Ventilation tips or ideas?

[matt44644]

Hi, I have a 10'x8' shed.I'm trying to figure the best way to ventilate it.It has 2 3" x 9" vents , one on the east and one on the west side.The one on the east i will probably have to close in the winter.I get 10-30 mph winds 80% of the time and the land east of me will be 200+ empty acres by winter.

 

[cpaltman]

I think you've got the right idea with those 3x9 vents. You may want to put them up high, near the peak of the roof. I'd imagine where you are you're going to get more cold weather than hot. The vents will need to allow some air circulation but don't need to help with controlling temperature. From what I've seen chickens have a hard time with heat but not so much with cold, they just need shelter from the wind.

 

[Ridgerunner]

In the winter you want the vents up high. The two bad things you want to get rid of are ammonia and moisture. Ammonia is lighter than air so will rise to the top. Warm air holds more moisture than cold air and will also rise. Even in winter there is some temperature difference out there. You also do not want a breeze hitting the chickens when they are on the roost. Some are street-smart enough to get down off a roost if the wind is hitting them but not all are. Help them out.

That roof looks pretty flat. Still you can put a roof vent or even a cupola up there to help vent at the top. With snow, I would not count on a ridge vent to do much good, though in summer it will help get rid of hot air.

You don’t have much room for it, but a gable vent will move a lot of air. Maybe you could fit one or two of those in. Remember you don’t want moving air to hit them, but if you put the gable vents on one end and the roosts in the far end, like a cul de sac, you can get some good ventilation with a cross breeze without that breeze hitting them.

I don’t see any overhang. A normal way to vent and keep rain or snow out is to put an opening under the overhang and cover it with hardware cloth. With that building I don’t see that as an option for you.

 

[matt44644]

In the winter you want the vents up high. The two bad things you want to get rid of are ammonia and moisture. Ammonia is lighter than air so will rise to the top. Warm air holds more moisture than cold air and will also rise. Even in winter there is some temperature difference out there. You also do not want a breeze hitting the chickens when they are on the roost. Some are street-smart enough to get down off a roost if the wind is hitting them but not all are. Help them out.

That roof looks pretty flat. Still you can put a roof vent or even a cupola up there to help vent at the top. With snow, I would not count on a ridge vent to do much good, though in summer it will help get rid of hot air.

You don’t have much room for it, but a gable vent will move a lot of air. Maybe you could fit one or two of those in. Remember you don’t want moving air to hit them, but if you put the gable vents on one end and the roosts in the far end, like a cul de sac, you can get some good ventilation with a cross breeze without that breeze hitting them.

I don’t see any overhang. A normal way to vent and keep rain or snow out is to put an opening under the overhang and cover it with hardware cloth. With that building I don’t see that as an option for you.

Thanks

 

[aart]

If your prevailing wind is from the east, put the vents horizontally on the west side as high as possible.
You will get some air infiltration from the 'eave' ridges that should help without drafting.
I'd put your nests very low so your roosts can be above them but as far from the roof as possible.

I'd be more worried about summer heat than winter cold in that shed.
I have two of those sheds (for storage, not chickens) and they are hotter than you know what in the summer, even the one that's mostly in the shade gets really hot.
Also keep the snow off the roof... I had one collapse(and one with drastically bowed 'trusses' that I cleared before collapse) this winter when we got that last wet snow.

 

[matt44644]

If your prevailing wind is from the east, put the vents horizontally on the west side as high as possible.
You will get some air infiltration from the 'eave' ridges that should help without drafting.
I'd put your nests very low so your roosts can be above them but as far from the roof as possible.

I'd be more worried about summer heat than winter cold in that shed.
I have two of those sheds (for storage, not chickens) and they are hotter than you know what in the summer, even the one that's mostly in the shade gets really hot.
Also keep the snow off the roof... I had one collapse(and one with drastically bowed 'trusses' that I cleared before collapse) this winter when we got that last wet snow.

Thanks