Ventilation during winter

[lburress]

I have 3 hens that are 24 weeks tomorrow and they haven't started laying yet. Our hen house is good sized and I recently installed a light bulb for heat and to trick the girls into producing eggs even though the nights are coming quick. The hen house has 3 windows for ventilation but with Kansas winters I think I should plug them up. The hen house is not caulked so the gaps in the wood should allow some air in. Will the girls be o.k. with the windows plugged and a light on or should I not plug up the house?

Suggestions or Advise needed.

 

[chicmom]

Ventilation is recommended near the roof or top of your coop, so that your chickens don't stand in a draft, but I am curious as to what others will say.

If your coop has just three chickens, that might be just fine if you close the windows. If you get alot of chickens, then what happens is the moisture from their breathing can make it dampish in there, and cold + damp is not a good thing.

Let's see what the ventilation experts say........

Very good question!

 

[Hopper]

I just made plexi-glass windows to go over my openings in the coop. But what we did was drill a 2" hole on the north side and south side at the very top (away from any roosting) and then put PVC pipe inside the holes as my walls are thick and insulated. caulked the edges and I am hoping that will be enough if it gets windy and I have to keep the other windows shut. I have a roof and large overhang so I dont think a lot of wind will go thru them. Also I can always plug them if I have to.
Any thoughts on my idea would be apprecitated too!!!

 

[Moxiechick]

You do want ventilation, but no drafts or wind blowing on the chickens. That is why ventilation is usually placed up higher than where the chickens will roost.

I wanted our chickens to have plenty of natural light, so I installed glass windows that can be opened or closed as the season permits. I have ventilation at the top of the coop in the form of 4 inch tall gaps, with hardware cloth installed as protection. Since I am in Maine, we get pretty severe winters which also means severe wind. To cope with that and yet allow air exchange, I placed foam blocks (convoluted on one side, flat on the other) in the spaces. That way the wind is buffered, yet air transfer can still occur.

 

[00BlasterResto]

Here is a picture of my vent window.
When this window is closed there is still some ventilation through the "cap" of the roof. I like to close the vent window on stormy nights and plan to close it on nasty winter nights.

 

[lburress]

Thanks all! Keep it going. These are all great ideas. I love Back Yard Chicken.com!

 

[CherryChick]

I'm curious if I have enought ventilation in our new chicken coop. We put 1 gable vent up high. My current bf. Or chickenpapa put a styrofoam cover or the vent because he was afraid the chickens would get cold this winter. But doesn't that defeat the purpose of it? Would we need a nother gable on the other side?

Thanks
KT

 

[elmo]

You're not planning on leaving a light on all night, are you? I would think that could interfere with sleep cycles.