Ventilation and drafts...how to have one without the other in winter??

[WoodlandWoman]

Quote:
The only reason I posted about ammonia in this thread on ventilation, is because it had already been mentioned.

It's not a common problem, but it does occasionally come up on the forum. I think sometimes people have a little trouble getting the hang of managing their coop litter in the beginning.

Although I view ammonia as a litter management issue, I have seen it get mentioned in articles about ventilation. Sometimes ammonia and ventilation come up as one topic for backyard chicken owners online. Anyway, I just wanted to offer some other suggestions for that issue.

 

[All about the EGG]

Compare the coop to your house in a way. If you seal it too tight...air cant move about. I built the My little playhouse from Lowes. All I plan on doing is dropping the ceiling when it gets seriously cold here. It will be in panels, with a vent or two, to let air move about. I am going to try the deep litter method and go from there. A house has to breathe, the chickens I have (black, red sex links) are hardy for this area.

 

[morelcabin]

Well I can't stand even the slightest odours, and this summer has been a real wet one...it stinks up there...or maybe I am doing something wrong.
I have a 10x10 coop and on the east and west ends up on the peaks I have two vent holes per end. They are about 8x5 inches each I would say...so altogether there are four of them. I have 22 birds
I often leave the front door opened (my coop is divided into two pens with another door to each) for air.
I have cleaned the coop out completely every four weeks to try to keep the smell down and it still stinks! The birds are healthy as can be, no messy bottoms or anything, bright eyes, good feather. But it is still smelly:>)

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
No offense, but "well, THERE'S your problem!"

. Yeah, even if the door is often open.

I mean, that is slightly over 1 square foot TOTAL, for 22 chickens. *Way* not enough. Having a front door open like 12 hrs a day on many days is still nothing like having two-wall crossventilation 24 hrs a day every day. Sorry.

Go get the reciprocating saw and make some much-bigger vent holes, hardwarecloth-screened, with flaps or any other arrangement to enable you to choose how many/much of them you have open during the winter... and your chickens will be MUCH better off (especially in wintertime, when ventilation is much more of an issue), as will your nose

Good luck,

Pat

 

[keystonepaul]

My hen house is 9 feet and change by 12 feet and change (I think) and 8 feet high. I have about 5-7 inches opened running completely around the top of three walls. with tw0 large windows opposite each other that are about 40 inches wide by 5 feet tall that sit 3 feet off the floor (pre existing). All is covered with 1/4 inch hardware cloth. My plan is to cut insulation board to fit the openings and in the winter close them up as need to allow for air flow but still maintain warmth. I did insulate all walls and am thinking about putting heavy plastic over the windows for the winter cause they're old and a bit drafty. My thought was that I can always cover them up but it would be harder to add more once completed. Good luck, Keystonepaul

 

[ivan3]

Go get the reciprocating saw and make some much-bigger vent holes, hardwarecloth-screened, with flaps or any other arrangement to enable you to choose how many/much of them you have open during the winter... and your chickens will be MUCH better off (especially in wintertime, when ventilation is much more of an issue), as will your nose

Absolutely. Even an airtight coop won't smell of ammonia (not suggested) if cleaned religiously, but woe unto those with such a setup where there are cold winters. The relative humidity inside the coop should stay the same as the relative humidity outside the coop, when the temp dips to freezing, in order to prevent frostbite (can develop at freezing, not just -30°). This is very important if you are not adding additional heat in the winter (they really don't need it if vented properly and free of drafts). Run a bolt through the wall and whatever you use to cover vent hole/holes, and attach a wing nut on the outside. You can open as much or as little as necessary (quick solution for smaller coops). I know ours is doing the job from the bit of rime ice that forms at vent (only six chooks in a 8'x6'x10' coop). Temp and humidity monitor in coop and one outside coop comes in handy as well.

Just an aside, since I'm thinking winter thoughts: Put up a tarp on the west/northwest fencing of your run; wind and humidity, not the cold itself, messes with the chooks.​

 

[morelcabin]

Thanks Pat
I am going to believe you because you are in the North too...I guess I have some work to do tomorrow...out comes the saw:>) I'll let you know how it goes!

 

[my first peepers]

ivan3:
"Run a bolt through the wall and whatever you use to cover vent hole/holes, and attach a wing nut on the outside. You can open as much or as little as necessary (quick solution for smaller coops). I know ours is doing the job from the bit of rime ice that forms at vent (only six chooks in a 8'x6'x10' coop). "

ivan3, I'm interested in your suggestion but I'm not sure what you mean! Sorry if I'm being dense here but could you please explain more or post a pic.? Thank you!

(I guess I did that quote thing wrong...?)

 

[morelcabin]

Quote:
I think what Ivan3's trying to say is that if you keep the peices from the holes you cut for ventalation and run a bolt through you can use wingnuts to hold them back onto the shed when you don't require as much ventelation...close it up

 

[ivan3]

Sorry.

Imagine you're standing outside the coop looking up at the hole(s) you drilled/sawed for your vent. Just above it drill a hole for whatever diameter bolt you have handy. Now, the bolt (with a washer) is slipped through hole from inside of coop so you'll see it protruding as you look up from the outside (use a good adhesive on head of bolt & washer where it meets to inside of wall, as it shouldn't move at all).

For a cover, I used a (round) metal blank big enough to cover the vent holes. I drilled a hole in blank just far enough from the edge so that it would slip over the bolt from the outside and cover the vent hole. I could then tighten down the cover with a wing nut (love those things). To adjust I just loosen wing nut and swing the blank (now cover) aside to expose more or less of the vent opening in wall. This works fine if you have a roof overhang and don't get ice build up on the outside. Oh, this is on the east (downwind) wall of the coop, just down far enough from the peak to be able to swing the cover open all the way.

A bolt and washer, a wing nut, some sealent/adhesive and a paint can lid (small or large depending on need) will do the job (sorry, I'm not much on style, just function).

Our coop is pretty small, so this works well for us. A larger coop would require more cross ventilation. Our coop was our daughter's old `tree house'. Well constructed twenty yr's ago of plywood and 2'x4"'s it breathes (no drafts to make the chooks whine in the night, but air does seep in enough to make the vent effective).

ed: clarity (ha ha)