heat/cold temperature management for the coop

[danielle82]

Where I am at is is ususally well above 90 in the summer, some weeks it tops out over 110....How do people keep the chickens cool in the heat? Where my Chickens will be there is a large tree nearby that casts some shade, and I plan on having the coop above ground so they go underneath for shade, but how do I keep temperatures inside the coop cool? I plan on having a window that opens for ventilation and a human size door that opens into the pen that I can prop open to create a cross breeze....Is there anything else I can do?
In the winters it gets down pretty cool too, when the storms come through we drop down below zero, at what temp should I put on the heat lamp?
Thanks!
Danielle

 

[gritsar]

We insulated our coop between the outside and inside wall with insulation board. Insulation works both ways, keeps cold and heat out.
We have two large windows (covered in hardware cloth) for a good cross breeze, plus the human-sized door is open during the day. A cheap box fan in the window, pointing out, to draw the heat out of the coop. The coop is also shaded by some trees.

My chickens are acclimated to the weather, so I don't heat their coop. Our lows in wintertime don't usually drop below the teens.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think you need to provide ventilation up high to let the heat and humidity out without creating a draft on the chickens. Humidity in the winter and heat in the summer are your dangers. A few large areas of ventilation work much better than several small openings.

Here's a link to Pat's ventilation page. It should help.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION

Good Luck!!