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Chickens are very sensitive to changes in the surrounding environmental conditions and we often have to change how we manage them across the year to make sure they stay comfortable as the weather changes. In this section, we will cover the basics of ventilation, lighting, temperature, and humidity.
Ventilation is important for chicken coops to bring in fresh air, prevent the build-up of moisture, and keep the coop cooler in summer months. Having poor ventilation can lead to respiratory problems in your flock and the inside will smell bad for both you and your birds.
Most coop designs with come with doors, windows, and pop holes that can be opened or closed as need to let air pass through. Some coops may also have gable vents (vents under the roofline) and cuppolas (domed structure on top with vents) to let hot air that has risen escape.
Good ventilation means that any potential vents or openings are positioned in a location and height to allow good airflow without exposing birds to uncomfortable drafts.
Cupola vents and gable vents should be narrow openings and covered in hardwire cloth or strong mesh to prevent predators from sneaking in.
In warmer climates, you may want to consider have a coop with a taller ceiling and good ventilation at the top to help keep the inside cool.
Drafts are streams of air that seep in unintentionally through gaps under doors, gaps around window frames. or poor fitting joins in the structure. This can happen if the coop parts don’t fit together tightly, the wood frame warps over time, or there are too many openings that are the wrong size and in the wrong place. Where possible, we want to seal off areas that allow drafts to keep birds more comfortable in colder weather.
If there is too little ventilation, your flock may not want to enter the coop at night to roost or they may not want to access the nesting boxes during the day to lay eggs. This may lead to eggs being laid on the floor or outside the coop. If there is too much ventilation, you may see their feathers being ruffled when they are on the floor or roosting.
A lot of chicken behaviour is controlled by the amount and intensity of light in their environment. They need enough light in the coop during the morning so they get the signal to wake-up and start their day. However, the nesting area should remain dim enough so that they feel sheltered and protected.
To reduce the effects of reduced day length on egg production, artificial lighting can “fool’ the chickens to remain in egg production. Lights in the chicken house that keep the day length at above about 14 hours per day will keep hens laying well through the fall in winter months. Only low wattage lights are needed, a single 25 to 40 watt bulb on a timer that turns the lights on before sunset and off at about 10 pm is sufficient.
Chickens generally prefer environmental conditions to be around 21°C but can tolerate ranges between 5°C and 30°C before getting too uncomfortable.
Chicken coops usually don’t need to be insulated even in cold climates because birds can generally keep themselves warm enough through the insulation provided by their feathers as well as body heat when they huddle together in an enclosed space.
The main reason for not insulating is that it can cause humidity to build-up inside the coop which is a bigger risk factor for chickens getting frostbite than low temperatures alone. It is not recommended to use heat lamps inside of coops as these are a significant fire hazard. Heat pads may be a safer alternative.
Chickens are much more sensitive to high temperatures since they don’t have sweat glands to cool themselves off. Signs they might be too warm are when they pant fast and open their beaks to help release excess heat. You may also notice them spreading their wings.
Birds with larger combs and wattles are more tolerant to high temperatures. Above 30°C, they will start to suffer from heat stress leading to organ damage, deformed eggs, and potentially death.
Some tips to help keep them cool are installing fans, adding ice cubes to their water, and providing a shallow pool of water in their run.
Relative humidity between 40% to 70% is ideal for hens to lay eggs. Humidity can usually be adequately controlled by having good ventilation and litter management in the coop with no extra interventions needed.