ventilation question

[markmc]

Thanks for everyone's help with my previous question about insulation in a coop. I have another question along those same lines. After much advice I decided to insulate the coop and I know I need to really ventilate it. It will be a 7'x4' coop about 4ft tall (weird measurments but I am scavenging the wood from a swingset). I was planning on having two closable vents about 6" off the ground that are 3"x12". I will also have 2-4"x12" vents at the top of both the front and back walls. I also scavanged a free house roof vent, not the spinning kind, that I was going to put on the roof. Is this enough ventilation or do I need to plan more. Of course there will also be the small door to the run and a 2'x3' window that I will open in the summer. Thanks for the info!!!

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Sounds like you have it all figured out.

 

[catdaddy66]

Sounds good for the area you are in, but I know that my area is very hot and needs much more ventilation. If you add more vents you could always cover them as the temp. drops!

 

[wildorchid053]

just make sure when it is super cold out that you have no drafts blowing on them and that you can close them up some when it hits 0.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Is this an A-frame coop (wondering, b/c you mention a swingset) or is it normal box-shaped?

If it is A-frame, I would suggest making the top foot or two of both triangular ends open (hardwarecloth-screened, with flaps to adjustably close the openings however the weather requires).

If it is a normal-shaped coop, I would not suggest bothering with your small floor-level vents. My experience with them in my tractor was that they were somewhere between useless and counterproductive (the latter being 'in storm winds', when they toss all the bedding into the air!). Better would be to make a LARGE opening, probably top-to-bottom, in one or two of the coop walls, so it is like a giant big window that can be opened or closed; and then for wintertime use, use the top-of-wall vents you've described or (preferably) more/larger of them.

If you only have maybe 2-3 birds in there and keep on top of the sanitation, four 4x12 wintertime-type vents may be enough (remember you will often be able to use only two or perhaps three of them, b/c of wind). If you are planning on putting more chickens in there, or if you want to be more sure of having enough ventilation and not having to hack new holes in the coop in midwinter, I would suggest more/larger of them.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat