creating shade

[bucky52]

my coop and run sits out in the middle of a garden.my run has roofs.i have alumit tarps that are attached to the sides.(these tarps are supposed to reflect the sun)i have no trees for shade.i have two heavy duty fans on each end.after spending lots of money on shade cloths and fans it's still stinking hot in the runs.i need some way of blocking the afternoon sun.i came up with an idea of taking some lattice and building a shade house attacked to their run.i'am trying to create deep shade.my dh does not beleive this will help.any ideas.would be grately
appreciated.thanks.

 

[TerrorBird]

I don't know how feasible it would be, but you could look into vines that grow well in your area and see if they grow thickly enough to create the kind of shade you're looking for. I'm sorry that I can't be more helpful.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

We had very similar issues, with very little existing shade to be had in the one location we could build our coop so we had to create our own. Without making our own shade, it would be impossible to keep chickens alive in our situation during the summer, given our climate. We used grapevines, layers of shade cloth and Reflectix radiant barrier insulation in the roof. The vines are fantastic as they provide shade for most of the year and forage for the chickens as well. In order to protect the coop, we have layers of shade cloth separated by a space. That space between the layers seems to be critical and much more effective than simply doubling up the same amount of shade cloth into single layer. The Reflectix radiant barrier insulation placed below the roofing material also worked wonders-- I just can't say enough good things about how well that works. Look at "My Coop" page for more details on each of these points.

 

[bucky52]

i planted grape vines this spring.it will take a couple of years before they grow enough for shade.we have had unbearable hot wheather this year.my husband says it's almost impossible to shield the coop and run from the sun.we have an apple tree and grape vines close to the house and it is 15 degrees cooler their.we are trying to come up with a quick fix.
thanks.

 

[Stephanie739]

I don't know how feasible it would be, but you could look into vines that grow well in your area and see if they grow thickly enough to create the kind of shade you're looking for. I'm sorry that I can't be more helpful.

This is what I thought when the OP mentioned latices! That would be so great. I have a 6ft privacy fence on one side of my run with a lot of weeds/vines, etc. growing on it...I'm pretty sure it helps keeps the temp lower over there. If the area was covered as the one side, it would probably be a favorite spot for the chickens.

 

[Stephanie739]

For a very quick fix, I use metal chick fencing or hardware wire and weave tree and bush clippings through the holes and attach the 'shade wall' to the run. The chicks love to congregate underneath. The only real drawback is the obvious one - the clippings begin to die and dry out within a few days to a week, so I have to start over.

 

[bucky52]

thank you,i will show this to my dh.we have reflective tarps(the k-9 units have used these when they are out in the field)but it's still hotter than hades in their run.i'am trying to fiqure out how to create deeper shade,hoping that it will make it cooler.where did you find your reflectix barrier insulation at....i love your coop and run it's so neat in apperance.at one time ours look neat.now it looks like tent city.my husband commented this morning how bad it looked.

 

[ellandeeranch]

Amen on the shade cloth and letting it get some ventilation. We use it all over the property. We built a six foot wall of it to protect the corn from the incessant Mojave winds. We have it on one side of a chicken tractor as well. But just putting it on a solid surface doesn't do much, IMO. Yep, leave some space.

We had very similar issues, with very little existing shade to be had in the one location we could build our coop so we had to create our own. Without making our own shade, it would be impossible to keep chickens alive in our situation during the summer, given our climate. We used grapevines, layers of shade cloth and Reflectix radiant barrier insulation in the roof. The vines are fantastic as they provide shade for most of the year and forage for the chickens as well. In order to protect the coop, we have layers of shade cloth separated by a space. That space between the layers seems to be critical and much more effective than simply doubling up the same amount of shade cloth into single layer. The Reflectix radiant barrier insulation placed below the roofing material also worked wonders-- I just can't say enough good things about how well that works. Look at "My Coop" page for more details on each of these points.