Ventilation

[CovertS2]

How much ventilation is necessary in the coop for a flock of three chickens?

 

[crumptz]

There really isn't a perfect number... simply as much as you can allow. I have 5 hens and my coop has a wire covered opening that is 12 X8, a rectangular opening that is 4 feet long and 4 inches wide, and another opening that is 12X8 on the other side for cross ventilation. So far, so good. When it's raining I just put a tarp over the openings.

 

[chickencoop789]

You want enough ventilation so that you get fresh air in the coop. Ventilation is vital in the hot months. But you want to be able to cover up the windows in case of severe weather.

 

[denmage]

Thanks for the great info. After reading all of the posts about ventilation, I was concerned that my coop was woefully prepared for the winter. If I closed the windows to keep out drafts there would be no ventilation. So I found a guy on Craigslist who was selling ridge vents. I got one for $20 and he threw in a gallon of roofing cement. I cut open the ridge of the coop, installed it, and now have plenty of ventilation across my six foot long roof.

I also covered the opening I made with hardware cloth, just as added protection, in case anything manages to get past the ridge vent by bending some fins.

This was all installed this past Saturday (the day before Hurricane Sandy came through). Although we did not get hit directly there was plenty of rain to check for leaks and the chickens were sealed up for a couple of days to protect them from the wind. After the storm, I let them out and they were all quite happy.

 

[lbrtyldy]

Sounds like a good solution. I have ventilation in eaves and 2 windows that are either wide open or barely cracked (when it is below freezing).