you!

 

[Grey Roo]

Roof vents alone will not come close to what you do need. Here is a great article on venting, well worth the read.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

 

[petrel]

When I first read the ventilation recommendations on this site I cringed. I knew my flock would get hot in the summer without plenty of air circulation, but I planned to button up tight in the winter. I set aside my fears and took the advice of the BYC veterans. I have both a roof peak vent and open soffits on my coop which gives me well over 1 sqft of ventilation per bird. In addition, all available area on the front and rear of the coop is shuddered widows. There is no insulation.

Last winter was one of the worst I can remember, with temps routinely reaching single digits and quite a few nights getting into the minus! I stayed the course and left the soffits and roof vents alone, only shutting the windows. I actually dreaded looking out for a head count after the first few horribly cold & windy nights, but my flock was fine! I still remember fighting my wife and children over light bulbs and heat lamps, citing what I read on this forum, as the weatherman forecast our evening's record cold. It became a big joke in the mornings when the sun came out and the chickens would sun themselves briefly, feed, then loiter in the shade!

 

[ECBW]

I prefer high wall vents over roof vents. Either way will work but why put holes on the roof and have to deal with leaks?

Since heat (with moisture) rises, strategically place the high wall vents in gables and eaves. I also installed shutters to control the amount of opening according to weather condition and wind direction.