Ventilation/Vents Placement

[Tami2]

Hi Tami. What is your general location? It will help us help you. The tarp setup looks good, but I hope you don't get much if any snow..

I would keep both gable ends open and covered in HC.

We are in North Jersey, a very rural area. We do get our fair share of snow.

I'm not sure what you mean by this.

"I would keep both gable ends open and covered in HC."
Gable ends? & HC - Hen Coop?

 

[knobhillfarm]

1/2 hardware cloth (hc) is your best friend when it comes to predator protection. Of course, if you have larger predators, an electric fence may be useful as well.

 

[Kiki]

We are in North Jersey, a very rural area. We do get our fair share of snow.

I'm not sure what you mean by this.

"I would keep both gable ends open and covered in HC."
Gable ends? & HC - Hen Coop?

Green triangle areas...covered in hardware cloth. 1/2 hardware cloth.

 

[Tami2]

1/2 hardware cloth (hc) is your best friend when it comes to predator protection. Of course, if you have larger predators, an electric fence may be useful as well.

Oh, stronger than the 1/4"? I was thinking the 1/4" might keep out larger snakes. I think we have 23 species of snakes in my state. One of them being a Rat Snake.
We have them all, black bears, coyotes, coons, fox, opossum, skunk, snakes, hawks, owls etc...

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm not sure what you mean by this.

"I would keep both gable ends open and covered in HC."
Gable ends? & HC - Hen Coop?

The gable is the pointy part of the wall under the roof.

https://www.owenscorning.com/en-us/roofing/tools/roof-types

HC = hardware cloth.

Oh, stronger than the 1/4"? I was thinking the 1/4" might keep out larger snakes. I think we have 23 species of snakes in my state. One of them being a Rat Snake.
We have them all, black bears, coyotes, coons, fox, opossum, skunk, snakes, hawks, owls etc...

1/4" hardware cloth is made from a finer-gauge wire -- thinner and not as strong.

Any snake small enough to get in through 1/2" hardware cloth is a chicken snack rather than a chicken predator.

 

[Tami2]

Green triangle areas...covered in hardware cloth. 1/2 hardware cloth.

And what about in winter? One of his questions was what do you do with the vents in the winter months? I was thinking you leave a couple open, but not all?

 

[knobhillfarm]

Oh, stronger than the 1/4"? I was thinking the 1/4" might keep out larger snakes. I think we have 23 species of snakes in my state. One of them being a Rat Snake.
We have them all, black bears, coyotes, coons, fox, opossum, skunk, snakes, hawks, owls etc...

The 1/2 is tougher and does a good job keeping out things like foxes, dogs, most snakes that would be able to harm a chicken. The 1/4 is a bit too flimsy and I’ve seen dogs bust right through it like chicken wire.

 

[3KillerBs]

And what about in winter? One of his questions was what do you do with the vents in the winter months? I was thinking you leave a couple open, but not all?

Here is an excellent article on cold-climate chicken keeping: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/

You need excellent ventilation in the winter too -- 24/7/365.

Ventilation removes the moisture that is generated from the chickens' poop and their breath (as well as the ammonia), and keeping them dry is the key to keeping them comfortable in any weather.

A chicken that is dry and out of the wind can, when well-acclimated, easily cope with temperatures down to at least 0F.

 

[knobhillfarm]

And what about in winter? One of his questions was what do you do with the vents in the winter months? I was thinking you leave a couple open, but not all?

Chickens still need about a sq ft of ventilation per bird in winter to help keep coop dry and let ammonia escape. That is why you want the ventilation high up so it doesn’t create a draft blowing right on them while they are roosting. As long as they aren’t in a draft, they can stay warm in most climates without human intervention.

 

[Kiki]

And what about in winter? One of his questions was what do you do with the vents in the winter months? I was thinking you leave a couple open, but not all?

The vents need to stay open year-round.
Winter is actually more important for them to be open.
As long as the wind is not blowing directly on a roosting bird it is okay.

Also I'm not sure what your winters are like but even with right at freezing levels for months the birds will do fine as long as they have enough ventilation.