Ventilation question

[sheps4her]

So, I am trying to get my little coop fininshed. I keep hearing about ventilation. How much do I need to have? will the chickens be cold / drafty if there is too much? Or do they only need it in the summer? I keep trying to explain to my hubby what I need, but am not doing a good job since I don't understand it completely myself!! Help!!

 

[Chirpy]

Let's see if I can help:

In the winter: Drafts are bad ... if there is wind blowing in or air movement in your chicken house that's bad. You want vents that will allow air in but not enough to have anything blowing around. Putting the vents up under the rafters is good as they allow air but not wind blowing through them.

The vents will help keep moisture from building up. Your chickens worst enemy inside is moist and cold together. Depending on where you live will decide how much venting you might need. In Colorado it's so dry that I have never had to worry about moisture inside my coop and don't have vents as we didn't build our coop totally airtight on purpose.

In the summer: Heat is actually harder on chickens than cold, they need some very cool place to go to when it's hot outside. People use fans in windows or turbines on the roof to help keep the coop cool. Keep windows open (covered with hardware cloth) to allow for lots of airflow. Having cross ventilation is the best way to keep it cool inside.

I'm sure someone here can give other explanations which may help you more but hope this helped a little.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
No, you did a pretty good job.


Remember you can have vents you cover in the winter and open in the summer.

 

[nccountrygirl]

Has any one ever used the automatic foundation vents up high in the coop, I wonder how they would work?

 

[sheps4her]

anybody have pictures of the venting in their coops?? maybe a visual would be helpful. My coop is small -more of a tractor right now really.
I want to make sure I do it right (or rather my DH) for them to be warm and comfortable.

 

[speckledhen]

Here's one on my original coop, pic taken during construction, can be propped to any opening size or held open by the hook you see:

Then you see the bsmt vent on the back of it and the addition we built out to the left.

 

[sheps4her]

I found one of those basement vents while searching for scrap wood...but my coop is soooooo much smaller..I wonder if I could still use it. The pictures are great! I love how you made that vent able to be closed, but , would you close it completely in the winter or still leave it open a little? Also If I was able to use the basement vent I found, would I still need the other kind that opens and closes?? Thanks for all the advice!

 

[speckledhen]

You can prop it open as much or little as you like in this coop. Works great. I just use a little bottle or block of wood for propping. And it closes up tight if I want it to, but I never close it all the way unless it's going down below 10 degrees or so. The bsmt vent has a lever and it can also be open or closed for a cross breeze. Someone on here made a mini-version of my coop with this same type vent, so it can be done in miniature.

 

[bills]

I wondered about the draft/ventilation question as well.

Around my coops roofline there are a few small (less then 1/4") gaps, as well as the chance that air will get in past the door gaps, again less than 1/4".

I'm sure these may help with ventilation in the summer, but will they cause to much of a draft in the winter winds. (As we live close to the ocean there is frequently some windy weather.)

Should I try and caulk all these gaps, and perhaps add weatherstripping to the door, or would such small gaps not be a problem?

 

[speckledhen]

You pretty much need your air for ventilation to come in higher than floor level, if that makes sense. I only want air coming in where I want it coming in, so put the ventilation where you want it and seal up the other areas. That said, you certainly do not want or need an airtight coop.