Shed coop ventilation

[Krugerrand]

As suggested above .... this is how I worked the back of my shed for more ventilation. Of course the soffit board was replaced and the whole area covered in 1/2 HC with screws and washers. Works good for me.

Inside

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Outside

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a handful of pictures and an outline of the steps and this will make a great article.

 

[3KillerBs]

Pictures would be very helpful thank you! I’ll check out aarts posts as well.

This illustration comes from an article on cow barns, but the principle holds for chickens too. One thing to consider though is that snow will block a ridge vent in the winter, so this is why we're recommending generous gable vents.

This is my Outdoor Brooder. It's a 4x8 structure with 16 square feet of permanent, draft-free ventilation (with another 10 square feet of supplemental ventilation. I raised chicks here with nights down to 45F -- well-ventilated but completely free of drafts with the supplemental ventilation closed.

Thank you! I showed my father in law this thread, & he said he can put in airflow under the roofline & more circle holes, so I should be good! Appreciate the ideas!

IMO, circle holes are a waste of time and effort. A 3-inch diameter hole saw gives you 7 square INCHES of ventilation. You need square FEET of ventilation, not square inches.

1 square foot is 1 foot wide and 1 foot tall. Or 2 feet wide and 6 inches tall. Or 4 feet wide and 3 inches tall. Or a triangle under your gable peak that is 2 feet wide at the bottom and one foot tall. To get 1 square foot a circle needs to have a diameter of 13.5 inches.

 

[Iluveggers]

So if the windows are 1.5x3, and there two, that’s 9 square feet. If we put 3 inches (.25 feet) x 12 feet on both sides of the top, that’s 3 square feet in front & another 3 in back. The circles and upper vents are just extra. As are the coop hen door, and screened human door that will go on in the summer. I would need minimum 15 sq feet which would be met by the windows and two upper vents put in, and the rest would just be extra.

 

[3KillerBs]

So if the windows are 1.5x3, and there two, that’s 9 square feet. If we put 3 inches (.25 feet) x 12 feet on both sides of the top, that’s 3 square feet in front & another 3 in back. The circles and upper vents are just extra. As are the coop hen door, and screened human door that will go on in the summer. I would need minimum 15 sq feet which would be met by the windows and two upper vents put in, and the rest would just be extra.

The square footage for the windows should only count the actual OPEN part, not the glass part.

And if you don't intend to leave them open 24/7/365 then it doesn't count toward the 15 square feet but is, instead, supplemental ventilation.

The ultimate test is this: is the temperature and humidity inside the coop the same as it is outside the coop? If it's warmer inside than out or wetter inside than out you need more ventilation.

 

[45lk9p459gm-w]

Remember .... Those figures are just a rule of thumb. The amount of ventilation you really need may be a lot more. Here in Texas it isn't uncommon for one whole wall to be left open for ventilation. We have to deal with heat and little cold. My ventilation needs are going to be much different than yours regardless of the sqft per bird figure.

You have a starting place, but you may still have to do a little adjusting to get it right.