10 Tips for a Cooler Coop

[farmfresh]

I agree with the shade idea. Providing shade for the coop will help it not heat up so much. I have used an old exterior roll up type shade made for windows or porches. I use this over the run. Since it is made of slats breeze passes through, but sunlight really doesn't.

I would also highly recommend planting a deciduous tree nearby to shade the house and run during the summer. When the leaves fall in the autumn it will allow sunlight in for winter warmth.

If you can't plant a tree - I can't - then use vines! I have a net trellis tacked up to the house and the side of the run to grow vines on. Morning glory, trumpet vine, honeysuckle, or even pole beans like green beans, limas, or the Scarlet Runner beans I am growing all work great. Most get plenty tall to provide good shade and you get the bonus of flowers or even veggies. For a more long term solution you could even plant GRAPES!

 

[farmfresh]

One more thing. Make a "vent window" near the floor. This will need to be heavily reinforced with rat wire to prevent infiltration of rodents but it will allow natural air convection to move cool air across the floor, where the chickens are, and hot air up and hopefully out.

 

[suburbanhomesteader]

Great idea about the vent window, Farmfresh. It works even better if it's on the north side of the coop, and if the area on the north side is shaded with plants; plants give an evaporative cooling effect when they transpire, and of course shaded ground will be cooler, as well.

 

[Picco]

My coop is attached to an old barn on the south side. The coop really heats up but the barn stays cool so I cut a hole in the attached wall about a foot above the floor and put in a box fan so cool air is pulled into the coop from the barn. The coop also has a slate roof so that bakes in the sun. I try to hose it down so it cools a bit. A frozen soda bottle in front of the fan will function like an air conditioner too.

 

[chicks rule]

Okay I can't think right now, but, what is the metal whirly thing that is on the tops of house and such for circulation???

 

[ingrid42]

I have two probably stupid questions but here goes - 1. How hot is too hot for the chickens? It gets pretty hot here in the summer but not sure I want to run a box fan outside all day. 2. Is loose chicken coop wire a problem? When we built the coop we couldn't seem to get the wire tight so it sags a bit. Any thoughts?

 

[justusnak]

Chicks Rule.....the "whirly gig" thingy on top..is called a turbine. We have one on our coop. It helps alot. Then we have a window, and a fan on the west side of the coop....but its shaded by trees. The north side has a screen door, that enters into the hubby's shop...( yeah, he is thrilled! ) LOL But it is cool in there from the concrete floors....and there is a door on the south side, ful size door...lets lots of air in. The east side has 2 windows, that are open to the other coop...which has the door open all day for them. Temps do get quite warm in there at times...but fresh water several times a day helps!

 

[dangerouschicken]

On the subject of HEATING a coop, are there very small solar heaters on the market anyone might recommend? I've looked into making one of these:

http://www.reuk.co.uk/print.php?article=Make-a-Simple-Solar-Air-Heater.htm

...but not sure if it will actually work or not. What do you think? My coop is a converted large plastic doghouse.

 

[Colonel]

This is my chicken ark (I can't bring myself to call this thing a "tractor" since they're supposed to be green and say "John Deere" on the side). It is located in North Central Florida, so heat is definitely a major issue. I keep 8 Buff Orpingtons in this and they seem to do just fine. They free-range in the back yard during the day. We lock them up at night.

I added vent panels along the top to provide circulation.

Here you can see the ark opened up by removing the side panels. The roost is at the bottom of the covered portion, so there is plenty of air circulation.

One of these days I'll post more info on this. I took a series of photos throughout the construction of it.

Colonel

 

[65browneyes]

Well.......we hit 111*F today. Supposed to be 115 (or something ridiculous like that) later in the week. There are days when I can't be here to spray the girls' area down as often as I'd like.

Anybody have any thoughts to share on the idea of dry ice in the henhouse? I was thinking about creating a "drop-hole" in the floor of the coop that would house a chunk of dry ice, but would be covered with hardware cloth so they couldn't come in contact with the ice. I'd also be sure to be able to cover it well during the winter.

I could also fashion a container to house the dry ice on the floor of the coop, again, in such a manner that the girls couldn't touch it.

I already use frozen 2 liter bottles for my rabbit, so I am familiar with that idea, and am certainly not opposed to it. Only problem is, for the area, I'd need to have upwards of 20 frozen bottles in the freezer. This isn't realistic for me.