Chicken coop vents: Here’s why they need to be above your chickens’ heads
One of my blog readers, Dana, recently wrote me this question about chicken coop ventilation:
“A lot of the articles I read say that the ventilation needs to be above their heads… I am curious why [vents] must be above them versus below them?”
I’ve answered Dana’s question in detail in my video below.
Video highlights
Vents need to be above your chickens’ heads during cold weather.
Chicken coop vents need to be above your chickens’ heads during cold weather to prevent drafts.
The way that ventilation works is fresh air comes into the vents and mixes with the stale chicken coop air—full of moisture and gases from poop, breath, and decomposing bedding. Then the air escapes through vents that are mainly higher up and/or on the opposite sides of the coop.
Essentially, the air outside flows in one direction and is blocked by the coop, creating positive pressure on that side of the coop and negative pressure on the opposite side. That pressure difference causes the air to be pushed through the vents on the higher pressure side into the coop and out of the vents on the lower pressure side. This is how drafts are formed in your coop.
This explanation is a bit oversimplified, but this is the gist of it. You can see a simple video of this process below:
When your vents are at or below chicken level, the movement of the air can cause drafts across your chickens that’ll prevent them from staying warm during the winter. So be sure to close all vents in your coop during the winter that are at or below chicken level.
The daytime exception to this is the pop door, but you do need to close this door at night to keep your chickens warm.
Also, make sure you have some vents above your chickens’ level that you can keep open during cold temperatures to remove the stale air.
Vents may be at or below your chickens’ level during hot weather.
Drafts help chickens cool down during the hot summer nights, so you don’t need to worry about your vents being at or below chicken level. Vents at any level will be much appreciated by your birds.
Still confused?
Still confused about how these drafts form and move? Check out my YouTube video at the top of this post. I use a chicken coop model (i.e., a cardboard box with “vents” added in at different levels) to show you how the air will move through your coop and why.
And for a detailed look at the topic of chicken coop ventilation in general, including where exactly to put your vents, what types of vents to use, and how much ventilation your coop needs, see my articles: