Winter Ventilation in TN

[nrayas2003]

I am in Southern Middle TN. I have 6 hens and a rooster. I have no open ventilation right now besides the openings in the tin of the roof. It was 26⁰ and 81% humidity in my coop this morning. My coop was made out of a wooden crate for a machine and just has siding so not insulated very good but not drafty at all. I want to make it warmer in there for them but draw out any moisture also. The front is lower than the back. I was thinking of putting a ventilation fan above their heads where I have circled but not sure what else I can do. I have sand about 1" deep on the floor. It is probably about 4' wide, 9' long, and 6' high inside. I have wrapped the run in plastic but left room around the top to let air in.

 

[OrpingtonManiac]

You may have more luck posting Here

 

[nrayas2003]

I am in Southern Middle TN. I have 6 hens and a rooster. I have no open ventilation right now besides the openings in the tin of the roof. It was 26⁰ and 81% humidity in my coop this morning. My coop was made out of a wooden crate for a machine so not insulated very good but not drafty at all. I want to make it warmer in there for them but draw out any moisture also. The front is lower than the back. I was thinking of putting a ventilation fan above their heads where I have circled but not sure what else I can do. I have sand about 1" deep on the floor. It is probably about 4' wide, 9' long, and 6' high inside. I have wrapped the run in plastic but left room around the top to let air in.

 

[DobieLover]

It doesn't need to be any warmer in there. It's fine at ambient temperatures.
You NEED ventilation to let moisture escape. I would open up the area you indicate in the back, cover it with 1/2" hardware cloth and install an awning if required to keep rain out.
Then you can install two vents over the coach lamps at the front for fresh air intake. Secure them with 1/2" hardware cloth too.
Question: why did you pitch the roof so the runoff falls in front of the door?

 

[nrayas2003]

It doesn't need to be any warmer in there. It's fine at ambient temperatures.
You NEED ventilation to let moisture escape. I would open up the area you indicate in the back, cover it with 1/2" hardware cloth and install an awning if required to keep rain out.
Then you can install two vents over the coach lamps at the front for fresh air intake. Secure them with 1/2" hardware cloth too.
Question: why did you pitch the roof so the runoff falls in front of the door?

Thank you for the suggestions. I will do that. My husband did the coop from a picture I showed him. I didn't know until later on that the run off should have been to the back. We put a gutter on it to try and help with that.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Pasting my response from the other thread.

Too cold for a chicken (that is not silkied or frizzled) is nowhere near 23°F. The humidity is more of a concern for causing frostbite in your area than the temperature. Adding vents is a must. Locate vents on opposite sides of the coop for proper cross ventilation.

Again, temperature is not a problem in TN as long as you have sufficient ventilation. My coop is not insulated, not heated, has 24+ feet of open vents year round, and it regularly gets down below zero here in the winter. Your chickens will be fine.

 

[nrayas2003]

Pasting my response from the other thread.

Again, temperature is not a problem in TN as long as you have sufficient ventilation. My coop is not insulated, not heated, has 24+ feet of open vents year round, and it regularly gets down below zero here in the winter. Your chickens will be fine.

Thank you so much! First time owning chickens and just didn't want anything happening to them because I don't know what I'm doing yet I'm going to ventilate it this weekend and just watch to make sure everything is going good. They seemed happy go lucky this morning so we shall see

 

[Hopin]

I'm over in West Tennessee. My coop is 8 X12 and completely open on one 8 foot front facing South. The closed back is to the North, roof is sloped to the West, with a 3 inch vent at the East roof line. My nest boxes are external access opposite the roost area on the outside of the coop, with deep litter pine shavings on the floor. I'm in my third year and have never lost a hen to the cold during below zero cold spells. It's surprising how well chickens do in cold if they are dry and protected from the wind. Good luck with them.

 

[thistlewick]

You can check your prevailing winds here for knowing where to put large ventilation gaps -- everyone's will be different we have a really large country!