Air vent on coop

Roadrk

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Hi I'm new to chickens just woundering should air vent be left open even at night
 
Hi Roadrk,
I leave mine open unless it is really cold. The height of the perches means that they are not in a draught and they do seem to like a bit of a change of air.
 
The air vent needs to be left open at all times, even if it is really cold. Unless there is more than one air vent, then you could close some, but at least one must always be left open. What type of house do you have?
 
I have a wood coop only one sliding vent on top above door
 
Then this vent needs to be left open at all times. I assume it is covered by mesh?
 
We only close ours slightly if it is cold Roadrk. If it is cold and windy we close the windward side only, leaving the other open. We never fully close the vents and they are designed so that they can't be fully closed accidentally -there is always some airflow through them. Bad news otherwise for condensation and respiratoy problems.

As you have only one vent it must never be closed as the airflow won't be that good anyway. Perhaps you can add one on the opposite side without putting the roosting chickens in a draught?
 
You dont ever have to worry about hens getting cold at night as they are so well insulated by their feathers and used to living out of doors. So long as they are in a waterproof coop, where the wind doesn't blow in directly and cause a draught, the more ventilation, the better. If you close up the pophole and the vents, they are at risk of condensation, damp conditions, and respiratory infections. Certainly at this time of year, they need all the air they can get at night.
 
I have just built a new coop and been wondering about a Vent. No problem-thanks to a bit of planning as the roof- which is detachable for cleaning- Has a 1/4" gap all round it. Only thing I might do is put a vent lower down in the coop to allow movement but I will check my building skills before I put one in.

The last coop I built was out of close boarding and there are sufficient gaps in that--as I found out when I tried a fumigator to eliminate Red Mite.
 
My latest coops which have just over 1 cubic meter volume have an adjustable front vent 300 x 180 and a fixed rear vent 300 x 90 which equates to 45 feet of 1/4" air gap Stapfam. I hope mine are big enough.
 
Since I lost my silver laced dotte bantam to a respiratory infection sometime ago I have had a thing about ventilation.
I had a 2" wide x 28" long vent across the front of the coop only at the top. However with all the recent hot and humid weather yesterday I fitted a new panel in the same position but it now 4" wide. The coop slopes from front to back and there are no draughts. Thought this would make for a better environment. Here's hoping!
 

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