Alittle piece of advice for someone new...

[SilkieTime]

Post a picture of your coop, maybe we can help you make it better. Maybe leave the door open and put hardware cloth over it at night. Maybe to small and like a little hot box. Lets see what you have that needs fixing. I'm from Tennessee

 

[woodmort]

Another thing to consider is the old real estate saw"Location, location, location". A tin-roofed coop sitting in the middle of a field would be a death trap but move it back under a grove of trees would make it ideal, not only protecting it from summer heat but winter cold.

 

[E.G.Glayer]

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Good Advice!

 

[Beekissed]

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You really don't need to keep a chicken coop warm inside for it to be a good winter home for chickens. Just dry, well ventilated, and free of drafts blowing onto the birds. Unless you have cold intolerant breeds ...or you live in Alaska....

Now, I may just be spitballin' here but an open air three sided shed with partial roofing just may be a little drafty....

I would also venture to say that a good thunder storm with high winds may render it a little moist as well.

 

[woodmort]

If not deposit the roof into the next county.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

Your in Tennessee or Kentucky if I remember right - you get winters atleast like it does here in NC - and so us on this border of hot summers/moderately cold winters have to be a bit creative.

I would suggest if you have the room - make a lean too on the side of your existing coop, make the lean to all the way to the ground - and leave the front and back open, and add you some roosts and a couple nest boxes on the outside of the existing coop. This way the chickens have a retreat in extreme summer heat - and have a good secure place to go to in winter cold. I would definately add a big window to the existing 'traditional' coop on two sides and even put you a box fan in the window on one side when its really supper hot. A lean too and two scrap window additions will be a cheap and easy addition that will give you everything you need without doing major construction or destruction.

Share pictures and we can be of a lot of help to give advice on fixing it up. My neighbor has a huge coop - middle is closed in with about 8" of space all around the top open for air flow, and on either side is 1/2 way open (say they are 6' foot tall - and 3' at the top is open wire) but roofed - and he can block them off independantly to technically make 3 coops. Its a good set up - the larger middle section is where everyone heads to on unexpected cold nights - and in winter he tacks tin sided board up to the open sides of the coop for added protection from cold.

 

[teach1rusl]

Even in hot weather areas (we've "cooled off" here for the week, only the low 90s plus humidity

), I would still like a solid structure, but just with huge hardware cloth covered windows on as many sides as structurally possible. Covering openings up for winter cold is a lot easier than adding openings up for summer heat.
I'll bet your shed/coop is remodel-able (yeah, not a word) to accomodate both seasons...

 

[elmo]

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It's actually quite easy and inexpensive to add tarps or panels to the sides as windblocks. And good roof overhangs really do take care of rain blowing in the sides. Of course, your roosts will be up high, and rain hereabouts rarely blows horizontally.

 

[cpegram]

I too am in Tn Manchester to be exact and a member of the blue line

....we took an old barn and fixed it up for the coop and built a run for when we aren't home they stay in...otherwise they free range....I started my flock this spring i do have an open window on the side with hardware cloth with a box fan in the window to help circulate the air....my DH had fun cutting in windows with the chainsaw...LOL crossing my fingers i have not yet lost one....so far so good i think they will be ok for the winter in this coop!

here are some pics

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Local climate is very important in determining characteristics to avoid or pursue in building a coop. I cannot tell you your experience with your climate, but I can tell you mine. I would never have a completely enclosed coop in much of Arizona (unless it also has a heat pump, A/C or evap cooler). After lots of trial and error and rebuilding, I have decided that what I prefer most is a coop where the center portion of at least two walls is solid, but the corners are all open to the air. Putting the coop under tall trees that provide lots of shade makes a huge difference in temperatures. Using lots of shade cloth also helps. In several cases I have the shade removed from the coop by several feet to provide a more layers sun block. The roof is critical, and I am currently thinking of re-doing the roofs for two of my coops--they just let in too much heat. Tall coops with plenty of air circulation near the ceiling helps. On most open sides I have rollup cloths that can be lowered to keep out rain or keep in warmth. Some are shade cloth which keeps out sun and some rain.

You may be able to take your existing coop and remove some of the solid wall panels and replace with wire. If you can provide a fan to circulate air it will help, even better point the fan at a frozen water bottle or block of ice. Misteres work for me, but you may be too humid for them to work well. If things are too hot, and you are using deep litter in the coop, you may want to rethink that for the summer time. Deep litter is good at providing extra heat during winter, not what you need if the birds are dying from heat. Depending on the size of your coop and availbility of electricity, you may want to explore using an inexpensive window air conditioner during the hottest portions of the day.