Small coop ventilation

[ginger girl]

I have a small coop 4x4 for 6 hens. Slanted roof vented above their roose (close to their heads) and on the opposite wall. It's driving me crazy making sure they will be ok, we live in Nova Scotia and it can get quite cold here, lots of windchill factors. the coop is insulated but no electricity. Golden coments, I clean their poop everymorning, the coop is dry inside, just worried when it gets really cold. I'm having a hard time keeping draft out and making sure they are ventilated? Anyone else with this dilema? I will try to get some pictures on here to show.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

I'll be waiting for what people say. I also have a small 4 x 4 coop that sounds a lot like yours. I'm planning on putting my 6 bantams in there. I was thinking of putting baffles on mind just under the eaves to help direct the wind. When it's storming from the west I'll close that side and open the front and vice versa. It's the only solution I can think of.

 

[ginger girl]

I keep doing things to it, covered back vent from outside, left the bottom opened to get some air flow and built a, hmmm triangle on the high side with a vent on the bottom. This morning it was quite warm in there, they do generate a lot of heat!

 

[Rizzo]

Hey Ginger Girl... Look into the "Deep Bedding Method" for the hens.... I use it here and only have to clean the coop about 3 or 4 times a year... the deep straw also adds insulation for them and other than throwing in more straw every couple of weeks, I never have to do anything to it!

 

[teach1rusl]

Consider tacking some kind of loose weave fabric over the ventilation closest to their roost...still allows warm, moist air to escape, but buffers icy winds that might affect them on the roost...maybe burlap or something similar??? Daily removal of wastes is good too

 

[ginger girl]

I have lots of straw in there, I usually add a little each evening as they tend to have "dances" and kick a lot of it out. I narrowed their outside door and is keeping most of it in. I also put a "poop" board under the roost every night, and clean it off every morning so their coop is very clean. Just the breathing I worry about. I think the burlap is a great idea...going to try that, thanks!

 

[Fred's Hens]

Remember too that a "vent" is a chimney, or "release" of moist, warm air and those should be through the roof, roof vent, ridge vent, etc. Just look up at the top of our houses. We have an escape vent or vents for the escaping air. Windows and such, on the sides normally provide an intake or incoming air, even a draft, but don't provide a roof vent. Pix would help a lot.