Hello, FlewTheCoop! And welcome to BYC!
In central MS, we opted for a study construction with 4x4 posts, a large overhang covered in roofing shingles, and cutouts for ventilation screens at the bottom, in the middle, center, and at the top of the coop. The ventilation seems to be the key thing -- I actually open the large front doors to the coop during the day when it is warm and it makes a sort of breezeway (the chicken door goes out the back). And, as you mentioned, I latch them at night, and when there is bad weather.
We kept the wood cutouts, and they are placed on top of the screen when things cool down. We are on a lake and get some hearty winds - and decided to use visqueen (spelling?) - a thick plastic on their covered coop to cut down on winds. The coop is set on small concrete pads and because of the heavy construction, it seems fine in the winds. if you opt for a lighter construction, I'd suggest a more substantial anchor for the hurricane days!
When it hit 16 degrees last week, we used a lamp - and in the summer, I use 2 box fans to keep the air moving - all in all they seem to be happy with the setup!
They also have a larger more open coop - and that is covered in some bird netting because we live in an area where predator birds like to scan for meals..
I hope this helps! If you have any other questions, please let the BYC folks know!!!
We are happy to help!
