Ventilation: Active Vs Passive

[AkHenMama]

Do you have any suggestions on what type and where to place ventilation in my coop? I am taking the picture from the door which is at the roof practically and the back is taller than the front. It is 38⁰ and 77% humidity in the coop and 68% humidity outside. It is supposed to be really cold this weekend and next week. I wanted to fix the ventilation and make it warmer for them before then. I have 7 chickens total.

I personally wouldn’t put it over their roosting bars as that will pull the cold moist air past/over them. From the picture it looked like there is a window that could be ‘cracked’ open and maybe a small fan could be put there for more active ventilation? I would definitely want to either weather proof or predator proof the window if it’s left open.

Our more permanent method will be an exhaust fan with a humidistat built in, this will have to wait to the winter storms pass for us.
Our weather sounds super similar at the moment so the active ventilation to push out moisture should help your flock stay more comfy.

 

[AkHenMama]

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.

I certainly agree that chickens are in more danger of frostbite than freezing. We did Vaseline on our 13 girls wattles and combs before the beginning of a recent cold snap (9 degrees during the day not including windchill) and during the middle. They went outside of the coop and run most days without incident, I didn’t let them out on windy/stormy days and they wouldn't have left either .
While I also agree with the cross ventilation, and I am no expert, I have found that just telling people they need more ventilation isn’t specific enough and it definitely led me to be more confused. This confusion ended up giving 3 of my girls frostbite because I thought keeping the passive vents open on the coop would be sufficient air movement in my humid climate and it is not. I finally realized that people were referring to ‘active ventilation’ as just ventilation and added a fan to actively move the air. Soon it will be an exhaust vent with a humidistat so I can maintain humidity year round, very important as I live in a temperate rainforest. I only say this because the right terms helped me figure out what I needed to do in my own coop and I hope to help people not go through my problems.

 

[Sic]

I certainly agree that chickens are in more danger of frostbite than freezing. We did Vaseline on our 13 girls wattles and combs before the beginning of a recent cold snap (9 degrees during the day not including windchill) and during the middle. They went outside of the coop and run most days without incident, I didn’t let them out on windy/stormy days and they wouldn't have left either .
While I also agree with the cross ventilation, and I am no expert, I have found that just telling people they need more ventilation isn’t specific enough and it definitely led me to be more confused. This confusion ended up giving 3 of my girls frostbite because I thought keeping the passive vents open on the coop would be sufficient air movement in my humid climate and it is not. I finally realized that people were referring to ‘active ventilation’ as just ventilation and added a fan to actively move the air. Soon it will be an exhaust vent with a humidistat so I can maintain humidity year round, very important as I live in a temperate rainforest. I only say this because the right terms helped me figure out what I needed to do in my own coop and I hope to help people not go through my problems.

I use an Airtitan T8, running off our battery bank off-grid as it doesn't have a huge power draw. I'm also in the Tongass, so it is set on auto - to come on at high humidity setting which I set for 70, but thinking about raising that setting to 80, idk, it's almost always on

 

[AkHenMama]

I use an Airtitan T8, running off our battery bank off-grid as it doesn't have a huge power draw. I'm also in the Tongass, so it is set on auto - to come on at high humidity setting which I set for 70, but thinking about raising that setting to 80, idk, it's almost always on
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That looks nice!! We got ours in the mail recently, I’m very excited for my hens to be more comfy in our rainforests.

 

[NatJ]

What size is your henhouse area? Rooster in particular and spacing of them. Thank you!

Are you asking about a rooster? (male chicken)
Or about roosts? (things for the chickens to sit on while they sleep)

I'm guessing you mean roosts, and your phone or computer "helped" by changing it to the wrong word.