Coop Design for hot hot summers.

[aglutenfreemom]

Hi! I have 4 brand new baby chicks and and am in the process of designing (or buying) a coop for them. We live in Las Vegas, so, no snow, maybe 1 or 2 days below freezing (at night) and many many days over 100 in the summer.
My space is pretty small, I have about an 8foot long by 5 foot wide space to use for the coop/run. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to build?

Or should I just buy this coop? http://www.hayneedle.com/sale/preci...sku=PPP220-1&gclid=COr7ieS1irkCFQE6Qgod9z0A1A

It's only 379 from my local cal-ranch store.

Thanks!

 

[Chick Charm]

I would recommend an open air coop. I would also recommend that your coop/run NOT be placed anywhere near a stucco house/building or block walls, as these radiate heat late into the night. Give em lots of shade and cool dirt. There are some cool designs here on this site. I made this one when I was in Phoenix.




Wish the best for ya.

 

[Baymule]

I live in east Texas, it is hot and humid. Here's mine.

 

[MelissaTXRn]

Side view of our hen house. We are in TX too. You could buy that one and cut out windows and cover with hardware cloth.

 

[Chick Charm]

As those above suggested you may want to consider a bigger one than at the feed store. Open and airy is best in hot climates.

 

[aglutenfreemom]

Thanks everyone! I wish I could go bigger, but I only have so much room in my backyard. The girls will be able to free range during the day (I work from home, so will be able to let them out during the morning and keep an eye on them throughout the day). I like the idea of replacing the windows with the hardware cloth to open it up more.

 

[Mummsie]

I have this coop for my roo and his 2 gals (silkies). It's not a bad coop just not very thick wood. Could have put it together in a couple hrs, but decided to insulate the whole thing. I'm a novice with power tools. Took me 2 months to do it all working on my days off. I paid 196.00 at the local Big Blue Store near me. The top boards are a little bowed after being in the rain. It doesn't come with a floor either. I put one in it with some left over linoleum tiles over the wood to make cleaning easier. I wired the bottom in to keep preditors out. I works for me, cause I'm just getting started and didn't have lots of money. I can move it by myself. Just takes some muscle. My girls like it. They have lots of room.