One of the most important aspects of setting up a chicken coop is making sure there is adequate ventilation. It is surprising how much moisture chickens generate. In addition, their waste out-gasses high concentrations of ammonia. In order to maintain proper air quality in the coop, significant venting must be incorporated into your chicken coop design. In this article we will discuss different strategies that may be incorporated into the design of your coop to assure adequate ventilation.
In order to provide proper venting, it’s a good idea to have a basic understanding of the difference between summer venting and winter venting requirements. Cold air is heavier than warm air and warm air has a greater capacity to hold moister. In the summer a typical venting scheme would allow outside air into the coop through openings in the walls of the coop. This can easily be accomplished with screened doors or windows. As fresh air enters through these openings, stale, moist air is exhausted through vents in or near the roof. In the winter cool, heavy air enters through roof vents and sinks, displacing the stale air in the coop. This stale air is then removed through the same roof vents.
Chickens can tolerate quite cold temperatures, but are vulnerable to drafts. It is therefore important to provide ventilation in a way that minimizes drafts. The trick here is to control the general air flow patterns within the coop. In the winter, the only open vents are generally located in or near the roof, above where the chickens reside. It is important in the winter to close off doors and windows in an airtight manner to reduce drafts. Ideally doors can be weather-stripped and glass or plexiglass windows can be fitted to allow light in but eliminate air from entering. In the warm months, ventilation is important to maintain air quality and to help regulate temperatures within the coop. So as the weather warms up, the doors and windows may be left open, but of course screened, to keep the chicken safe from predators. In extremely hot summer climates it may be advisable to replace one or two solid walls with screened walls, although this is only advisable in the most extreme climates.
The easiest way to introduce vents is where the walls of the coop meet the roof. It is advisable keep this venting area as open as possible, without allowing rain to enter. The typical eave vent- blocking with small diameter screened holes seen in residential construction, does not provide adequate venting, in my opinion. When reviewing any set of chicken house plans, always look for provisions that will ensure adequate ventilation.
While each chicken coop design will have different venting needs, based on the local climate conditions and size of the flock, we hope that this article is helpful in providing some general guidelines for providing adequate ventilation in your coop. See our links at right for additional information and tips on building and setting up your chicken coop, including accessories such as chicken coop nesting boxes. Here is some information on several chicken coop plans suitable for any size backyard chicken-keeping operation.