Galvanized Steel Siding

Here is my chicken ark located in North Central Florida (Volusia County). It is constructed entirely of galvanized steel except for the wire around the bottom.

My previous batch of chickens was kept in a pole-barn construction coop made of Ondura and wire. I lost a fair number of chickens to the heat and did not want to go through that again. That old coop is now a storage shed.

I have had no indication at all of ANY kind of heat-related problems with this design. I keep it under a shade tree, and the chickens have the run of the fenced-in yard during the day. We lock them in at night to protect against predators.

We have 8 Buff Orpingtons living here.

I don't know why galvanized steel roofing is not more popular. I'm sold on it and will be building another one to raise chicks, and it will be built the same way. It is FAR easier and faster to work with than any other method I've seen.



More photos in the thread about ventilation https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5944&p=3

Colonel

All my coops are metal, and size and ventilation play the biggest part in how hot or cold they are.

Two of the coops are 8X8 with sand floors, and I find the girls inside laying in the sand when it gets hot. I have even seen them sleeping on the sand instead of the roosts on very hot nights. I don't use chicken doors for these coops. They have people doors that stay open 24/7, and windows for cross ventilation. I use misters under the eaves.

The other coop is long and divided into stalls with metal covered runs attached. The walls facing the runs are OSB at the bottom and hardware cloth at the top. The inside walls and roof are OSB. I use fans at either end to help take the hot air out and misters under the eaves. It still gets hot inside, but it is not because of the metal.

I am thinking of adding turbines to all my coops.

It works for me, but the coops are in the shade. Not sure how it would be out in the middle of a pasture.

The size also makes a difference. A 4x4 all metal coop with a closed chicken door (at night) and one or two windows would be an oven during any summer.

We just made the decision to convert half of one of our 10x13 metal sheds into our coop. We decided on the bordered under our trees for the shade and to install a "whirly bird" for ventilation. (whirly bird is what I call those air things on top of buildings - sorry I don't remember the technical name! lol) Any suggestions for this conversion? DH & DS said to decide how much space I'll need but I want to be careful not to allow it to become an oven/freezer. I would appreciate any input. thanks,

If approximately 5X6, allow for lots of ventilation. Make a long window opposite the chicken door for cross ventilation. In the winter, just tack heavy gauge plastic over the windows.

Okay, okay you're trying to confuse me on purpose aren't you Allen Wranch. I am looking at a 10x14' coop right now. I think with a turbine vent and possibly a box fan in the summer it could work. I am the kind of person who wants to do it right the first time. I have toyed with the idea of buying an old oilfield tank and turning it into a coop. It would probably be a nightmare trying to insulate it tho. It keeps popping into my head though. I am a much better welder than carpenter. Decisions, decisions. Bob

Sorry Bob, I thought your coop was going to be half of 10x14.

My coop pictures are scattered throughout this website for various and assorted reasons, but here are some so you can see what I mean.

Front


Back - west sun hits here. Has windows on south and east sides. Part of metal doors come off at top for ventilation in summer, but cannot take off all of door metal because of heat. Nest box doors open out for more ventilation. Fronts are covered in hardware cloth.


Back of long coop

Neat as can be. Really nice looking coops. So much good info here. You guys are bound and determined to get me to build something artistic. The old simple square shed just doesn't look like much compared to the beautiful little coops that abound on this site.