Advice on coop roofing

[kidd42]

I'm am building a second coop for our expanding flock. I am able to get corrugated steel roofing material that is brand new from work. I am thinking of using this on the new coop but am worried about how much heat it will radiate into the coop.
We live in the Sierra Nevada foothills in the California Central Valley. Our summertime temps get into the high 90's with the week or so of temps in the 100 - 110 range.
The coop will be sitting in full sun from dawn until about 4 or 5 pm, then it will be shaded. The coop itself will be 8' X 8', with the front wall being 8' high and the back wall being 7' high.
There will be a hardware cloth covered window in the front 5' X 3', one in the back 5' X 2', and one on each side of the coop 16" X 32". There will also be vent's along the top part of the coop on all 4 sides. The hens will have access to a shade cloth covered run outside. I am putting my older girls into this new coop, and they spend all day outside in the run unless they are laying an egg.
I would like to know what luck others have had in hot climates with metal roofs. I haven't set my mind fully on this material, but figured if it's free it would be a great way to cut construction cost's.
Thanks for any and all input.

 

[debryman]

Quote:
Can't wait to see responses as we are in the same type area (Joshua Tree, CA) and are considering the same type of roofing...

 

[wenlo]

I also have corrugated metal roofing. My hens free range during the day and only go in the coop during the day to lay. We lived in Missouri and then moved the coop to Ohio when we moved. We have noticed in the summer they roost on the nesting boxes rather than the roosts to be closer to the ventilation windows.

 

[kidd42]

Quote:
Can't wait to see responses as we are in the same type area (Joshua Tree, CA) and are considering the same type of roofing...

What size coop are you building? I'm hoping that the size of ours and all the ventilation it will have, will be enough to keep it from getting over heated.

 

[debryman]

Quote:
Can't wait to see responses as we are in the same type area (Joshua Tree, CA) and are considering the same type of roofing...

What size coop are you building? I'm hoping that the size of ours and all the ventilation it will have, will be enough to keep it from getting over heated.

Ours will be 8'x6' with 7' at the front and 6' at the back. We were also planning on a layer of roofing sheathing with reflective foil on the inside side. We did this on our dog house and it helped a lot but the dog house didn't have the steel roof...

 

[rufus]

Metal roofing works in the heat, but you have to have it elevated way above the roost. Ten or twelve feet above allows the heat to dissipate. No walls helps. You want to most air moving through it possible.

Rufus

 

[countrychix]

I'm in NY and we suprisingly do get some of the same summer heat as you. We have a green shingled roof on our coop, which too is in full sun all day long. and it does get plenty hot in there. I use a box fan, I know that I shouldn't, but it really helps to exhaust the some of the heat from the coop. As we had just gotten chickens last year we weren't entirely prepared and there was really no shade in their run so they tended to spend more time inside than they should have. This summer they will be getting a new covered run and we're going to try free ranging the birds too, so I wouldn't think that they would want to be in the coop during the day. Now that the snow has finally left us they spend all their daylight time in the run regardless of the weather. I think with adaquate ventilation, you should be okay, especially if the birds spend most of their time outside. Make sure they have plenty of water though

I just thought to mention that a lot of the newer metal roofing has a reflective properties to heat with heat build-up.

 

[kidd42]

bumping this hoping for more replies.

 

[patandchickens]

Is this coop going to have 4 walls? That would seem a bad idea in your climate. Could you not do just a W (maybe also S) wall that are solid where sun would come in below the roof overhang's shadow, and mesh above; and have the other 2-3 walls all mesh? You can then have a smaller 'roosting box' type shelter inside for if they need somewhere out of the weather on uglier days. Preferably wooden or shadecloth walls, not metal.

Seriously I htink that would be a lot smarter than building a four-walled shed-style coop.

As others have said, the lower the roof the more problem its heat radiation is; also if you paint the roofing with white or reflective roofing paint, and/or put insulation on the underside of it, that'll help too.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[7L Farm]

I live in Texas & my coop has a metal roof. I however built my coop under a big tree which really helps in

the long hot summers down here.