- Aug 9, 2009
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We live in SW Florida - it's hot and humid for much of the year, with temps below 32 degrees maybe once a year. I'm more worried about my coop getting too hot and cooking the ladies than I am about the need to keep them warm. Would it be better to have a coop with mostly hardware cloth sides instead of solid wood? Racoons, owls and eagles are the main predators - so I'm not sure if hardware cloth will be enough to keep them out and I'm also not sure if the chickens would feel safe without having some solid walls to hide them. Would hardware cloth provide enough protection and privacy for the girls or are solid walls needed?
Also, do the roosts really need to be 18" off the floor or can they be a bit lower? If they have to be 18", that implies the coop needs to be at least 3 1/2" tall or so, since the birds need a little head space. I'd like to keep the coop as low as possible, since my neighbors aren't going to be thrilled and anything I can do to keep it less obvious will be better.
Thanks so much for your help.
Also, do the roosts really need to be 18" off the floor or can they be a bit lower? If they have to be 18", that implies the coop needs to be at least 3 1/2" tall or so, since the birds need a little head space. I'd like to keep the coop as low as possible, since my neighbors aren't going to be thrilled and anything I can do to keep it less obvious will be better.
Thanks so much for your help.