Ventilated but Free of Drafts

[MolliesDollies]

I just wanted to say thank you for all the advice on this site about coop styles! Two years ago I housed my chickens in a modified shed style coop. Most of my chickens and my rooster lost some of their comb to frostbite during our long cold winter. I had believed I should keep them snug and air tight
When I moved this fall, our new house had a small barn. My husband and I built an enclosure in one corner of it. I left the two interior walls open from the waist up (with hardware cloth of course). No frostbite thanks to all of this ventilation!
Thanks for the great info!

 

[tlatham72]

Great discussion of ventilation! I am still trying to wrap my mind around that as I'm designing my first coop. If you live in SC where summers can be VERY hot...high 90s in August...do I need more ventilation down low that can be open in the summer but closed up in the winter? Then rely on the upper ventilation only in the winter? My coop starting point is a 6x8 playhouse/shed, about 7 feet tall walls, with taller open rafters exposed under the gable roof. I plan to have about 4 hens. I've got to add ventilation as there isn't any currently except a window on each side of the shed that can be opened. I see lots of articles and discussion about cold weather, but I haven't stumbled across much about whether or not chickens can get too hot. I had been wondering if I needed a fan inside the coop but now I'm thinking that would classify as a draft/breeze and would be a no no. Opinions?

 

[aart]

I haven't stumbled across much about whether or not chickens can get too hot.

They most certainly can, I think they have more trouble with heat than cold.
Will post some links to other threads below.
I've found huge all-day ice chunks and an occasional dose of Sav-A-Chick electrolytes/vitamins really help my birds to deal with the heat waves here (which are not like SC but still cause suffering).
Have seen some hot climate coops that have mostly mesh walls in summer,
with panels or wind blocks added in winter.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/search/60628635/?q=hot+weather&t=post&o=date&c[title_only]=1

https://www.backyardchickens.com/search/60628756/?q=hot+weather+coops&t=post&o=date&c[title_only]=1

 

[tlatham72]

They most certainly can, I think they have more trouble with heat than cold.
Will post some links to other threads below.
I've found huge all-day ice chunks and an occasional dose of Sav-A-Chick electrolytes/vitamins really help my birds to deal with the heat waves here (which are not like SC but still cause suffering).
Have seen some hot climate coops that have mostly mesh walls in summer,
with panels or wind blocks added in winter.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/search/60628635/?q=hot+weather&t=post&o=date&c[title_only]=1

https://www.backyardchickens.com/search/60628756/?q=hot+weather+coops&t=post&o=date&c[title_only]=1

Thank you! I guess my intuition was sort of telling me that the heat could be an issue. So I will definitely do some exhaustive research to track down how to add the features needed to keep them cool in summer. I'm starting with a small shed and re-purposing. So it already has full walls, but I'll brainstorm with my husband on this. Thanks!

 

[bookdad]

Hello Everyone,

I don't want to use the lamp this year. I want to seal up that hole since it is adjacent to the roost. There is a large one inch gap about 6 inches long on either side of the floor by the little door. If i seal all this up than how to I ventilate?? Thanks !!
Bubsiesmom

What we have to remember is that heat lamps are not needed for full grown chickens. all they need is a little longer light day to keep laying. set a brooder read light not a heat lamp on a timer that senses sun down. about 2 to 4 hours in winter is all they need. As far as ventilation my coop floor is hardware cloth. there are 2 vents at the top corners of the roof line. has worked fine for years.

 

[Member 482121]

Here in southeast Alabama, subtropical area, I worry more about overheating than freezing. In my chicken houses I have heat lamps that I turn on only on the coldest nights (what? seven or eight nights a year? I have devised a chicken house that provides greta ventilation in the summer, and at the same time keeps the rain out, even when it's wind-driven. My factotum has built the last one according to my plan. The others rely on plenty of space between the roof and the walls to let heat escape. The last one is just about perfect. It's built of overlapping cypress boards. There is an air space between each horizontal board and the one above and that below, but since the rain can come down or at the most horizontally, it certainly cannot go upward and penetrate between the boards. Air, though, flows very well, also helped by a small window toward the west, where the breeze usually comes from. The window has a flap that opens outward, and when it's open it's slanted enough to keep the rain out. On the south side of the house there are huge oak trees that provide shade, and on the east side of it there is a large shed where we keep the hay for the horse, and this keeps the sun off the house until about noon. Opposite the window, on the east side, I mounted a bathroom ceiling fan, and this keeps a steady air flow coming from the window on the west side. In the winter I turn off the fan, and if the forecast is for a freeze I turn two heat lamps on, placed at the south end of the house. The house is big enough for the chickens to move toward the lamps if they are cold, or away from them if they get hot.

 

[jthornton]

If you live in SC where summers can be VERY hot...high 90s in August...do I need more ventilation down low that can be open in the summer but closed up in the winter? Then rely on the upper ventilation only in the winter? My coop starting point is a 6x8 playhouse/shed, about 7 feet tall walls, with taller open rafters exposed under the gable roof. I plan to have about 4 hens. I've got to add ventilation as there isn't any currently except a window on each side of the shed that can be opened. I see lots of articles and discussion about cold weather, but I haven't stumbled across much about whether or not chickens can get too hot. I had been wondering if I needed a fan inside the coop but now I'm thinking that would classify as a draft/breeze and would be a no no. Opinions?

I'm reworking a shed to be a coop, it's always a bit warmer in there than the current coop which is shaded by the house. I installed a couple of cheap box fans to draw air from the outside and blow it in. These fans won't run in the winter just in the hot summer months. In the winter I have two gable vents to allow the moisture from breathing and pooping to escape. In this photo I have not enclosed the fans yet to force them to draw air from the outside through the gable vent.


JT

 

[HennyPenny2019]

I'm reworking a shed to be a coop, it's always a bit warmer in there than the current coop which is shaded by the house. I installed a couple of cheap box fans to draw air from the outside and blow it in. These fans won't run in the winter just in the hot summer months. In the winter I have two gable vents to allow the moisture from breathing and pooping to escape. In this photo I have not enclosed the fans yet to force them to draw air from the outside through the gable vent.
View attachment 1841781

JT

 

[HennyPenny2019]

We share the same last name .. sorry, off topic, just don’t see it too often here.

 

[brooklynzoo]

Think of being in a car with a bunch of people in cold weather without the heat on. Almost immediately the moisuture begins to build up on the windows. This warm air condenses because it is in contact with the cooler window or wall inside a coop. That is damp, and that is what happens in a too small, too tight of coop with chickens. Damp chickens are cold chickens.

You do not give the dimensions or the number of birds, but I suggest you go out and measure how far your birds are away from the wall or from the ceiling of the coop, they should be a foot away from the wall, and their heads need to be about 15-18 inches below the ceiling when roosting. This keeps the moisture away from them, and allows the ventilation to move out the wet, moist air, keeping them dry. Dry feathers are very warm, and they should get through well below zero (as in -25) with no problem with plenty of feed.

Most of us in the beginning, think we want to keep our chickens warm in the very cold winter weather. We have been taught since children to keep the openings sealed up tight to trap heat inside our homes. It seems so counter intuitive to open up the coop to keep it warm. Instead of thinking warm, think DRY. You need good bedding that can absorb moisture, and you need openings that allow the moist air to escape along with the ammonia. And you needs adequate space between the birds and the walls and the ceiling. Too small of coop will make for wet chickens.

What you need is protection from the wind, but still allow air currents, you want movement of air. Hence free of drafts but well ventilated, which took me forever to figure out, and I got a bit of frostbite till I did.

Mrs K

That analogy was really helpful. Do you have thoughts on insulating a section of the bottom of the coop (allowing clearance from the bedding) while ventilating the top very well? If the ammonia and condensation have plenty of ways to escape from 4 sides of the coop near the roof, would huddling hens in freezing weather benefit from insulation near the roosting level?