Where should I add ventilation on this coop?

[Brizi]

We have a 5x4 prefab coop from My Pet Chicken. I like it, but I want to add more ventilation.

We have mild winters (average high 50°F, average low 35°F), and fairly hot summers (average high 90°F, average low 70°F). It very rarely goes below 25°F or above 95°F. We don't get snow, but we get a good deal of rain. It's quite humid as well.

Where should I add ventilation on this coop?

 

[3KillerBs]

from central NC.

I'm sorry, you probably aren't going to like my advice, but IMO the best thing to do would be to take out the floor completely and replace whichever wall faces away from your prevailing winter/storm winds with hardware cloth.

Then add a spacious run that is either entirely roofed or roofed in the area that connects to the wire wall of the altered coop.

Hot Climate Chicken Housing and Care

Repecka Illustrates Coop Ventilation

 

[Brizi]

from central NC.

I'm sorry, you probably aren't going to like my advice, but IMO the best thing to do would be to take out the floor completely and replace whichever wall faces away from your prevailing winter/storm winds with hardware cloth.

Then add a spacious run.

Hot Climate Chicken Housing and Care

Repecka Illustrates Coop Ventilation

That was something I was considering, actually.

I've been thinking of ways to do it. Take out the tray, screw in some roosting bars where the tray was, add a big ventilation window or two up top, and cover the hardware cloth on the bottom part with wood. I think my main issue/questions would be, 1) if it's in a secure run, can I just leave that gate on the bottom part open, and 2) would the nesting boxes be fine where they are? I don't see how I'd be able to clean it if I couldn't open that bottom gate... I'd love to simply leave it open at all times, but I'm not sure if it'd be too much ventilation down below. Yes, I could cover the bottom gate with wood and make a chicken door, but it catches against the ground when you try to open or close it.

Edit: I attached an example. Yellow would be a ventilation cut out (not sure if I should do one or both sides), blue would be the roosting bars level. The roosting bars on top would stay as well. Then all I would have to do is cover the bottom portion of the run with wood or something, except for that bottom gate. Does that look right?

 

[3KillerBs]

1) if it's in a secure run, can I just leave that gate on the bottom part open,

Do you have photos of your run?

 

[Brizi]

Do you have photos of your run?

No, it's not built yet. It's going to be a 20x10 (or larger) made of Retriever Kennel panels from TSC. Hardware cloth on top of that, hardware cloth below the roof (unless we do corrugated roofing), hardware cloth skirt around the bottom, electric poultry net around the run.

 

[3KillerBs]

No, it's not built yet. It's going to be a 20x10 (or larger) made of Retriever Kennel panels from TSC. Hardware cloth on top of that, hardware cloth below the roof (unless we do corrugated roofing), hardware cloth skirt around the bottom, electric poultry net around the run.

If you're going to roof the run you might consider turning the structure into an open air coop and use this small coop as a brooder and/or isolation ward.

I've got to clock back into work, but my own open air coop is featured in the hot climate article and here are a couple more links:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-positive-local-action-coop.72804/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/california-living.68130/

 

[Brizi]

What if I were to buy a shed like this, screw some 2x4s in for roosting, add some nest boxes near the bottom, and leave the doors open all the time? Would that be better than using or modifying what I currently have?

 

[3KillerBs]

What if I were to buy a shed like this, screw some 2x4s in for roosting, add some nest boxes near the bottom, and leave the doors open all the time? Would that be better than using or modifying what I currently have?

That would be better, though it might need additional venting -- you'd have to measure the temperatures to see how hot it gets inside with the doors open.

Here's an excellent plastic shed conversion: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-scoop-on-a-rubbermaid-big-max-coop.76444/

 

[Brizi]

That would be better, though it might need additional venting -- you'd have to measure the temperatures to see how hot it gets inside with the doors open.

Here's an excellent plastic shed conversion: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-scoop-on-a-rubbermaid-big-max-coop.76444/

Thank you so much for your help! I think we've decided what we're going to do. My fiancé can get a huge wooden box from work, and we're going to modify that into an open-air coop that sits inside the run!

He did have a question though, and I wonder if you could maybe answer that for us? If one side of the coop is always open, how would that effect any predators looking in? Do you think the predator would be more determined to get at the chickens because they can see them? If so, we found a local guy that sells these super nice coops that are a bit more enclosed but still have great ventilation (picture attached), and we could go with that. The thing is, that would be like $700, but the wooden box from work is free.

Edit: Attached general plans for an open-air coop within the run. Light blue is the floor, dark blue is the walls, orange is the nesting boxes and the roosts. The roof would either be completely open, or lifted 4"-6" so air can come out the top.

 

[3KillerBs]

In re: predators looking in, I can't say that it's been a problem for my setup, not even in the medium security holding facility I have for cull and for-sale birds.

Should it become a problem, the best solution, IMO, would be to add hot wires around the perimeter rather than to enclose the chickens more fully. Southeastern US summer heat is brutal even at night.