should coup be left open for ventilation or closed at night

[pattyl110]

I live in Florida, and it is already hot. Should the coup ventilation doors be closed at nite, and then opened in the morning? or should I leave open all the time. My chicks are almost 4 months old, and I want to get eggs and wasn't sure about if I was doing this part right.

One day I came home from work, and they were panting in the coup, it wasn't even that hot, water was good, opened the door to let them run, and all was good.

Just need to know about the openess for egg laying?

 

[woodmort]

You are going to need a lot of ventilation at night as it gets warmer but make sure you have any opening covered with hardware cloth well fastened to keep predators out. If your chickens are panting they need cool air.

 

[the-bird-man]

i think you should keep all the vents open 24/7. if you want them to lay then you want them to have as little stress as possible. i have had most of my vents open and its been in the 30s at night

 

[armadamork]

Keep your vents open all the time. We live in cold climate and never shut them. Helps keep moisture down, smell, and air flow. I did learn the hard way to make sure the vents are cover with hardware cloth or chicken wire. We had a coon climb up the molding nad under the roof vent and kill 9 of our 16 chickens last year.

 

[kla37]

We have strong thick metal ventilation panels and a ridgevent on our coop. In the summer they go inside it just because all the ventilation creates a breeze in there for them. I'd leave it open 24/7 as long as it is really predator proof, like woodmort said.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

The door they use to run in and out of the coop should be closed at night, to keep them safe from predators. The coop should have other openings for ventilation that are covered with hardware cloth, that can be left open all the time, to allow excess heat to escape.

If your coop doesn't have openings like this or they are too small, then you need to cut some. In the mean time, you could also attach a hardware cloth door (with a frame for stability) to your coop that can be locked at night, to keep predators out and still allow more air flow.

Your goal should be to have enough openings in the coop so that it isn't hotter inside the coop than it is outside. Or at least, not much hotter in the coop. I open up a large portion of one wall in the summer, plus have other smaller windows.

Can you add a run to your coop, so the chickens can go in and out of the coop during the day? That would keep them safe when you aren't there and they'd also be able to go outside.

 

[gritsar]

Both of my coops have ventilation slats at the top, but also large windows for fresh air. Arkansas summers can be brutal.

The brahma coop has two large windows - one is about 4 ft. x 5 ft. long, the other is 4 ft. x 8 ft. long. Both are covered in hardware cloth and both had solid wood shutters that can be closed down over them in bad weather. It has a pop door for the chickens to go in and out of during the day.

My larger coop has a screened door and a panel next to the screened door that has a wood frame and hardware cloth. Here's a pic of it:

The screen portion of the door is coverd in hardware cloth as well. It also has solid doors that can be closed during storms, leaving just the window in the back of the coop and the ventilation slats open. This coop has an automatic pop door, but I prefer to disable it in the wintertime, because I want to have a good look around for predators before letting the birds out.

Our nighttime temps. right now are in the high 30s, low to mid 40s and I am leaving the solid doors open at night already. Forty degrees is usually my benchmark on when I start leaving the solid doors and shutters open in spring. I had some hesitation this year as I have chicks in the coop, from a few days old and up, but they are doing fine with their mamas to keep them warm at night. The chicks that are five weeks old aren't even sleeping with mom anymore; they're still doing fine.

 

[Country Parson]

I only shut my vents during rains with heavy cross winds. Otherwise, open 24/7.

 

[packmomma]

As long as you have hardware wire up I say leave it open all the time. I have a fan in mine. In the summer I place the fan in my window to draw the cool night air and then during the day have the fan running with the door and window open. I do not have a "screen" door on mine so the fan in the window really helps.

 

[donrae]

They'll need a lot of air circulation in your warm climate. Keep the vents open and keep an eye on the birds, do you need to punch more holes for better air flow?