coop ok in shade year round?

[citychickenmom]

Hi, all. I'm strongly considering raising 3 egg laying chickens in our back yard, but the only place I would be able to put the coop is in the shade. I will be using a tractor design, and can move from deep shade (moss/weedy during rainy season) to light shade (weedy to dry rocky dirt during dry season). I'm in East Bay CA, don't get snow, and ~3 freezing nights a year. Winter day temps are 40-50*. Will it be possible for me to have chickens?
Any advice or tips as I continue my research is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[canada-goose]

Should be fine. Shade is good for chickens. A few patches of sunlight would be a good idea though!

Oh and:

 

[Chickenoverload]

That should be fine but (just a suggestion) you could let them free range over your yard so they get a little sunshine every once in a while. It'll be good fertilizer for your grass and keep some bugs out of your yard.

 

[citychickenmom]

Thanks, Kooshie.

The front portion of the yard is sunny, and I stay at home so I hope to be able to take them out of the coop and roam around the fenced yard most days while I'm out back with my kids. There is also a sunny grassed portion of yard I can put the coop over, but hubby says the chickens will go the instant he steps in their poo (I think he imagines goose or dog sized poo all over the place

). At least he's finally on board with this latest adventure of mine!

 

[Ridgerunner]

For your basic question, chickens in commercial operations never get fresh air, shade or sunshine. With yours being outside in the fresh air, they will be doing much better than those chickens. I'm sure you will take good care of them and they will be very happy. If we do the best we can we are doing as well as we can. Don't let the lack of sunshine stop you.

Don't let the others mislead you. Chicken poo is stinky, sticky and a mess. You do not want to step in it. They will drop those land mines wherever they go. How you handle this issue with your husband is up to you.

 

[citychickenmom]

Ridgerunner~ Oooh... Hmmm...

Guess my mom was right about them being stinky when I told her about my chicken idea this morning. I may just leave that part out of the conversations with DH (for now)...

 

[dovecanyon]

citychickenmom: Hi neighbor, I'm in SoSD, (Chula Vista) and I intentionally built my coop/run in the shade. We have much more warm/hot weather to worry about than most folks! Just let them out into the sunshine a couple times a week and they will be fine. I do not find my chickens to be stinky or smelly at all, and I currently have 15 of them. Just a little common-sense cleaning and upkeep of the coop & run will prevent any unpleasant odor. As far as the poop on the lawn... chicken poop dries up quickly in warmth or sun. In the lawn you can just wait till it's dry and give it a quick rake- DH will never know it was there. You are going to love having chickens! And, you will get all the encouragement and advice you will ever need here on BYC.

 

[nanawendy]

Up here in the PNW we have lots of shade. The plus is that it can protect the girls from flying predators.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Quote:
I'm talking about the deposits they will leave in the most inconvenient places if you let them roam. You don't want to step in that with your good shoes on. I fully agree that if you keep your coop dry and turn it when needed it will not stink.

 

[blackbetty]

I have the same issue , I have just bought some chickens and set up the coop in a perfect spot in between the garage and the fence , the ground is stones and earth and I plan on a deep compost set up however it is mostly shaded apart from a few spots of sun and I'm concerned that it's not enough sun.