Hot Summer Noc in the Coop

[jBabychickn]

I love providing several shallow feed bowls with cool water for the Chickens to play in as well as watering things down really good off to the side in a shady corner. I also make sure they have lots of fresh dry peet to dust bath in, off in another corner…

I’m able to give them more room/run space too; they get to free run of their normal enclosures, plus our extra bay in our “lean-to” (a 3-sided walled-in wooden structure that isnt housing any tractors at the moment), it provides an excellent “breezeway” to capitalize upon any wind that might be available; our Temps are 97-100°F & our Humidity is high at 80% and above…

However, at night ~ That’s what gets me!
It’s 90-92°F at Sunset. And, in the mid to low 80°‘s still, at 2:00-3:00AM…so, the Coops are not cooling off very well at all.

I feel especially horrible for my little Silkies, even tho they all have a battery-operated fans that will last all throughout the night for them… They just look so miserable and don’t seem to be sleeping, according to my Coop Cams footage.

PLEASE Take a look at this video —
Silkies at Bedtime/Still 90°F

You can see they are getting “air flow” from the camping fan thru their little Pom-Pom head feathers… But, it is still 90°F in the coop as they go to roost. This is very worrisome for me…

 

[Percheron chick]

Picture of the coop. I'd be taking a side or two off the coop and replacing it with hardware cloth to maximize air flow.

 

[3KillerBs]

And, in the mid to low 80°‘s still, at 2:00-3:00AM

it is still 90°F in the coop as they go to roost.

Yes, please show us a photo of the coop.

If your coop is warmer than the outside you NEED more ventilation, especially up at roof level.

You want airflow to look like this:

And in the summer heat it doesn't hurt to have some low openings too.

 

[jBabychickn]

It’s an Eglu Omlet coop.
I’ve removed the two back vents and screwed in hardware cloth, then I use camping fans to circulate air flow into the coop overnight.
— They free range, so I only see them go into their coop to use the nesting area during the day

Photos attached —

Photo 1- Coop setup at about 0700…this entire area becomes full shade by around 10-11am and stays that way all day

Photo 2 - Eglu Omlet Stock photo…Notice the back 2 vents here — I have modified these by removing vent slats & covering with hardware cloth; At night, I clip 6” battery-operated fans onto the lip-edge of the green plastic roofing & aim the air flow into the vents at night.

They still seem too hot…

Thoughts???

 

[Mrs. K]

Yes I would think that is too hot in there. How many chickens? The chickens themselves are making a lot of heat, and really there is no where for that heat to go. Air with high humidity also holds more heat. Even with the fans, it is just too tight and too small.

I would set up a roost in the 'run' and shut the coop off at night, until fall. I am not sure if your run is predator proof or not, but I think you have a real chance of having birds die of heat stroke if they stay in that tiny box.

I really think that a coop like that is much more ideal for brooding chicks, but for full size birds, I like a shed.

Mrs K

 

[jBabychickn]

Yes I would think that is too hot in there. How many chickens? The chickens themselves are making a lot of heat, and really there is no where for that heat to go. Air with high humidity also holds more heat. Even with the fans, it is just too tight and too small.

I would set up a roost in the 'run' and shut the coop off at night, until fall. I am not sure if your run is predator proof or not, but I think you have a real chance of having birds die of heat stroke if they stay in that tiny box.

I really think that a coop like that is much more ideal for brooding chicks, but for full size birds, I like a shed.

Mrs K

Thank you for your input! Extremely appreciated and helpful

I have 6 Bantam Silkies in that coop. The thing is, they seem to choose the bunch up like that

I do have another coop that houses my standard breeds.

Maybe I could try to intergrate a few in there with them?

In addition, I’ll attach more photos this thread later today/evening to give more information. I’d love to show as much as I can…

 

[3KillerBs]

Eglus are designed for the cool, temperate climate of the British Isles. They are WOEFULLY under-ventilated for summer in the American southeast -- where you may need significantly more than the usual recommendation of 1 square foot per adult, standard size hen (so for 6 bantams, approximately 3 square feet).

You would have to replace a full wall of plastic with wire to even get close to the airflow you need.

*Can* you remove the panel between the coop portion and the run portion?

 

[Penpal]

Use the hose and spray down the roof. The temp under the roof should go down.