Help for the Carolina Summers!

[silverwolfit25]

Hi there! I'm Silv, and I'm super new here!

I want to try and make a chicken coop for about 3-4 chickens, but I'm worried about them in the summers here. Our (South eastern NC) weather in the summer is downright OPPRESSIVE with 90-100 degrees with very high humidity making it absolutely miserable.

I'm unsure how to proceed with a good coop for the girls because I don't want them to get heatstroke! I see coops being these lil sheds and I worry they might be too warm for them?

Any ideas or thoughts would be wonderful! Thank you for your time!

-Silv

 

[DobieLover]

An open air coop would be the ideal set up for your birds. You basically frame out the building as you normally would but instead of having all solid walls, you install walls on three sides only and the solid siding does not extend to the top. You leave 6 or more inches open at the top. Everywhere you do not have siding you install 1/2" hardware cloth with HD poultry staples, screws and fender washers or pneumatic staples with boards screws over the attachment framing to pin the HC between the wood.
Avoid using metal for siding or roofing as it will radiate heat inside and try to place the coop in the shadiest site you have that has proper drainage. You don't want water runoff pooling or flowing through the run or around the coop foundation.

 

[charlie1051]

Hey Silverwolf. I'm on board with Dobie. I'm gonna try to post a pic of the 1st coop I built years back. It's hot where I live 5 months outta the year but the winters are mild, only getting down to 48-55 in the day and maybe 30 at night.

But it sure is hot in the summer. It'll get to 110-115 peak and lows around 70, it's miserable but I will say that I'm EXTREMELY thankful we don't have the humidity that you do..I've experienced your southern heat/humidity combo.... NO THANKS

I made covers that can go over the wire if it gets cold and the girls are molting and I gave them a big "picture" window to look out of than can be covered as well. I do have a tin roof, cause I got the tin for free and I love old tin. But I've got enough airflow that it's never been an issue. It's not a great pic but it's the only 1 I've got!

Good luck!

 

[Penpal]

charlie1051 's coop is also raised a bit. This gives them a cooler place to hang out. You can also use your hose to spray water over the roof to cool the coop down when it's miserable.

 

[rosemarythyme]

A bunch of open air set ups linked here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wanted-open-air-coop-pics.1489579/

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Hi Silv, I'm in North FL, believe it or not, we share summer conditions- 90*+ at 90%+ humidity.

Echoing the others, an "open air" style coop is absolutely the way to go for your situation.

 

[paintedChix]

Hi! Welcome to BYC!

Edited to add - I highly recommend this article.

Hot weather climate - 3KillerBs
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

There are others you can search here on BYC.

I've now used a variety of chicken tractors & our coops have become "offshoots" of them. I LOVE open air hoop coops made from CP. I used tarps as roofs, some have actually been not so nice looking, but they have worked. I have also hooped pens that were here on our property as well as one 10x10 chain link dog kennel (for the dogs, not chickens).

CP hoop coops can be made some what light weight or can be really heavy or even be stationary. They can have walls of wood, tarp, tin or garden panels - back & front. The hooped portion can have a variety of roof styles - tarp, tin/metal & different garden panels. They can be covered completely from front to back & all the way to the ground on the sides or any variation that you like. You could even do a completely enclosed coop, above ground, w/I the hoop.

There are many other styles of hooped coops in the BYC article section under Coops. There are also other styles that would work here in NC.

The main thing would be to decide what you are looking for in a coop. I know lots of folks that LOVE having a coop w/ a floor & foundation & having poop boards. I do not. Even if I did a shed, I'd want it pole barn style w/ the floor being the ground. No poop boards.

I still regularly go through Google images & Pinterest, as well as BYC. I read & evaluate different ideas to see if they'd be improvements to what I have. Some look like they may be & I'm looking to incorporate some new things this year while updating some coops we have. Some are easier (dog kennel panels w/ gates - both welded & chain link for the fronts of my permanent hoop coops. No wood), but I can already tell you the gates are too narrow - wheel barrel won't go in. Mabe ok on the 4x8 or 8x8 size, but not the 10x16... So, will need to build or purchase a gate/doors for the rear wall that will allow a wheel barrel (gorilla cart) access.

If your coop is close enough to or will have power run out to it, you can run fans or set up a mister. A sprinkler can also be set to "water the roof". This will help in the heat & oppressiveness.

Deciding what you want & how to build it, is part of the fun.

Nothing fancy. Some of what I've done using mostly what was on hand & yes, the 1st 3 hoop coops were made w/ chicken wire. We learned that was not a good idea as on current property we have ground predators that can rip right through it. I also like to recycle & upcycle. Some of our CP panels traveled from MT to NC in 1997 -

https://photos.app.goo.gl/fgKYkhxNAXBnH6B36

Chicken tractors. The four a-frame CP ones (5x8') are wired w/ 2x4" wire. Updating w/ 1/2" HWC. The treated wood bases were built in 2019 & all have rotted out.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9niPpTb56SYFBR667