We live in the mild Pacific NW. This is our 1st time with chickens, pick them up on Sunday (thanks Gardener!), the hen house is 4L x 5W x 4H with a covered 5 x 10 run . Picture(s) here, <http://www.flickr.com/photos/benish/1751874637/in/set-72157602222742046/ >. Long story short we got carried away during construction and made some changes on the fly etc., and improved ourselves right out of space for the vents Now that we are stuck with this design we arent sure about vent placement. Where should we install the vents: A) on the blank wall opposite the nest boxes (this is where the roosts are going); B) in the ceiling; C) in the wall and in the ceiling? Your expert opinion is much appreciated. BTW we are planning on using floor heat registers so we can adjust the air flow as needed. Thanks.
I'm no expert, but with other cooling stuff I've dealt with this is how I'd do it. Put vents on two sides. On one side put the vents low to the floor, on the opposite side put them high up near the ceiling. With the natural movement of heat to go up, you'll create a mini-vacuum by this kind of arrangement. I'd also check to see which side gets the most wind and make sure NOT to put the vents on that side. If that's not cool enough (punny!) you could get a solar panel and a 12 volt low RPM fan and McGyver a cool air induction system.
When I saw the title of the thread, I though for a minute we were back to vent picture contests again.... then I saw it was in the Coop/run category, not the 'chickens' categories. I was thinking to myself, what's WRONG with your chick's vent placement?? LOL I've really been sitting here too long working today...
Quote:at the risk of hijacking the thread. Not if my vent was out of place! and I wouldn't "ROFLMAO" either. could not help that! Hey never pass up a chance to enjoy yourself
The most important thing to consider when placing vents, is that you do not want the air flow to be blowing over the chickens when they are roosting. Air flows in one opening and out another. You don't want your roosts to be in that path.
My current coop has two vents and they are both at the top. One on the Northeast side, one on the southwest side because of the hot summers we have here. I am in the southern states and it gets so hot and humid here. We don't have much of a winter, a couple weeks in february is about it. But do I need to cover these vents partly or something? The coop is not air tight so they would not suffocate, but I worry about how much air they need. Don't mean to hijack the thread but this info may help the poster too? marie