ventilation problem

[Mac in Wisco]

You need more vents up high. Preferably on the windward and leeward sides. It's a balancing act between the ammonia and the heat. You won;t completely get rid of the ammonia without losing most of the heat to the ventilation, you have to strike a happy medium.

 

[henney penny]

I`m going to pick up more vents today and do the poop boards.Thanks for all the help and info.

 

[patandchickens]

Yup, if that 4x12 is in inches, that is *radically* insufficient ventilation.

If you haven't already bought anything, though, can I suggest DON'T BUY VENTS. Almost anything you can purchase will be simply too small to be of much use, in which case you put in a bajillion of them, which is more work and expense than just making the vents yourself.

All you need to do is cut holes in the coop wall, at least the downwind one(s) and preferably others too, high on the walls (hopefully up where they're protected a bit by roof overhang). I would suggest something like a 1-2' high opening that runs the whole length of the wall, or equivalent area in whatever other arrangement you use. Then make flaps out of plywood to cover the openings in an adjustable way, so you can change how much of the vent is how-open according to the weather and coop conditions. Cover the openings with hardwarecloth to keep predators out, and there you go.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[LynneP]

Someone has mentioned Stall Dri in the bedding and I'll add that there are several products. We use Stable Boy and some food-grade DE for odor control and as a dessicant/preventive for pests. It's amazing what a difference they make, so long as you avoid any dampness in the bedding with coop hygiene routines.

 

[henney penny]

chookchick could you send me a picture so I can show it to my dh so he can make me one.?Did get some new vents today a lot bigger than the ones I have now,I also put a smal fan in there next to the ceiling to see if that will work,also put in some boards on the floor to see where there droppings are then maybe I can get dh to make me some.

 

[gsim]

Remember, you do not need to keep the heat up all of the time. In the daytime you will have at least one pop door open for the chooks to go in and out anyway. I have two to lessen the chance of fighting. Best to open the whole thing up for awhile as you clean the poop planks and fill the feeders. Best to have the heat off all day. The chooks are moving about and also have a constant intake of food for heat. Leave it that way until your mid-morning egg check. Then close it up with the windows cracked somewhat. You will change out the air and lose that humidity and stink too. Since the chooks roost little during the day, your poop planks will stay clean and the chooks mostly poop outside anyway . The deep litter is a great thing and it helps reduce the shock to the chooks legs when they hop down from nests or roosts. I use grass clippings, free of charge for me and can keep adding all year long until Oct. Let your heat come on at night only. Save electricity and keep the chooks healthy. A win-win. You are on the right track with the vents.

I used linoleum over 1/2" OSB for my poop planks. Scrapes easily and retains no odors. What little is left dries quickly and there remains no odor whatsoever. Doesn't look pretty but the chooks do not notice, and the neighbors cannot see. Sawdust would be great if you can get it. Wood chips too. Whatever is free.

 

[henney penny]

I have no heat in my coop,only from the sun comming in the windows,Its going down to 15 tonight,I`ll see what the temp is in the morning,with the fan going.

 

[chookchick]

Hope this works, I'm not good at loading pics....

This is my dropping board. I recently widened it to 28" from back wall, moved the roost to 15" (O.C.) from back wall. The board is at 2' high and the roost is at 3' high. I also put a higher back on it, so squirty poos would quit hitting the back wall.

The gray stuff is Stall Dry. Underneath the stall dry is a sheet of 1/4" plywood with linoleum on top. I clean it with a kitty litter scoop, super easy. Hope this helps!

 

[henney penny]

Thanks So Much For The Picture,i`m Sure This Will Help My Dh Build One For Me.Went and got material to make poop board and got bigger vents,dh will be busy sat.I told him about the samll holes all around the top of the coop but he said the insulation would get all caught up in the hole maker,so I guress that will have to wait utill spring and put in samller vents all around,we`ll see.

 

[henney penny]

Put down boards untill dh gets poop boards built for me,this mornig it was froze to the boards had to get a scrper to get it off can notice a big differance in the smell.When dh gets the real thing built for me I can put some seet pdz in it and scope it out everyday.It was 7 here this morning,snowing right now big storm on the way.