SOLAR AND TRADITIONAL SOLUTIONS TO COOLING
This year it was time to address cooling the barn loft to allow us to grow out the late seson hatches. On an 80 degree day the loft could be as warm as 100 plus degrees in the heat of the day--add humidity to that and it was unbearable. So the loft birds would be moved to the ground level as early as June 1st each year. Even with floor fans the air quality and heat were more than I would expect my birds to thrive in. Besides, how unfair is it to deprive them of hitting the ground running on a nice summer day. So the loft would remain empty from June through September.
But the loft is ideal for growing chicks--dry and spacious with great natural light. There was just the issue of air circulation and humidity control.
We looked into industrial exhaust/fan systems which would have done the job but with the advances in solar products we decided to purchase the Big Frog Mountain Solar Attic Fan
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The Solar Attick Fan was much smaller than I anticipated, installation was easy (at least easy for someone with some construction background). We picked the roof location that gets the most direct sunlight in the summer months and it started running as soon as the sun hit it. The fan runs from about 9:30a.m. until 5p.m. It stops almost as soon as the sun has moved on, but the volume of hot damp air it pulls out of the room makes it usable. It will hold the air temperature--on a 90 degree day it is 90 in there as opposed to 120 degrees. It also pulls the humidity out of the room. With the windows open and the help of a floor fan to move the air around it has proved to be a great environment for growing chicks. I still would not house adults up there year round, but the odd mother hen seems to do just fine. The pictures below were taken in the heat of the day with the outside temperature 89 degrees. Temp in the loft read 90 degrees. The chicks are doing great.
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Because the barn is not insulated as soon as the sun has passed over, the loft begins to cool down. By dusk each night I am turning off the fan and turning on the heat lamp...thank god for cooler New England nights. Seems nuts to go from fans to heat lamps in a matter of hours, but you gotta keep the chicks happy. As this batch gets bigger the pen can be moved back to allow another 15 x 20 feet of grow out room. When this mother hen has had enough of them she will return to the ground level with her pen mates. There was a second mother hen in with them but she lost patience with the babies and is now happily back with the adults.
The fan has an optional thermostat which will turn on the fan when the inside temp hits 80 degrees, as opposed to turning on whenever the sun is out to power it. I plan on testing it in the winter months to see if it will expell the moist air and improve the general air quality. If it doesn't I have the thermostat to keep the fan shut down.
I am very happy with the Big Frog Mountain solar exhaust fan and hope to add them to my 8x12 coops soon.
Below are some pictures taken from the barn roof of the yard and some of the other houses and pens
In the Main Barn we use traditional Industrial Overhead Ceiling Fans we purchased from FarmTek. They really move the air around. On hot days you will see more chickens inside lounging around catching the breeze than you will out in the yard. My biggest concern was that my Jacobin and Indian Fantail Pigeons would fly into them but the Jacobins don't get up very high, and the Fantails are smart enough to avoid them.
Luckily the Barn has it's own Electric Panel which allows us to run the fans on different settings with the turn of a dial. Today the
outdoor temperature is 89 degrees and the barn temperature is 80 degrees.
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