Coop placement question.

[Roxburo]

I'm new to raising chickens but I'm gonna give it a shot. I just got my coop and the area I want to place it is under a tree. It will get sun but it will be minimal. Is this gonna be a problem for egg production? Any input would be great as I'm still a blank slate!

 

[HEChicken]

How shaded is it? Can you post a picture of the prospective location? I would not think it would cause issues with egg production and it may well be a bonus in the summer to have a lot of shade. And, if they are deciduous trees, you may have the best of both worlds, with sun in the winter and shade in the summer.

 

[Chiefs Mess]

When I was little we had a tree smack in the middle of our run and never closed the top off with screen. One night a racoon must had jumped from tree to tree to get on that one in the run. He climbed down one night and opened the chix door and took a rooster. So when I got chickens we put the coop under trees BUT I ran screen on top of the pen. Now for the shade to hinder laying, my chickens free-range cannot answer that question.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Not sure where you live, but shade is good... really good.

Unless you live on the North Pole I guess.

Chickens don't need direct sunlight to lay, just a certain amount of daylight. I'd choose a shady spot regardless.

 

[teach1rusl]

If you're in an area that gets hot summers, shade will be much appreciated. If your summers never make it past the 80s, then it could go either way. Ideally, it'd be located so that shade was available during the hottest part of the day...

 

[Roxburo]

Thanks everyone this has been very helpful. I feel like a member of the family already! I'm in nj so summer can get hot. And the tree will lose its leaves in the winter so I'm thinking it's good. Not sure how to post a picture but based on the response here I think I'll be fine. Thanks.