Coop in sun or shade?

[Chickiechickieboomboom]

I have 4 Rhode island red chicks and I'm getting ready to build their coop (in Massachusetts, where we can have hard winters).

My spot choices are in nearly full shade, or nearly full sun. I know they tolerate cold better than heat. Should I build it in the shade? The run will have both shade and sun, btw. Thanks!

 

[Ted_Harrell]

I vote shade, what is the climate like where you live?

 

[Ted_Harrell]

And welcome to BYC, almost forgot to say that. Enjoy your flock

 

[Ted_Harrell]

Sorry, missed the part about Massachusetts. So shade may not be so important as they would be able to stand a summer there as long as there is ventilation and whatever else these folks will suggest...

 

[CatWhisperer]

If the shade is from deciduous trees they will have sun when it’s cold out. I would vote for shade regardless though.

 

[aart]

If the shade is from deciduous trees they will have sun when it’s cold out.

That would be the perfect scenario!

 

[ChickenWaterer]

I built my first coop directly under a hemlock tree. The tree dropped lots of needles that would gather on the metal roof of the coop and eventually stained it. If you can place your coop in the shadow cast by a tree without being close enough to the tree to have it drop leaves onto the coop, you're in great shape.

 

[Lisa808]

I read somewhere that chickens need a certain amount of sunlight in order to lay eggs. Is that true? Because, if so, I'm in trouble now that I built my heavy chicken coop on the shaded side of my house. It gets full sunlight only in the morning, then it's shade until evening.

 

[Compost King]

I read somewhere that chickens need a certain amount of sunlight in order to lay eggs. Is that true? Because, if so, I'm in trouble now that I built my heavy chicken coop on the shaded side of my house. It gets full sunlight only in the morning, then it's shade until evening.

that's Ideal, Early morning is the most important time to get sun, its true for plants that grow well in partial sun too. When I have a choice of bedrooms I prefer a east bedroom for morning sun. Unfortunately all my bedrooms are on the west side of the house.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I read somewhere that chickens need a certain amount of sunlight in order to lay eggs. Is that true? Because, if so, I'm in trouble now that I built my heavy chicken coop on the shaded side of my house. It gets full sunlight only in the morning, then it's shade until evening.

They don't need direct sunlight (they're not plants) - they need daylight, but otherwise shaded or partially shaded is better in most climates. Unless the shaded side of your house is so dark that it resembles nighttime, they'll get enough light.