? about drafts in far SE Texas

[FyshWyfe]

So we live way down South of Houston, so it's hot as ___ in the summer and we only freeze a handful of nights a year. We're turning one end of a shed into a coop, and I'm worried about giving them adequate ventilation in the stifling heat and humidity we get down here. Before I'd spent much time on this forum I had DH cut some round "port holes" at roost level because I thought they'd like to look outside, but now I'm reading that the vents need to be above roost level. So, allow me to be a bit more descriptive.
The space is 8'x6' and 10' high. One wall already has 3" gaps running under the roof's overhang that we will screen over with hardware cloth. I can extend these as much as we need to, but I'm worried about rain getting in if we make it too big. Two other walls are solid. The fourth wall, the one we have only half built, is going to have a screen door that we picked up on the cheap, reinforced with hardware cloth. Should we finish out that wall with screen so it's essentially open air? Should we plug up the port holes that are at roost level? Should we increase the high-up ventilation under the eave?
Thanks so much for your help, y'all!
-Hillary

 

[BooBear]

Well I am no construction expert, my dad is a carpenter so he did most of the work on my coop, the main coop is an open air design. Right now it is wrapped up except for the upper areas that were left for ventilation.

As our winters do not have many days in the freezing temps we are more worried about making the coop livable in our summer heat. We pushed to get it finished to where we could get everyone moved in. It still needs work, but we will tweek it more most likely when the weather gets better again.

 

[Chicken.Lytle]

Welcome to BYC! I started with chickens over the summer and the people of BYC have been great. Please visit my BYC Page for my blog links that you may find informative or amusing.

My own coop is lower half plywood and upper half farm fence . Currently 3.8 sides are covered with 6 mil plastic sheet. There exposed part is protected by a tarp hanging between the coop roof and the pen fence. Also, there is a 2 inch gap between the roof and the wall which is blocked up over by the chicken roost to keep drafts off.

 

[elmo]

The port holes down at roost level will be nice in the summer, but you'll probably want to block them off for the cold weather you do get. I'm in North Texas, and I have awning style windows and flaps for the vents in my coop. In the summer, they're all wide open, but in the winter, all but the top front vent gets latched shut. It's working well.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=32217-the-just-right-coop

Make use of what natural shade you have, too, if possible. I have an open sided coop (hardware cloth only on all sides) but it gets afternoon sun in the summer. It's awfully hot under the roof even after sundown. My latest coop is built where it gets shade in the afternoon, and I also used radiant roof sheathing to try to keep down the buildup of heat inside the coop. That, plus plenty of ventilation, keeps the inside of this coop no hotter than the outside air...which in the summer is plenty hot enough.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I would think so, othewise it will be *real* hot in there. Chickens do not tolerate heat AT ALL well.

Should we increase the high-up ventilation under the eave?

It would be a good idea IMO. I mean, if you have a hurricane coming through you can always close off those vents (screw a piece of plywood over, or whatever) but most of the time you will WANT as much airflow as possible.

I had DH cut some round "port holes" at roost level because I thought they'd like to look outside, but now I'm reading that the vents need to be above roost level.

That's fine, you may want some mechanism to close those off in aforementioned hurricaney type weather but most of the time in hot weather chickens LIKE having an open window right next to the roost for some direct breeze. Just make real REAL REAL sure that you use good quality hardwarecloth VERY WELL ATTACHED to screen them, because otherwise if a raccoon or possum can get up there, and they can climb nearly sheer walls, you *will* be tempting it with sleeping chicken just inches away.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[Fred's Hens]

Focus on ventilation and cooling aspects for your heat. You only have a handful of cool nights a year. Notice I say 30F is merely cool, not cold.

You could throw a tarp on for those few cool nights. I sure wouldn't design features for a mere handful of nights a year, on average. Design features for the 180 nights a year of heat you do have to endure.

Your other consideration is indeed predator protection.

 

[gsim]

Pat and others are right. focus on cooling them. In your area, I would just do a coop that is more like a carport than a building. In colder weather, you can put up tarps on 3 sides to block wind. Welded wire will keep out everything but wild hogs, snakes, and weasels. Best to add hardware cloth mesh over that around whole coop up to 24" ht. For run, 2 x 4 welded wire is going to do just fine. I set mine in cement and electrified it. Go to 'Habitat' store or thrift store and buy a used ceiling fan for hot days. They will need it down there. See 'My BYC Page'.

gerry

 

[FyshWyfe]

Thank you!! Will increase ventilation all around.

 

[Baymule]

Livingston here. The bottom of my coop is hardware cloth 12 inches up, all the way around. I took my time placing plywood pieces on, watching where the sun glared in. My coop is about half/half. For the winter, I opened plastic feed bags and stapled them on, leaving 3 sides open at the bottom and several other openings. I have a droppings board under the roost to keep cold drafts from blowing under the ladies skirts.