Help - Omlet Eglu owners - how to ventilate the roost?

[Raubkatze]

When I was mulling over the same issues with the Nestera, I thought of one possible solution that might work. I didn’t purse it with the Nestera because of the way that the individual pieces hook together, but…

Depending on how your coop is assembled, could you with (1) replace a side with a wooden frame filled with hardware cloth, or (2) “raise the roof” by adding a similar frame, but this one going around the entire perimeter, sitting on the top of your walls and with the roof resting on top? This would be a band of ventilation, 6”-8”-10” high in the HWC screen area.

Either possibility raises all sorts of challenges like secure attachment and structural strength, but you would get a lot of ventilation in without cutting any holes.

My husband and I are looking into doing this.

Yesterday it hit 90 degrees, and it's not even peak summer yet. We had 5 very overheated chickens in our large Nestera. It's inside a run (and is fully shaded all day so I was shocked and dismayed that they were so uncomfortable in there) so I finally just opened the door and took the roof off the nesting box to give them more air flow. I think we are either going to see if we can build a roof extension to add more ventilation up top, or remove the back panel to add a hardware cloth panel for the summer months.

 

[Raubkatze]

Meant to add this photo, but the forums and my phone are not cooperating. This isn't the same coop, but its what gave me the inspiration for the roof extension.

 

[ChaosMom]

My husband and I are looking into doing this.

Yesterday it hit 90 degrees, and it's not even peak summer yet. We had 5 very overheated chickens in our large Nestera. It's inside a run (and is fully shaded all day so I was shocked and dismayed that they were so uncomfortable in there) so I finally just opened the door and took the roof off the nesting box to give them more air flow. I think we are either going to see if we can build a roof extension to add more ventilation up top, or remove the back panel to add a hardware cloth panel for the summer months.

I posted above (I think it was this thread) that I take the back panel off in the morning and leave it off throughout the day. It’s a lot easier for me to get off and back on than the roof, as it’s designed to be opened frequently.

My headscratchers about a summertime replacement with HWC are (1) I want to maintain easy cleaning access, and (2) I don’t know how happy the girls would be. They already give me stink-eye and a lot of rude comments when I go out after dark for final locking and the coop back is still off.

I dunno, maybe a night shade hanging partway done, or an additional lattice panel cut to shape to give them a feeling of enclosure. A woven bamboo panel, maybe.

 

[ChaosMom]

- I think the ultimate solution, which will also allow for a bit of chicken math, is to build an open roosting aviary abutting the coop, partially wrapped in some some of natural material like cheapo matchstick blinds, allowing breezes and some dappled light, while maintaining a sensing of enclosure. That way, they could decide if they wanted to roost there or in the coop. I’ll need to build another platform plus put up the general frame and roosts, but I think that would probably be the most flexible solution. Or move to northern Ontario.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Or move to northern Ontario.

Yes, please.

I see you're in North Carolina. I've been a couple times and the heat down there is next level.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I cut out a rectangle in the Cube poop tray and zip tied hardware cloth on the upper side, then laid porch screening on top of that to catch poop, and the porch screen lifts up easily for tipping off poop and cleaning. It worked well for five hens in the coop. I bought a spare poop tray to do this modification.

Now that I have the Pro I'm going to do the same thing and bought two extra poop trays from Omlet, maybe to modify just one and have a spare to swap out when I can't immediately get to cleaning. Also, I'm contemplating removing the opaque window and screwing in hardware cloth.

The poop tray's rectangular piece with the Cube poop tray didn't fit back into the tray because I zip tied the HC to the top and overlapped it, thinking that's more secure. If it were underneath that would work, but then the HC would interfere with the sliding of the tray, maybe even make it too hard. It would certainly scuff the plastic below.

 

[ChaosMom]

Yes, please.

I see you're in North Carolina. I've been a couple times and the heat down there is next level.

Not nearly as bad up here in the mountains, but it’s getting worse, of course. We never used to have routine high 80’s in May.

 

[Bawkbok]

The "adjustable" design of the Pro's vents is such BS.

Right there with you. I was under the impression for some reason that they would actually open and close and adjust up and down, almost like blinds. But no. For the investment, I'm pretty disappointed and frustrated. I expected much improvement over the cube but it's just not there.

It was 84 at 11:00 PM last night. I'm already disgusted with this heat. We are ten degrees above normal, whatever that is anymore.
I like the idea of moving to Montana and living in the mountains, but my husband isn't having it. DANG!

Our girls are struggling bad today, we have two fans running on high, one on the back end under the coop and one on the front end up high in the run. Cold water replacement happens frequently in this heat and I'm afraid they will get watermelon toxicity - is that even possible? They get two helpings of watermelon daily in this heat. It really helps to cool them down. And what's happened to the price of watermelon?!!
We can't even spray water on the run from the hose as it never cools down. Imagine turning on your faucet in your kitchen in the cold position and the water is warm.
Sorry for the rant. We'll all get through this somehow.

 

[Bawkbok]

I cut out a rectangle in the Cube poop tray and zip tied hardware cloth on the upper side, then laid porch screening on top of that to catch poop, and the porch screen lifts up easily for tipping off poop and cleaning. It worked well for five hens in the coop. I bought a spare poop tray to do this modification.

Now that I have the Pro I'm going to do the same thing and bought two extra poop trays from Omlet, maybe to modify just one and have a spare to swap out when I can't immediately get to cleaning. Also, I'm contemplating removing the opaque window and screwing in hardware cloth.

The poop tray's rectangular piece with the Cube poop tray didn't fit back into the tray because I zip tied the HC to the top and overlapped it, thinking that's more secure. If it were underneath that would work, but then the HC would interfere with the sliding of the tray, maybe even make it too hard. It would certainly scuff the plastic below.

I'm trying to envision this but having a hard time with it. We have been trying to figure out how to remove the trays and still provide protection and yet make it easy to clean. Our coop is attached to an extended run, not inside of it so leaving doors off is not an option for us unfortunately. I wish they would roost outside in the run on the perch bars but they don't.

 

[Bawkbok]

We built a veranda, which they love and use all the time. It really helps with them congregating at the door. Today was a hoot as one was coming out from lay and two others were trying to go in. The veranda helps with door congestion. We had extra wood collecting dust so we didn't have to buy anything.