Do you ever put a fan on your broodies?

[TJAnonymous]

I live in the South... It's hot. Like really really hot today. It's almost 6 pm and the air temperature is 98 degrees. It's 111 with heat index. My coop is protected under a thick tree canopy during the afternoon and evening which helps but it's still really stuffy in there. I have two girls who are trying to sit a clutch of eggs. I peeked in on them and one of the girls is off the nest. She's sitting on the roost just panting away, poor thing.

I do have a small fan that I could plug in although I'd have to figure out how to secure it so it wouldn't fall. Should I? Or is that possibly inviting trouble if the girls leave the nest that the eggs will get chilled? Do any of you ever turn on a fan? The inside of the coop is a small space... Approximately 4' x 6' so not much room in there...

 

[pennyJo1960]

Okay wait a sec her broody spot is 4 by 6 ? that is fine no they are good at panting so to speak
Lift their wings ...Please tell me this is just the broody spot right no ther birds in there

 

[TJAnonymous]

No, sorry for the confusion. There are 2 nesting boxes inside their coop. The coop is only 4' x 6'. My 6 BO hens and 1 juvenile rooster stay in the coop at night. During the day, they are free range... The other hens are currently laying in my barn instead of the coop since these two girls are sitting. Does that help?

 

[TJAnonymous]

The coop is raised about 15 inches off the ground and you can see that there are holes in the floor to help with air flow in addition to vents higher up where the roost is.... But it is still really hot and stuffy in there

 

[pennyJo1960]

If you have 6 in their way too many 4 square feet per bird

 

[NatJ]

Can you put the fan so it moves air past the hens and out the door? That would probably help with the heat and stuffiness, but without blowing directly on the hens or eggs.

 

[pennyJo1960]

@aart need some expertise here please

 

[TJAnonymous]

If you have 6 in their way too many 4 square feet per bird

They are only in there to roost at night. During the day, they have 150 ft x 40 ft fenced run with lots of places to hide and roost. We also let them out of the fenced run daily to free range on 2 - 3 acres of pasture. They have plenty of space and places to get out of the weather... Most of the time they lay eggs in my barn. The only reason I have the nesting boxes in this coop is because it is critter proof and they are protected at night in there.

ETA - I keep forgetting that there are 6 total birds in this coop... 5 BO hens and 1 juvenile rooster. Since these two are sitting, there are only 3 full sized hens on their raised roost and the rooster. They generally get along fine in the coop at night without picking on each other.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Trust me on this you will face many problems the latches on prefabs racoons can open

 

[TJAnonymous]

Trust me on this you will face many problems the latches on prefabs racoons can open

This isn't a prefab. It is a coop my husband and I built together. Trust me, the coop is solid and critters can't possibly open the latch or even GET to the latch. Even I can't open the latch without two hands...it's complicated. The picture below was taken inside the coop during winter.