Coop made of tin??

[rosemarythyme]

In your climate you should consider an open air set up, rather than a traditional closed-in coop. Here's a few links I have saved up:
- https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/expanding-coop-suggestions.1485206/#post-24757871
- https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...tral-mississippi.1299778/page-2#post-21327161
- https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/managing-heat.1477290/#post-24613413

 

[3KillerBs]

Hello from North Carolina. As a fellow resident of the Steamy Southeast, I second the recommendation of an Open Air style coop.

Metal is an excellent option for our area since it's proof against rot and termites. I'm sure you've seen many animals housed in 3-sided metal pole barns down here.

The key with metal is excellent ventilation both to prevent condensation and, more importantly, to carry off heat. You need to be sure to have venting at both the top and bottom of the roof slope to ensure a free flow of air up there.

This is my new coop: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/large-open-air-coop-in-central-nc.1443812/



We used fence boards over hardware cloth, but considered metal for it's durability.

The usual guideline for ventilation is 1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, best located above the the birds' heads when they're sitting on their roost, but I find that in this hot climate a coop that's not in the shade needs at least double or triple that in order to keep it under 100F on a 90F day.

Chickens tolerate cold down to 0F and below very well. It's heat that is the problem.

Some people say that metal "transmits heat" but if you've got that free flow of air under the roof the summer heat actually acts to create a flow of cool air lower down as the hot air rises upslope.

If you don't go with the open air style, you can add a lower vent to bring in cool air. My Little Monitor Coop has this feature. You can see it at the right of the photo, next to the nestboxes.

 

[Rldad1]

I would use the upper portion of your coop as ventilation. Leave the top 4 inches of the coop open (cover with HC) and provide a good overhang with the roof. This way all the humidity and hot air goes up and out. Here are two pictures of mine under construction quite a while back. You can see the openings.

 

[ABakes09]

Thank you all for the all of the information and suggestions. I like the open air coops and leaving the top open. I will definitely do some research on making this happen with out design and space.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You are absolutely right. Heat is your enemy, you don't need to worry about cold. How big of a coop are you thinking of and for how many chickens. Do you have a specific design in mind? That might help with specific ideas.

I believe bigger is better anyway but especially in this case. The taller the coop the better it ventilates. You want openings up high since hot air rises, the higher the better. As others mentioned have overhang around your coop to keep rain out and leave the top of the wall open. Depending on what rafters you use and how its framed there is usually a natural opening at the top of two of the walls. Cover it with hardware cloth for predator protection.

If you have a gabled roof, a ridge vent can move a lot of air. That and openings on the top of your "side walls" should be really nice. If it is a single sloped roof then openings on the top and bottom walls are highly recommended.

But you need cooler air to replace that hot air. The coolest air you are likely to have is near the ground level on the north side, the shady side. So put a low level vent there in the shade.

You do not want your nests to become ovens. I'd put them on the north or east side, the south and west sides tend to be your hot sides.

For what it is worth my roof and one wall, the west wall on the hot side, were metal. The other walls were wood. My roosts were on that hot west wall. That was in Arkansas, it got pretty hot there in summer.

 

[ABakes09]

Here’s our progress so far. The coop is 5x6. The nesting boxes and a brooder will be built on to the east side so they are not included in the 5x6 space. The taller side is about 8.5’ with the lower side about 8’. Large windows on the east and south sides covered with hardware cloth and will have an actual window flap. Hardware cloth all around the top with a 4” gap in the front and that increases as the roof pitch increases. Door on the west side. Built on skids so it can be moved if needed. I currently only have 1roo and 3 hens. Hoping to get more hens soon or have babies. What do you guys think so far?

 

[ABakes09]

You are absolutely right. Heat is your enemy, you don't need to worry about cold. How big of a coop are you thinking of and for how many chickens. Do you have a specific design in mind? That might help with specific ideas.

I believe bigger is better anyway but especially in this case. The taller the coop the better it ventilates. You want openings up high since hot air rises, the higher the better. As others mentioned have overhang around your coop to keep rain out and leave the top of the wall open. Depending on what rafters you use and how its framed there is usually a natural opening at the top of two of the walls. Cover it with hardware cloth for predator protection.

If you have a gabled roof, a ridge vent can move a lot of air. That and openings on the top of your "side walls" should be really nice. If it is a single sloped roof then openings on the top and bottom walls are highly recommended.

But you need cooler air to replace that hot air. The coolest air you are likely to have is near the ground level on the north side, the shady side. So put a low level vent there in the shade.

You do not want your nests to become ovens. I'd put them on the north or east side, the south and west sides tend to be your hot sides.

For what it is worth my roof and one wall, the west wall on the hot side, were metal. The other walls were wood. My roosts were on that hot west wall. That was in Arkansas, it got pretty hot there in summer.

Awesome advice. Aw my post above for our progress. Feel free to make suggestions