Ventilation Question

[happymom99]

Hello. We are going to be making the free Purina coop. I think we are going to change it from 4ft x 4ft to 5ft x 4ft though. Here is a link to the plans if you'd like to see it.

http://poultry.purinamills.com/stellent/groups/public/documents/web_content/ecmd0007989.pdf

My question is, will this coop have enough ventilation? My understanding of good ventilation is you need fresh air coming in from the bottom and a place for air to leave the coop at the top. Aside from the chicken door, there are no holes at the bottom.

Should we add holes or vents to the bottom of this coop? If so, do I have to worry about them getting cold in the winter? I don't think so because I live in a pretty temperate area, but we do get a few chilly nights in the winter and every now and then the temp will drop to about freezing at night. Not much, but I certainly wouldn't want the chickens to be uncomfortable or unsafe due to weather on those rare occassions.

Thank you so much for any suggestions,
CJ

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
There are a variety of things that I don't especially like about that design -- the roof (plywood under translucent plastic with 'skylight' opening cut in middle), the recommendation of 1.5" dowels for roosts, the minimal ventilation.

I would suggest adding more ventilation; the gaps between 'rafters' are minimally-adequate for cool weather with not too many chickens in there but are going to make the coop real hot in the evening in hot weather and not give good air quality if you have a *lot* of chickens in there (dunno how many you're planning but the Purina people seem to think you should pack 'em in pretty good <g>)

My understanding of good ventilation is you need fresh air coming in from the bottom and a place for air to leave the coop at the top. Aside from the chicken door, there are no holes at the bottom.

Well, that is appropriate for some situations e.g. commercial chicken barns. However it is not an ideal setup for backyard coops, for two reasons.

First, you do NOT NOT NOT want low vents during wintertime, because it creates a cold draft right on the chickens. And second, because even in warm weather, you will get much BETTER air movement (thus cooler coop and better air quality) simply by having LARGE opening(s) occupying much of one or more walls. As opposed to some small low ones and small high ones.

If it were me using the Purina plans, for whatever it's worth, I would make a solid opaque roof (either shingled plywood, or corrugated panels over completely solid plywood) and put a couple large window-type openings in one or more walls (depends on your site and weather) with hardwarecloth to keep out predator arms and a plexiglas panel to bolt on in bad/cold weather (or plexiglas could be hinged to be openable/closeable). And put the roof 'rafters' on edge, not on flat, to nearly double the amount of eaves ventilation, and for the roosts either use 2x4s on flat with any sharp edges knocked back, or 4-5" diameter dead tree branch sections (bark removed)

JMHO, good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[elmo]

What Patandchickens wrote, x2.

 

[happymom99]

Wow, Pat. Thank you so much for your responses! What a huge help!

We're right on the verge of building our coop now and I have a few more questions. I am putting my questions in bold and hope that you have a chance to look at them.

Quote:
There are a variety of things that I don't especially like about that design -- the roof (plywood under translucent plastic with 'skylight' opening cut in middle), the recommendation of 1.5" dowels for roosts, the minimal ventilation.

I would suggest adding more ventilation; the gaps between 'rafters' are minimally-adequate for cool weather with not too many chickens in there but are going to make the coop real hot in the evening in hot weather and not give good air quality if you have a *lot* of chickens in there (dunno how many you're planning but the Purina people seem to think you should pack 'em in pretty good <g>)

We will have 5 chickens. In time we may go to 7 or 8. We've added 4 sq ft to the design as well as a 55 sq ft enclosed run that they will be able to access on their own. They will also have about 500-600 sq ft fenced in area to free range each day. They will really only sleep and lay in the coop.

My understanding of good ventilation is you need fresh air coming in from the bottom and a place for air to leave the coop at the top. Aside from the chicken door, there are no holes at the bottom.

Well, that is appropriate for some situations e.g. commercial chicken barns. However it is not an ideal setup for backyard coops, for two reasons.

First, you do NOT NOT NOT want low vents during wintertime, because it creates a cold draft right on the chickens. And second, because even in warm weather, you will get much BETTER air movement (thus cooler coop and better air quality) simply by having LARGE opening(s) occupying much of one or more walls. As opposed to some small low ones and small high ones.

Is it better, one way or the other, to have the windows on walls opposite one another or on adjacent walls?

If it were me using the Purina plans, for whatever it's worth, I would make a solid opaque roof (either shingled plywood, or corrugated panels over completely solid plywood) and put a couple large window-type openings in one or more walls (depends on your site and weather) with hardwarecloth to keep out predator arms and a plexiglas panel to bolt on in bad/cold weather (or plexiglas could be hinged to be openable/closeable). And put the roof 'rafters' on edge, not on flat, to nearly double the amount of eaves ventilation, and for the roosts either use 2x4s on flat with any sharp edges knocked back, or 4-5" diameter dead tree branch sections (bark removed)

What is the difference between using an opaque roof and a clear roof? Why would you want to put it over solid plywood rather than have the ventilating "skylight"?

Would it make a difference if instead of covering the hardware cloth covered windows with plexiglass we covered them with wood that can be opened and closed?

At what temp would you consider it to be cold enough to warrant closing the windows so the girls don't get too cold or have drafts and at what temps would you consider it warm enough to keep them open so they stay cool? I am a little concerned about how to keep them properly ventilated without getting them drafty. I feel like I don't know what is too hot and too cold for them.
JMHO, good luck, have fun,

Pat​

We got our design for our coop down on paper now and put a picture of our ideas here. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=495803 We definitely need to make the windows bigger. If you have a chance to check it out and make any other suggestions, that'd be great. Thank you, again, Pat. I really appreciate your suggestions and help.

I'm so excited about our little coop and our chickens and look forward to making it as comfortable for the girls as I can.

CJ

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
That seems reasonable for your climate (house would be crowded in winter somewhere colder but in your other thread I gather you are relatively coastal central CA so I would not be concerned and you have a good sized area for free-ranging)

s it better, one way or the other, to have the windows on walls opposite one another or on adjacent walls?

In hot weather it is better to have ample openings on ALL walls

If you are only going to have them on 2 walls, I would say it comes down to how windy your situation is (and how much it is a 'good' vs 'bad' wind, i.e. depending on temeprature at the time)

What is the difference between using an opaque roof and a clear roof?

Twenty to forty degrees Farenheit on a sunny summer day

Why would you want to put it over solid plywood rather than have the ventilating "skylight"?

In your climate, you probably wouldn't (unless you wanted white roofing for heat reflection). If you wanted a solid opaque roof, most people would either use opaque roofing panels (insulated underneath if they're in a climate wth subfreezing winters) or just do shingles. I just meant that the purina design is a bit dysfunctional IMO.

Would it make a difference if instead of covering the hardware cloth covered windows with plexiglass we covered them with wood that can be opened and closed?

If it were me I'd do it with openable/closeable *transparent* panels (glass, plexiglass, clear pvc or polycarbonate panel material in a wooden frame, whatever you like). That way you get the advantages of both.

At what temp would you consider it to be cold enough to warrant closing the windows so the girls don't get too cold or have drafts and at what temps would you consider it warm enough to keep them open so they stay cool? I am a little concerned about how to keep them properly ventilated without getting them drafty. I feel like I don't know what is too hot and too cold for them.

Once you have them and can WATCH them, I think it will become pretty quickly apparent to you when they are happy, when they are huddling to get out of a cold breeze, and when they would like the a/c switched on so to speak

Pat​

 

[happymom99]

Thank you so much, Pat. I really appreciate your help.

CJ

 

[Bearsfan]

I see that they want you to have the water and food outside the coop in that plan. I would build bigger and put the food inside. That might work fine in a dry environment but for me, food outside is a no-go. I tried it and ended up with moldy food on the ground very quickly. Also, they may not want to go outside in bad weather. Having food and water inside is a plus in winter or storms.

 

[Judy]

Your climate is about like mine, maybe warmer as we do get down in the 20's a few nights a year. If I were to build again, I would build a three sided building attached to an enclosed wire mesh run, with the larger solid side on the north, which for us is the windward side. And that north side would have a large area that could be opened to the breeze for summer. My present coop does have 4 sides, but there is so much space open to the breeze that it is like a wind tunnel in there -- large areas of 2 walls are wire mesh and there is at least 6" of open air space all the way around, at the top of the walls. Chickens won't even feel chilly at 32 degrees but suffer quite a bit in the heat and must have shade and breeze to survive. It's been in the 80's here, and mine are already holding their wings a little away from their body and panting some.

Here are some examples:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=436493&p=2

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=163417

 

[Ridgerunner]

My only thought on this, since you are willing to alter the size, is to price out building it 4' x 6' instead of 4' x 5'. Most building materials come in 4' or 8' dimensions. There will be additional costs, but probably not very much. You could probably go with a 4' x 8' without a huge jump in cost, but I'd think 4' x 6' would be very little difference in price.

If you are only using it for a safe sleeping area, the 4' x 5' should be big enough for your 7 to 8 hens, but the bigger you make it, the more flexibility you give yourself in managing them.