Cattle panel coop summer heat?

[el aguila]

I live in the Charlotte, NC area and the summer sun can be pretty hot here.

I’m building my first two cattle panel coops and was planning on covering them with the 6 mil UV resistant greenhouse plastic sheeting.

For those of you that have these type of coops, how do you keep them cool in the summer? Are you able to keep them cool enough during the heat of the day by leaving the ends uncovered and rolling the sides up 1-2’?

 

[Folly's place]

I use a double layer of sheeting, and the top layer has the metallic coating, facing up, so it reflects the sun. Both ends and the lower sides aren't covered either, so lots of air flow.
Park them under trees if possible too.
Maybe that reflective insulated sheeting would be a good idea too.
Mary

 

[el aguila]

Do you have a link to the sheeting that you are talking about?

I use a double layer of sheeting, and the top layer has the metallic coating, facing up, so it reflects the sun. Both ends and the lower sides aren't covered either, so lots of air flow.
Park them under trees if possible too.
Maybe that reflective insulated sheeting would be a good idea too.
Mary

 

[Molpet]

mine are in the afternoon shade.. I use shade cloth over the rolled up sides.. in the past I could only find black shade cloth
I found a tan I am going to try this year http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=83769696

 

[aart]

@squadleader could tell ya about hoops and heat.

 

[Blooie]

I used landscape fabric. Yep, just landscape fabric. If you get the right kind .... the one that’s brown on one side and black on the other with a gazillion little perforations and not the black fiber-looking stuff....... it holds up beautifully, air can permeate it which means heat isn’t accumulating at the top, and water pretty much slides off without going through. If you’ve ever used that type, then you’ve probably noticed that when you get your plants placed and give them a drink, the water runs across the fabric and follows the folds until it hits the hole where the plant is. Same thing. It’s easy to work with - one person can do it but it’s easier with one on one side kinda tossing the roll over and the other person tugging it down and cutting it. The rolls are almost the same size as the panels, and since you put this up in sections you can attach it to lathe, then roll sections up or down like window shades, allowing you to control how much light gets in at any time. It’s surprisingly strong, but if it tears for any reason you can easily replace just that one section.

We used this every summer. One year we foolishly thought we’d use a tarp that reflects sunlight. We thought we liked it until it came to full on summer - we switched back and stayed back! Whatever you decide to do, don’t be afraid to be flexible and make adjustments. If you click on “My Coop” under my avatar, info and photos of our hoop run are about halfway down. Good luck!

 

[el aguila]

I used landscape fabric. Yep, just landscape fabric. If you get the right kind .... the one that’s brown on one side and black on the other with a gazillion little perforations and not the black fiber-looking stuff....... it holds up beautifully, air can permeate it which means heat isn’t accumulating at the top, and water pretty much slides off without going through. If you’ve ever used that type, then you’ve probably noticed that when you get your plants placed and give them a drink, the water runs across the fabric and follows the folds until it hits the hole where the plant is. Same thing. It’s easy to work with - one person can do it but it’s easier with one on one side kinda tossing the roll over and the other person tugging it down and cutting it. The rolls are almost the same size as the panels, and since you put this up in sections you can attach it to lathe, then roll sections up or down like window shades, allowing you to control how much light gets in at any time. It’s surprisingly strong, but if it tears for any reason you can easily replace just that one section.

We used this every summer. One year we foolishly thought we’d use a tarp that reflects sunlight. We thought we liked it until it came to full on summer - we switched back and stayed back! Whatever you decide to do, don’t be afraid to be flexible and make adjustments. If you click on “My Coop” under my avatar, info and photos of our hoop run are about halfway down. Good luck!

Blooie,
Thanks for your reply! I’ll look for the landscape cloth next time I’m in Lowe’s.