Ventilation + cold winters?? And window question

[3forfree]

Take a good look at your shed, and forget about north and south, east and west. Where the walls meet the roof is where you want to have ventilation, look under the roof where the walls and roof meet and see if it isn't already open. If it'is open you would want to put hardware cloth over the openings to keep critters out. If it isn't you can drill holes from the inside and cover them with hardware cloth. Over the door is some kind of decoration that didn't come with the shed, that's where you will want another vent. You can take that down and install a vent, or just drill through it and the shed and cover the holes from the inside with hardware cloth. As for windows you will have to cut the siding and frame something up to hold the windows in place, and then finish the outside so it will look presentable.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Look at how your door is trimmed. That's how you make windows look presentable. I caulk around them, especially on top, to keep water out. I've also been known to trim the top of the trim board at the top of a door or window at an angle to help water run off instead of set up there.

Drilling small holes is not going to get you much ventilation. I'm a retired engineer. It has to do witht he friction of the air coming around rhe edges. You need larger openings. That's why the area under the overhang is so great.

Maybe you can tell what I did from this.

 

[terryg]

The best thing that you can do is to put in a cupola. The hot, wet air will go out and there won't be any drafts.I added a cupola to my shed-coop and the temp dropped by 15 degrees in the summer and it was no colder (but much drier) in the winter. You can tell when the ventilation is right in the winter when there's no ice on the inside of the windows. BTW, chickens die of heat, not cold. My chickens do just fine in below freezing temps weeks on end. What keeps them healthy is dry air, dry bedding, and enough space - more than 4 square feet inside. Windows are essential, too! If you can't cut in a window, change out the door to have one that has a window or is a glass storm door.
Here is a photo of the cupola on my barn: (scroll down, 4th picture - but lots of other advice about keeping hens safe in heat.)
http://www.hencam.com/henblog/2011/06/protect-your-hens-from-the-heat/

 

[gracejr]

The best thing that you can do is to put in a cupola. The hot, wet air will go out and there won't be any drafts.I added a cupola to my shed-coop and the temp dropped by 15 degrees in the summer and it was no colder (but much drier) in the winter. You can tell when the ventilation is right in the winter when there's no ice on the inside of the windows. BTW, chickens die of heat, not cold. My chickens do just fine in below freezing temps weeks on end. What keeps them healthy is dry air, dry bedding, and enough space - more than 4 square feet inside. Windows are essential, too! If you can't cut in a window, change out the door to have one that has a window or is a glass storm door.
Here is a photo of the cupola on my barn: (scroll down, 4th picture - but lots of other advice about keeping hens safe in heat.)
http://www.hencam.com/henblog/2011/06/protect-your-hens-from-the-heat/

The cupola looks nice, but I'm not messing with a roof. I've never built anything beyond a bookshelf, so just doors and windows will be beyond my expertise. We usually only get up in the 90s a few days a year, so while it certainly is important to think about shade, it's not my biggest priority. I plan on doing a tarp over part of the run, and the hose spigot is right near the coop so it won't be difficult to spray it down on hot days. We hit single digits and below regularly during the winter, so keeping it dry and draft free is crucial. The back wall will have a large vent area up near the roof line a foot or so high and extending as far across as I can get it, all covered in hardware cloth. Once the coop comes tomorrow morning I'll look it over and see if there's any ventilation built in up under the eaves. If not, I'll add some there, either hardware cloth or those long skinny vent things posted above. Then a smaller pre-fab gable vent or two on the front. That wall would be my biggest concern for snow/rain coming in, and since getting up that high to cover a vent would be insanely awkward, one of those metal or plastic covered vents will work better, I think. Plus it will keep the shed with a more finished appearance.

My step-father does construction for a living, so I'm hoping he'll be able to scrape up some spare time to help with the windows, doors and maybe that front vent. If I can borrow a saw and ladder, I should be able to cut the holes for the hardware cloth vents myself.

Any good links on building the pop door? Adding a pulley should be simple enough, but the actual construction of the door to slide/hinge up and remain predator free... I could use some advice on that!

Also, for the door from shed to coop... What do you all typically use for a door? A finished door like you'd see on a house? Plywood cut to size and put on hinges? And how are you keeping the doors predator proof?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Any good links on building the pop door? Adding a pulley should be simple enough, but the actual construction of the door to slide/hinge up and remain predator free... I could use some advice on that!

Also, for the door from shed to coop... What do you all typically use for a door? A finished door like you'd see on a house? Plywood cut to size and put on hinges? And how are you keeping the doors predator proof?

It's probably best to talk directly to your step-father about most of this. There are a whole lot of different ways to do all of these.

I know some people have remote pop doors, but I always open and close mine by hand and put a carabineer or snap lock on the hasp to lock it securely. I just don't trust raccoons. They are pretty good with their hands on opening things.

You can put any kind of door on it you wish. You might be able to get one on Craigslist or maybe a recycle store fairly inexpensively, but they can get really expensive. They need to be external doors since they will get wet.

I built my doors out of planks. One I covered with a sheet of plywood, one I did not. The plywood really stiffens it up and keeps it from sagging out of shape. If you just build out of planks, you need a diagonal or two to keep it from sagging out of shape.

Don't just use a sheet of plywood. It will warp without a frame to stiffen it.

One key to making the doors predator proof is to use hardware big enough. Don't use little bitty cabinet hinges and closures. When I put a hinge or hasp on, I use longer screws than come with them if the wood I am screwing into is thick enough or I drill it out and use nuts and bolts. And get the hasp big enough that your carabineer, snap lock or whatever you use for a lock can fit. I've made that mistake. If the hasp is too small, the carabineer or snap lock won't fit.

There are so many different ways you can build the door to make it predator proof. If you build a flush door (one that fits perfectly inside the frame like a door in your house), put door stops inside the frame. These are the thin strips that keep the door from swinging on through. Every door in your house should have these. I don't do this because I'm not a great carpenter. To build a good flush door, it has to fit pretty well or use thick door stops.

I build a frame that will fit inside the door opening and put planks or plywood on one side (the outside) that is bigger than the door opening. That way, when the door is closed, the plywood or planks hit the door frame and kind of seal it off. This way is more forgiving if you don't get your sizes perfect.

Once you've done a couple, this kind of stuff is not that hard. But until you've done it, it can be intimidating and you will probably make a mistake or two. Having the right tools makes all the difference in the world. Don't expect perfection the first time you try this. Expect to have to rework a few things. That's where screws instead of nails come in real handy. And try to pick your step-father's brain and get him to show you examples.

A coat of paint and some caulk can cover a lot of mistakes.

 

[Nosaj]

The shed we're getting has no ventilation, so far as I know. It is a big shed, 12x10x10' high approx... It sounds like the easiest/cheapest way to add ventilation would be to cut holes up near the roof, frame them off and add chicken wire attached to the inside? Is that right? How big should the ventilation areas be for a shed this size? Do I need the ventilation areas to have a cover in the winter months, or should they remain fully open year round? The coop is not insulated, and it can get pretty cold up here, especially at night. What about snow and rain blowing in through the wire openings? The roof peaks would be facing north and south, with the south side 6-10' or so from our tree line.

As for windows, what should I be looking for? And does it matter which way they are facing? I was thinking 2 windows on the south side, 1 each on east and west. Probably not any on the north side, since the door takes a lot of space. Plus there will be a divider blocking off the front 4' anyway.


Here's the shed. I'm not sure what the long skinny thing on the roof there is? Is that some sort of vent, or what might it be?

I had alot of the same questions when I built our coop as we see 100 deg. in the summer and -15 deg. in the winter. I use 3 windows that I can open and close to regulate temp/ventialtion and find it works very well. Like others have mentioned, cold is not the problem as much as drafts. I found used windows at the dump and framed them in on hinges so that I can close them on cold, windy nights and open them up during the day. I also made a chicken wire door so that I can leave all the windows and the door open in the summer for added ventilation. I close the regular door during the night for security. I also have hook and eyes to keep the windows open when there is wind. On the inside of the coop I insulated with 1-1/2" foam board, covered the window openings with chicken wire then covered all of that with luan. I attached lines to the windows so that I can close them from inside the coop.

 

[gracejr]

Thank you for the pictures, those are helpful!

The shed delivery has been delayed a week, which is seriously going to put a damper on my ability to have the coop finished before the chickens are ready to go in. What are the *must* finish projects to accomplish first? The outdoor run will have a door, so I think I'll be ok skipping the coop-to-pen door. For ventilation, do you think it will be enough just cutting and screening vents along the sides and back - skipping the front wall? I have to borrow a saw and a ladder, but I think cutting and screening should be simple enough for me to do without help. I'm assuming I just cut through the siding and plywood, but not the 2x4s, right? Otherwise I'd have to reframe around the holes inside for support? Or...?

Windows? Do I need windows right now? Or would light from the vents be enough for now? I absolutely want my step father helping with that, but he is very short on free time. Plus I'm hoping to have more time to find a good deal on some cheap windows.

For a pop door... Can I cut a hole between the 2x4s/2x6s/whatever they are, then use that scrap as a hinged door? Then a simple hook/eye setup to hold it open during the day or something? I'm thinking a hinged door would be easier to do than a sliding one? Is there a step by step somewhere on how to create a hinge door that is safe? Or would a sliding door be easier? I'm still not quite sure how to do a sliding one.

Any ideas for simple and easy nest boxes? If I were to go the storage bin route, what size bins? And would I need to make a tray to hold them together, or could I just place them side by side on the floor of the coop? I've been looking on CL for nest boxes, but not finding much locally.

I think the divider wall is going to be my biggest hurdle. I have no idea how to go about building that.

 

[Ridgerunner]

For ventilation, do you think it will be enough just cutting and screening vents along the sides and back - skipping the front wall?

It depends a bit on how big you make the other vents, but you should be fine skipping the front wall.

I'm assuming I just cut through the siding and plywood, but not the 2x4s, right?

Right.

Windows? Do I need windows right now? Or would light from the vents be enough for now? I absolutely want my step father helping with that, but he is very short on free time. Plus I'm hoping to have more time to find a good deal on some cheap windows.

I don’t know how much light you are going to have with the vents. You’ll probably be OK.

For a pop door... Can I cut a hole between the 2x4s/2x6s/whatever they are, then use that scrap as a hinged door? Then a simple hook/eye setup to hold it open during the day or something? I'm thinking a hinged door would be easier to do than a sliding one? Is there a step by step somewhere on how to create a hinge door that is safe? Or would a sliding door be easier? I'm still not quite sure how to do a sliding one.

You’ll probably find that scrap is just a tad too big and you’ll have to reduce the size just a bit. Sanding the edges to smooth them down should be enough so it fits. The hook/eye setup will work to hold it open during the day, or just hinge it at the bottom and lay it down. I’d use a hasp with carabineer or snap lock to secure it at night.

Here’s how I do my sliding doors. I put one of these on each side or top and bottom. If you go vertical, you’ll need a stop at the bottom. One thing to watch for is your lock. You need to figure out how to attach it so you can secure it at night but that the hasp does not get in the way of it sliding.




Instead of notching out a 2x2 like I did, you can layer different widths of maybe ¾” or 1” to create the notch.


Any ideas for simple and easy nest boxes? If I were to go the storage bin route, what size bins? And would I need to make a tray to hold them together, or could I just place them side by side on the floor of the coop? I've been looking on CL for nest boxes, but not finding much locally.

Nest boxes can be so simple. Get a cat litter box and set it on the floor. Use the boxes (large size) cat litter comes in and mount that on the wall. Go to a deli or bakery and ask for their larger plastic buckets. They should be free. Either set them upright on the floor or mount them horizontally on the wall. If they are horizontal, you need to provide a lip they can stand on and to keep the bedding in the nest. Either on the floor or mounted, you’ll need to make something to hold them in place or they will fall over. Here is just one of the threads that show some of the things we do for nest boxes. They can be as simple or complicated as you wish.

Nesting Boxes
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=41108

 

[Fred's Hens]

Even in Maine, like here in N. Michigan, there are those oppressive, hot summer days too, and the air needs to escape then as well.

If your relative is in construction, I'd ask him to install a few roof vents. With the least bit shingling experience, these are soooooo easy to install and will provide the ventilation escape at the roof, where it is needed the most. Just like your own house, there are vents on the top of the cable ends, at the ridge, or there are a series of roof vent caps. All homes have roof vents of some kind. Without them, your house would be intolerable in the summer and the attic would be drenched in frozen moisture in the winter. Same with a chicken coop.

The hot and humid air needs to vent. There are a number of ways to allow the rising air to exit the building.

 

[gracejr]

Thank you thank you Ridgerunner! I didn't even think of hinging it at the bottom, then I'd have a built in ramp as well. What is a snap lock? Should I add a lip on the inside of the hole at the top, to prevent it from being pushed inward? Or would the hinge and lock be sufficient?

Found out today my mother has a stash of plastic milk crates in her basement, so hoping she has some left over after she finishes her coop!



Fred, I absolutely will be adding windows, it just might not be until after the chickens are here. That will add extra ventilation in the summer. Plus the vent on the back will be pretty large. The vents on the sides will run the length of the shed, and I'm guessing 6-12" tall, up near the roof line. May eventually add a gable vent on the front wall, but I don't want anything too big there since we get a lot of north winds. Robert (step father) has very little free time, so we most likely won't be messing with the roof.