ventilation question

[tpeila]

designing first coop for just 3 chickens, so small. I am looking at something like this for the vents. I live in Washington where we get snow a couple times a year and summer i normally mid 70's to low 80's occsionally hotter. Would I need to cover these in winter? Was only going to use two. And if I need ot cover them any suggesitons on how to do that?

 

[KansasBoy]

This would all depend on the coop size and the dimensions of the pictured windows...

 

[elmo]

Chickens require way more ventilation than you'd think at first. Birds have efficient respiratory systems, which is why they are more vulnerable to air quality problems than a similarly sized mammal.

Here's the best discussion of the ventilation requirements of chickens that I know of:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION

Bottom line, you should be figuring on about 1 square foot of ventilation per chicken in vents up high at the top of walls so they can be left open or mostly open during winter without drafts blowing on the chickens and chilling them. For summer, you'll want additional ventilation down at roost level to catch any breezes and cool the chickens off.

To cover vents, I use awning style flaps hinged at the top and held open with chains attached to the roof eaves. In the winter, I just put insulation inside the low vent and latch it closed for the duration.