Finalizing plans and a question

[Amp]

My coop will be 8x8, open air front so it will be enclosed in the back and on the sides. With the front being completely open I'm not sure if I still need screened windows along the top of the back and side. I don't want to cause a draft for them. I'm in Alabama so heat is my main concern.

 

[flowergirl60]

I have an open air coop 4x8 and I don't have any windows. I do have a ventilation fan mounted on top on the back wall to draw the heat out as it gets very hot here. I also have a regular fan mounted on top on the front side I put on low just to keep air flowing when there is no wind. This has worked well for me. Good luck on your coop.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

What style of roof are you planning on? If you have a sloped roof that's higher in front, it will help hot air move from the back to the front of the coop and exit the coop.

How long is the distance between the front and back of the coop? If it's a short distance, the back might not get too hot. If it's a longer distance, I think they'll do better with more ventilation, to give more air movement. Drafts are really only an issue in cold weather, when chickens can have trouble staying warm. It's not an issue in hot weather. You can always add more ventilation for summer and have some of it covered in the winter.

 

[buckboy101]

You might want some kind of ventilation wheather it be a fan or a window

 

[patandchickens]

Even if it has one wall totally-mesh, if it were me I'd still put at LEAST some opening high on the back wall, so you can get some crossbreeze. Maybe even more than just "some", it totally depends on your typical weather and how often there *are* breezes to take advantage of at the particular site where your coop sits.

That said, if you omit it and just go with 3 solid walls and one mesh, you should still be pretty much "outdoor shade temperature", which is as good as you're going to get thermometer-wise. All's I'm saying is that on really hot days sometimes a natural breeze is good too.

good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Amp]

Thanks everyone
I am planning on a sloped roof, higher in front. I will go ahead and make some small windows at the top. I can always cover with plastic or something if it get's too cold.