Windows ventilation and drafts

[MommaHen2Many]

I need to put some windows in my coop addition. It is getting way too hot in there for my birds. I purchased a 1/2 completed coop in 2015. I had to finish one wall, and the roof, as well as adding the hardware cloth. I finished it up and used it until last fall...it did eventually get shingles too.

Everyplace you see kids in the picture below has hardware cloth. In the winter I would wrap the entire coop in green house fabric, so the "outside" areas were still out of the weather and "warmer" than outside on sunny days.

Of course "chicken math" happened to us! So fast forward to last fall...I had 16 chickens, and need to "expand" as we live in a snowy cold climate. And we had our worst winter in about 10 years, I was so glad I had walls up & roof on. I also moved it to a different location.

I kept the "old part" of the coop in hardware cloth and covered with greenhouse plastic in the winter. The dimensions of the addition are about 8x10. It is the larger part in the pictures.

My questions are:
1) how tight does this need to be to prevent "drafts". I can see little slits of daylight in some areas near the roof when inside the coop. Should I fill these slits with Silicone? foam? or just leave them. They are near the "eves" but on that really short end of the longer sloped roof.

2) I REALLY need some cross ventilation. Where should I put it? My eves over hang about 12-18" on each of the 3 sides of the addition. So upper windows/vents would work even in "rainy"/snowy weather.

3) pop doors need to be added, since I want to be able to split the coop into 3 parts. I want to add 3 pop doors. one on the East, one from the "middle" of the coop on the south, and one on the south side of the "broody" baby section. This will also add ventilation...all wont necessarily be open at all times.

Pardon the construction debris in the pictures. I have been working on nest boxes and permanent roosts, & a broody pen for a momma and babies.
Thanks for the help on the questions...also open to any other ideas you have.
(yes I have 12 chickens in the "yard"..mostly they free range..thus the weeds ... they just dont like to eat mallow, or those other big bushy things...but they do like the shade they provide!)

 

[Alaskan]

Ok...my thoughts. ..

1. Looks like the nest boxes are higher than the perch, everyone is going to poop in those boxes.

2. I would install poop shelves/trays and under one poop shelf put nest boxes. Under another poop shelf put a removeable wire front...this would be your temporary broody or chick cage.

3. Do you still have any roofed run? That would be the best place to put a super giant vent/opening.

As to your questions :
1. Just cracks? Leave them. Those will not blow on any perchs, so they are fine.

2. My favorite place would be a giant one on the wall that is against your roofed run....but that is gone now, right? So second favorite, I would do a long opening on the tallest wall. If you make it a big wide and tall opening (which would be great, because wide open would be great for summer heat), make a slider covering, or someway to reduce it in size in the winter. In winter you want the bottom of the vent above the tops of perching chickens.

 

[MommaHen2Many]

Hey Alaskan, thanks.. I know you understand COLD winters!

3. Do you still have any roofed run? That would be the best place to put a super giant vent/opening.

I didnt understand what you mean about roofed run. Far left on this picture, is a section of the coop where the people door opens into. There is hardware cloth that is 5 x 3=15 sq ft and the door itself is hardware cloth that amounts to about 2x4=8sq ft--so about 23 sq foot of ventilation plus on top which is only about 6inches x 8 ft. I just need some cross ventilation....I think. the air doesnt seem to move much

1. Just cracks? Leave them. Those will not blow on any perchs, so they are fine. THANKS

===I'm not following "where" you mean for this answer. I labeled the picts N, S, E & W, could you tell me which side you are talking about?
2. My favorite place would be a giant one on the wall that is against your roofed run.(??)...but that is gone now, right? (the only part gone is the wall that I hooked the new "lower" addition onto.)) it was the "old door space and a clean out door for the little box coop part) So second favorite, I would do a long opening on the tallest wall. (the tallest wall is where the old roof & new roof meet. there is hardware cloth there it is about 6 inches by the width of the entire roof. ))If you make it a big wide and tall opening (which would be great, because wide open would be great for summer heat), make a slider covering, or someway to reduce it in size in the winter. In winter you want the bottom of the vent above the tops of perching chickens.

thanks again for your suggestions.

 

[aart]

They are near the "eves" but on that really short end of the longer sloped roof.

I would open up those eaves(here the blue arrows are) all the eaves, cover with HC from outside. Roof overhang will protect this as all year ventilation.

Put in some top hinged windows in all over, they can be kept open all summer and closed up in winter.

What is your location? Put it in your profile

 

[Ridgerunner]

I hate the word "draft" in this context. When people hear the word draft they think of that tiny bit of air movement you can get in your house near a window or door that isn't sealed properly. The kind you need a candle to see if the flame wavers or the smoke gives a draft away. That kind of air movement is good in a coop, it helps get excess moisture out in winter. Even a bit more air movement is good. In summer, depending on temperature, a breeze generally feels good. It really would help to know your general location so we'd have an idea of your climate and what temperatures you are dealing with.

What you do not want is a breeze hitting the chickens directly when it is really cold but you still want enough air movement to get the moist air out. An easy way to achieve that is to have openings up high under your overhangs. Those stay open year around. That way any cross breeze is over their heads when they are on the roosts. I have high openings on all four walls.

In the summer openings down low help. That can be windows you can open or an area covered with hardware cloth to let breezes in but keep predators out. In winter put a covering over it or close the window.

Cracks that let air move are great as long as they don't allow a strong breeze that can ruffle the chickens' feathers hit the chickens. I've seen chickens sleep in trees below 0 Fahrenheit (-17 C). They were not perched on a bare limb overlooking a bluff. defiantly squawking in the teeth of a blizzard. They were in a protected area where they could get where direct strong winds were blocked, yet they had great ventilation and some gentle wind could hit them. They could position themselves where they were not in strong winds and did fine. Chickens, like the wild birds that overwinter, can handle pretty cold temperatures fine as long as they can get out of the wind.

 

[MommaHen2Many]

I would open up those eaves(here the blue arrows are) all the eaves, cover with HC from outside. Roof overhang will protect this as all year ventilation.

Put in some top hinged windows in all over, they can be kept open all summer and closed up in winter.

What is your location? Put it in your profile

Added it! didn't know it wasn't showing up. Eastern Washington, near the ID border.

 

[MommaHen2Many]

I hate the word "draft" in this context. When people hear the word draft they think of that tiny bit of air movement you can get in your house near a window or door that isn't sealed properly. The kind you need a candle to see if the flame wavers or the smoke gives a draft away. That kind of air movement is good in a coop, it helps get excess moisture out in winter. Even a bit more air movement is good. In summer, depending on temperature, a breeze generally feels good. It really would help to know your general location so we'd have an idea of your climate and what temperatures you are dealing with.

What you do not want is a breeze hitting the chickens directly when it is really cold but you still want enough air movement to get the moist air out. An easy way to achieve that is to have openings up high under your overhangs. Those stay open year around. That way any cross breeze is over their heads when they are on the roosts. I have high openings on all four walls.

In the summer openings down low help. That can be windows you can open or an area covered with hardware cloth to let breezes in but keep predators out. In winter put a covering over it or close the window.

Cracks that let air move are great as long as they don't allow a strong breeze that can ruffle the chickens' feathers hit the chickens. I've seen chickens sleep in trees below 0 Fahrenheit (-17 C). They were not perched on a bare limb overlooking a bluff. defiantly squawking in the teeth of a blizzard. They were in a protected area where they could get where direct strong winds were blocked, yet they had great ventilation and some gentle wind could hit them. They could position themselves where they were not in strong winds and did fine. Chickens, like the wild birds that overwinter, can handle pretty cold temperatures fine as long as they can get out of the wind.

Thanks so much for the detail. I know they do good with no heat (last year it was down to 19 in the coop for a week or so...) I dont supplemental heat, as I have no power in the coop right now...plus we loose power alot so i dont want them to "get used to it" then loose it at the worst possible time....I have read & read on ventilation, and drafts...so I was "freaking" out a bit. The comments are helping me solidify my plans.

 

[MommaHen2Many]

I would open up those eaves(here the blue arrows are) all the eaves, cover with HC from outside. Roof overhang will protect this as all year ventilation.

Put in some top hinged windows in all over, they can be kept open all summer and closed up in winter.

What is your location? Put it in your profile

Your suggestion about opening the eves...this is a very "low" roof side of the coop. Do I need to be concered that the vents would possibly be "lower" than the roosts? I'm guessing for summer no big deal...but what about winter? would I need to fashion covers?

The past winter, with the coop "as is" I checked for "inside" frost every morning...never saw any. So I'm not "too" worried about winter, as I know that went well, but its getting so warm in the end that has no ventilation or windows that this is getting to be a priority for me. Supposed to be at about 100 degrees next week, and though the birds are mostly free ranging in the day...the coop is still warm at night when they need to be locked up. Thanks again for your comments

 

[aart]

Your suggestion about opening the eves...this is a very "low" roof side of the coop. Do I need to be concered that the vents would possibly be "lower" than the roosts? I'm guessing for summer no big deal...but what about winter? would I need to fashion covers?

Well, you could baffle the 'draft' from the eaves by stapling a large piece of cardboard or foam board onto the bottom of rafters in the winter, directing the airflow up a couple feet above the roosts...foam/card board would go from top of wall to above roosts.
Hope that makes sense.

 

[MommaHen2Many]

Well, you could baffle the 'draft' from the eaves by stapling a large piece of cardboard or foam board onto the bottom of rafters in the winter, directing the airflow up a couple feet above the roosts...foam/card board would go from top of wall to above roosts.
Hope that makes sense.

yes, makes sense! Hadn't thought of that.