Who uses a box fan?

[tdkmom]

I got a clip on fan and clipped it to the curtain rod on the window. It's drying out the floor right now (hopefully). It's well above the chicks fly hopping level so I don't have to worry about them trying to use it as a roost. Everyday I was opening the windows and it was fine but I missed one day and the ammonia smell was pretty bad so I got a small fan to help move the air out. Smells a lot better already.

 

[gabby3535]

Just curious...........and certainly not attempting to tell you what to do, in any way.......but I 'am' wondering why you are having
such ammonia smells? And 'wet bedding' you're trying to dry out with your fan?
On your website, it says you just got you chicks on June 11th.
May I ask, how big your coop is for 25 chicks & 5 ducklings?
What are you using for bedding?
They are too young to be roosting yet, but you may want to consider a droppings board under your roosts, for when they 'do' roost.............as 50% of their poo will be deposited at night, when they are roosting. I clean the poo out of the shavings (on the droppings board) each morning.......with a kitty litter scooper; and any poo that 'is' in the deep litter on the floor, I just turn
over and 'fluff' with a pitch fork. I also have DE mixed into all the pine shavings...........on the floor of the coop, on the droppings board, and in the nest boxes.................and I can honestly say there is absolutely NO SMELL what-so-ever in my coop! For real!
I believe the DE does so much to dry up the poo and control the odors, I cannot imaging managing chickens without it!
I don't believe you should be smelling ANY ammonia in your coop, if things are being managed well.............and you shouldn't
need a fan to 'dry out' the bedding. Any wet bedding should be 'discarded' and replaced with fresh bedding. I fear your birds are
in danger of major respiratory issues. If you can smell ammonia where 'your' nose is, it is quite a bit worse down where your chickies are!
Any questions on coop management, please ask away. There are so many wonderful people on this forum who can help.

 

[ams3651]

I have one of the long window fans hanging from the rafters, its pointed slightly down and toward the middle of the coop. It has a temperature sensor and goes on and off on its own. I figure that its up fairly close to the ventilation in the eves so that should help. The extension cord runs along the wall and out the door, the chickens dont bother it, I use it for the heat lamp in the winter too.

 

[Kirtusjon]

I use 1 20" box fan with built in thermostrat ($25 at home depot), It works great. When it cools done, like during a thunderstorm, it shuts done or if hot during the day cool at night. I keep mine at floor level pulling air in and venting out though the rafters oneast and west side. I used a 24x24 A/C return grill and I have easy access to fan and controls. I also built a shelf at a 45 degree angle over top from wall past fan., so there is no roosting.

PS I have since stained coop and have my birds in there.

 

[1acrefarm]

I basically just have a cheap window fan. I have it exhausting air out the window.

 

[Judy]

I have a larger walkin coop, maybe 10' X 18' or so, with half of one wall made of hardware cloth, and the people door on the opposite side is also hardware cloth. The eaves on the other two sides provide maybe 8" of ventilation for their whole length. I have a box fan screwed into the coop at the top of the half wall that is wire.

In a smaller coop, two full sides are wire, and it is inside a lean to, so that the wire walls are always in shade. I run a small box fan in this one as well, set up so it pulls air across the lower part of the coop, from a shaded and wired area.

I run both fans 24/7 in the summer. I usually have to replace them every 6-8 weeks as they burn out from the dust. They are set up so they will not start a fire (lots of metal.)

No, I don't have pics, don't own a camera.

 

[Judy]

Oh, I missed the ammonia smell thing. Yes, you need to figure out a way to stop this, as it damages their lungs. My larger flock presently hangs out in the coop a good deal of the day for the shade and cooler temps, so this is a challenge for me. There are several good helpers besides using pine shavings and keeping them turned: StallDri and pelleted lime, besides DE, are my approaches. DE is great stuff, but should be used sparingly, as it is no better for our lungs than ours, so you don't want it floating around.