ventilation... what to use for roof ventilation?

[The Burg Peeps]

Does anyone have any suggestions on what type of ventilation we should use for our coop? The coop has one small vent in the front but thats it. We are hoping to install some sort of ventilation on the roof and possibly adding a vent or two in the back as well. Was wondering what type of roof vent would you recommend for the roof of our style coop. We have hot summers and very cold winters. Herve is a photo of the coop.
Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Judy]

I would probably pull the top two boards above the present vent off and replace them with hardware cloth. And maybe increase the length of the roof overhang above the vent -- or, in Canada, if you will have a run, just roof part of the run and tie that into the coop roof.

 

[The Burg Peeps]

That's sort of what I was thinking, but should it be covered over in the winter with plexiglass or something of the sort?

 

[duckinnut]

Does the top open up for cleaning? If it does you could just prop it open with something,you would be suprised how much air will flow thru even with a couple of inches. If your handy with tools maybe cut in a roof vent on the top.

 

[Fred's Hens]

What about shade for those hot days? Hmmmmmm..... just thinking out loud while looking at the photo.

 

[zookeeper15133]

They need ventilation as much in winter as they do in summer. In summer it is to let the heat out. In winter it is to let the moisture out. Moisture is what causes frostbite. Just make sure there is no draft across the roost. Lower it if you have to.

 

[patandchickens]

For a small coop like that, in a cold winter area, the best way IMO to ventilate it is into a roofed-and-mostly-windblocked run. I realize you don't at the moment have such a thing, but perhaps it'd be worth building one, even a small one, which will also help increase usable outdoor space for the chickens in January and reduce the chances of cannibalization.

You can read more about designing ventilation on my ventilation page, link in .sig below.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[bryan99705]

How about cutting in small forced air floor registers in the walls just below the roof? These are drop in units and you can close them from the outside to control drafts in the winter. You can use the cheap plain ones or find the fancy big ones on e-bay

 

[The Burg Peeps]

What about shade for those hot days? Hmmmmmm..... just thinking out loud while looking at the photo.

We have a tree to the left of the coop which overhangs quite a bit mid day and another in our side yard that shades in the am.

Also, if there were to be an exceptionally hot day we could always move the chickens to the porch for the day where it is fully shaded.
we just want to be sure the coop had enough ventilation in the summer and stays warm in the winter for them.... but in the winter if there were an exceptionally cold day we could always move them to the garage.​

 

[The Burg Peeps]

For a small coop like that, in a cold winter area, the best way IMO to ventilate it is into a roofed-and-mostly-windblocked run.

We have a run... here is a photo.