Hardware Cloth Walls

[JeStoneIV]

I am building my coop right now and am thinking of using hardware cloth on one and a half sides of the coop. The coop is 3'x8' and 3 feet tall. I would be putting the hardware cloth on one 3' side and 4' of the front. This would be where the chickens would roost not where the nests are.

The question is: Will rain bother them while they try to sleep if it rains hard enough to get in? I live in southwest Florida and want the coop to be cool, but it rains a lot also.

Any ideas?

 

[trilyn]

From everything I've read, you just want to be able to keep the litter dry. Wet litter can become moldy and then lead to respiratory problems in the birds. Other than that, if you're in Florida, you definitely need all the open air and breezes you can get!! Good Luck! Maybe extending the roof on the coop a foot or more all the way around for an overhang to prevent water from coming in?

 

[patandchickens]

Mold is much less apt to occur in a basically outdoor free-air-movement setting. What you really want to avoid is damp bedding in a *confined* area e.g. a normal four-walls-and-a-window type coop.

Of course, if you get so much rain coming in that the bedding actually gets flooded and stays soggy for days, you may want 'storm doors' on your coop for that reason. Otherwise I'd just keep an eye on it, see how it behaves. If you have reasonable airflow/breeziness and a free-draining substrate under the bedding it may not actually cause problems.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Elwar]

Hey, welcome to BYC. I too am in Florida building my coop with hardware wire walls.

Mine is 4'X4'X4' with 3 sides open and the one side where the wind comes from is the solid wall.

Good question about the rain though...I'm hoping that I can set the roost up where they'll be less likely to get wet. Maybe have one go all the way across so they can move if the rain comes in from one direction.

I know they don't like getting wet. I gave my chicks a shower when they first got home because the farm they just came from wasn't all that sanitary. They didn't seem all that pleased.

Everything I've read of Florida coops though is to have plenty of breeze and shade.

 

[chuckzoo]

I think that the former suggestion; to create a much larger overhang with the roof is the best idea.

 

[JeStoneIV]

I think I am going to make an overhang over the area that will have the hardware cloth, but I think I will only do the top half of the wall. That should be plenty of air circulation and it will help keep water out as well.

Thank you for all of your help.

 

[kathyinmo]

Maybe you could put a tarp from the roof, and throw it down over the side if it is raining too hard.