Chicken Coop Ventilation

This is page 2 of our article. For page 1 of Building a Poultry House click here.

Continuing with the four important steps of building a poultry house, chicken coop ventilation and outdoor space for your chickens is critical.

Chickens are dependant on light and fresh air and exercise for their well-being.

Chicken coop ventilation is key to keeping them healthy in summer and all year round. They will lay eggs more productively and have less illnesses if you include the proper vents and outdoor areas for them in your plans.

Click here for Do-it-Yourself plans for building a chicken coop

 
Plan for light and ventilation

• First, remember that windows are an important part of the chicken coop design.
  
• Chickens need about 10 hours of natural light everyday to stay healthy and happy.

• Your poultry house plans should include specifications for windows.

 Get this coop at Building a Chicken Coop

You are trying to create a good environment for your chickens, not just an egg farm, right? Windows in the chicken coop allow natural light and help ventilate the poultry house when the whether is good.

All good poultry house design plans should have dimensions and space plans for windows in the coop, no matter how simple or elaborate the coop is.

Build an outdoor run and chicken fence

• Second, include a chicken run or fenced area attached to the coop outdoors.
  
• Chickens need to run and get exercise everyday. They are hardy birds and will go outside even in bad weather.
  
• The run needs to be big enough for each chicken to have about 10 square feet of space.
  
• Be sure to allow enough space for your run in your poultry house plans before you begin buying chickens.

Keeping it secure

• Last, the fencing for the run or outdoor area needs to be strong and secure.
  
• Avoid predators attacking your chickens by covering the run with a wire ‘ceiling’, remembering that attacks can happen from above!
  
• Storms can blow down flimsy wire fencing if it is not installed properly. Make sure your poultry house plans include a good chicken run.

By following these steps to add chicken coop ventilation and using a good plan, you will have a great success in building your chicken coop. Make sure you follow the dimensions and measurements exactly and you will have a coop that will last for years to come!

These are the plans I settled on:

They really worked for me and I got the chicken coop I wanted within my budget and my building skills. I highly recommend you check out Building a Chicken Coop.

It is the ultimate guide to planning and building your own coop in your backyard. In includes drafts of plans, dimensions, materials lists and sources to everything you need to build a sustainable chicken coop.