Attention: clear roofing owners

I am building a new coop (a shed type) and I want to have clear roofing on it. I am in Kansas and I think that it would help with our 15-30 degree (avg) winters. However, we do get hot in the summers too. I was planning on only putting it on the South facing roof, but that is not definite. I plan on planting vine type plants over the run to help with the sun in summer time.

In the summer how do you keep it from getting too warm?

Thanks for all your help!

Hi Tonya....I'm getting ready to put a roof on part of a run. I'd like the clear for the winter months too, so I thought if I use the clear then I might cover it with a tarp or shade cloth for the summer. The sides will still be open for plenty of circulation through the pen.

I think you are talking about putting the clear plastic on the roof of your hen house? If not, sorry, I'm a blond and sometimes a little slow. If so ...

Here's a picture of what we did to add lots of extra light (I really think this is why my girls laid so well all winter without supplementing their light). We used a regular roof with light shingles but used the clear plastic on the sides to help both with ventilation (you can't totally seal it up) and for the extra light. The far side where the roof is sloped down is facing west with the largest open side with the plastic facing east. Both the south and north sides also have the plastic.

Having the west side without any plastic but with the sloped roof keeps the hotter sun out of the coop. We also left ventilation holes under there to help with air flow. My front window that faces south is covered with hardware mesh and a wood shutter that I can adjust to open an inch or all the way giving lots of air flow through the coop with it also. We then have a regular glass window on the south side that is also covered with hardware cloth so I can open it and add airflow.





Hopefully this helps you somewhat with ideas.

I'm wondering about those bamboo-type fence for the top of the run in the summer. It would let the air through and shade the run all in the same time.

Great ideas!

Katy, I will have to look up shade cloth. I have heard of it but not actually seen it.

Chirpy, I love the window idea. I will have to think on where and how to put them in.

Mandomama, I never would have thought about using one of those. We have one on our front porch that I love, but I my brain would have never made the connection!

Great ideas! Now you have got me really thinking!

I got the shade cloth at either Lowes or Home Depot. It was in the garden dept. I've used it over the wire that's over the tops of my runs.

I have a 4' part of my roof that is smoked plastic. I have it on the west side so all winter is gets the sun. But in the summer it is under a tree to keep it cool.

Thanks Katy!

Barelawn, Thanks I wish I had a tree, I may plant something there but for now....
Welcome to BYC! Everyone here is great!!!

Tonya, we're using clear roofing over our run on the north side of the barn so shade is not a problem for us.

You can buy the corrugated in various colours, so one of your options is to use clear say on 50% of the run and a shady colour, even solid panels on the rest. You might be able to find a color to match your coop!

When I was younger, my parents had greenhouses. We would put whiting on them (the greenhouses, not my parents) in the spring to keep out some sun. The whiting would wash off a bit after every rain, so by fall, the roofs would be nearly clear again.

(I do like the shade cloth better.)