Help with cooling the coop!!

[SilverStar]

It has been getting warm lately where i live.(about 75-85 degrees). In the summer it can get up to 101 degrees, sometimes warmer. Does anyone have any tips or ideas on how to cool off a coop? We have 2 big windows that i leave open during the day for proper ventalation. My chickens only have 1 small tree over their coop(not enough for good shade) My husband used metal for their roof, probably not the best way to go. I am starting to get a little worried about my precious chikies and i don't want them to be too uncomfortable.Currently i don't have the funds to get too fancy with it. something simple and effective would be great. If i need to, i will spend the money on something for them but i would like to hear some ideas first! Thanks Everyone!!! Any coop pics would be great!

 

[CallyB57]

Hi - It gets hot here in Louisiana also...and it is terribly humid. I bought light brahmas and they are so heavily feathered and they pant a lot until late at night. So, only thing I could think of was putting a fan on them - not directly. They are only about 10 weeks old and not laying yet, so I opened the hinged egg door on the back of the henhouse, lined the opening with hardware cloth, then pointed a fan at the opening. I can feel it circulating and moving the air around pretty well when I go inside the henhouse, even though it is not blowing directly on them. It is working well, and I leave it on until 10:30p.m., then go outside and unplug it. By the time they start laying I will have mounted a small fan underneath the eaves and point it toward a cluster of 1" vent holes. You could also plant something else around their henhouse - a fast-growing shrub of some kind, that loses it's leaves in the colder months - to add some shade. Alternatively, take some of that plastic lattice, maybe a 4x8 piece and tack it to a couple of posts, then line it with a white shower liner - that should block the afternoon sun. Hope any of this helps.

 

[AkTomboy]

http://www.horse.com/Thermo-Cube-Au...ferralID=ba294010-3e90-11de-9f5b-000423c27407

Connected to a fan helps the in-laws in SC. It turns on and off on its own. They also make one that does the same for the cold for turning on and off heaters. Also the in-laws put a soaker hose out for the chickens to get to and cool off on when its real hot or a mister they built out of PVC on one of the coops set up with a timer. There is also Shade netting that you can use over your run or entire coop if need be.

 

[Thomas423]

We put an attic ventilation "Wind Turbine" on our coop.
From what I understand, the hot air rises and causes the turbine to spin, which draws the air through the coop. It was only about $40 at a local hardware store but would probably be cheaper at a larger store.

Hopefully, DH will build a "Barn Style" vent box around it later for looks but for now it's more important for the girls to be comfortable.

 

[Jolyn]

Last year was our first summer with chickens and it gets pretty darn hot here too. We put a fan in the coop and added misters to the run. There were a few days when i was pretty worried about them but they did end up doing fine with the fan and misters!!!