Do all coops struggle with heat in the summer?

[Lrnadoon]

Here is a picture or our original coop. We have since built a much bigger one but my original 3 girls still want to sleep in this one...keep there door open and made this temporary framed hardware cloth insert for the warmer days. I assume you have a big door to clean your coop so this could be an option for you. Last year we would also put a fan on them through this door and then eventually I bought a swamp cooler and put it in front of the door at night to keep them cool. I can be a bit extra with me chickens!

 

[2 Acres]

Coops like nestras and omlets are really bad in hot climates due to poor ventilation as you found out. What you might consider is an open air coop which rather than having 4 solid walls, one or more of the walls are covered with hardware cloth. They work especially well in very hot climates (still keep it in deep shade though) I have an open air coop and love it

View attachment 4125832

Go to Home Depot and get a solar powered attic fan. I think it cools 60 sq feet. No batteries needed.

I have one on my 10x10 salt box" coop. I think it was $60.

 

[Raubkatze]

Go to Home Depot and get a solar powered attic fan. I think it cools 60 sq feet. No batteries needed.

I have one on my 10x10 salt box" coop. I think it was $60.

I'll keep an eye out for one!

We are currently working on doing a massive coop upgrade.

Give the girls more room in the coop and in the run without the coop in there.

 

[GravityWaves]

I'll keep an eye out for one!

We are currently working on doing a massive coop upgrade.

View attachment 4137024

Give the girls more room in the coop and in the run without the coop in there.

I'm not trying to be a negative nancy but that shed like it currently is will get hot inside in the summer and probably trap moisture inside in the winter. It can definitely be made to work, but it will need some more ventilation and maybe something like hardware cloth where the window is at.

 

[2 Acres]

I'll keep an eye out for one!

We are currently working on doing a massive coop upgrade.

View attachment 4137024

Give the girls more room in the coop and in the run without the coop in there.

The solar fan from Home Depot is special order. https://www.homedepot.com/pep/Activ...VYDKtBh0Mbi9ZEAQYECABEgLWZvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[2 Acres]

The solar fan from Home Depot is special order. https://www.homedepot.com/pep/Activ...VYDKtBh0Mbi9ZEAQYECABEgLWZvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I also use automatic crawl space vents in the side of my coop on both sides.(up high)

 

[C Siena]

Color plays a lot too. Darker colored roofs and walls will trap heat easier than lighter colors

I agree but one of the coops is black, in shade and they have not had a problem for 2 summers. It has been in the 90s but we let them out first thing in the morning and close at dusk, even when they go into the coop early.
The winters are not terrible but the last 2 years, we have had negative temps for a few days. The coops are in the shade in the summer and we usually have a breeze. In the winter, w/o leaves, the sun can shine on the black one and warm it. We still had a couple with light frostbite and the RIR roo with more last year. Their coop was just made and unpainted wood.

I need to paint the 2nd coop soon and am thinking of staying with black.

 

[Karlkurla Chooks]

Those little pre-fabricated coops are basically ovens.


My chickens sleep inside half of my 6 metre x 5 metre tool shed. The roosts are about 1.5 metres above the floor, with a ladder and two builders' horses to climb up. My chickens managed to get through last summer, but it was extremely hot. For most of the days they spent it in the southeast corner of my front yard under a tree.

I have since planted a cherry tree, which I hope will grow tall enough to shade part of the shed.
I'm planning to insulate the roof with bubble wrap. I'm also considering to build a second roof over the entire shed and beyond the western wall, to block the hot afternoon sunshine. There will be a gap so any breeze blowing between the roofs will help cool down the interior.