any ideas on keeping your coops cool in the hot summer months.

[bj taylor]

i'm thinking I will cut a rectangular hole out of the coop wall about 3' x 4', put a piano hinge on the top edge & open it up & prop open for the summer. the opening, i'm going to cover w/hardware cloth. the hinged part will give shade like a kind of roof & the ventilation will be greatly increased.
I've got more birds this year & last year they barely made it with fans going. I've got to improve their night time situation.

 

[stepfarms]

I have a coop with a run on it and what I do is a heavy duty fan in both and then with their water I put a bunch of ice or ice packs, but if you do this you cant get it too cold because then they wont get it. but I need more ways to keep them cool because they a still panting or I think its called venting for chicken terms.

 

[bensantandera]

I believe the best way of keeping the coop cool is by keeping all possible entry ways open and having screens on them for protection at night. I also have a small portable fan that i use on the really hot days.