Hot Weather - Best Roof?

[Country Heart]

Currently the top of my girl's coop/small run area is a secure 1" wire mesh. Occasionally I cover it with a tarp.

I think we may have a really warm summer this year and would like to replace the tarp with something a bit more permanent. I am interested in hearing what works well for you - especially in places that get really warm weather. In my area of California during the summer we have many 100+ degree days. What material would you suggest for keeping my girls cool?

The girls usually free range in the backyard all day long, but occasionally one of them goes broody and their nest boxes are also in this small protected area - so keeping it cool is the main consideration.

Thanks!

Tracy

 

[BankerJohn]

how about corrugated roofing material from Home Depot/Lowe's/Home improvement store?

 

[Country Heart]

BankerJohn -

Thanks for the recommendation and the great pictures! I think that would actually work really well for me. It helps to see your set up...I think I'm starting to see my next project coming into focus.

 

[elmo]

Um, unless your coop is in permanent, deep shade, those clear polycarbonate panels will have the inside of that coop as hot as an oven. It's the greenhouse effect. Not good.

I had a clear roof and switched to a white, opaque one. It's still too hot inside my coop...as in, 117 degrees when the ambient temp was only in the low 90's, and this was with vents wide open and one whole wall of the coop left open, too. I taped some reflective insulation on top of the roof during the day, and that helps. The coop is now heating up only a few degrees hotter than ambient temps. I pull the insulation off when the sun goes down because I don't want to retain any heat in the coop.

From my experience, the best roof in a hot climate is an insulated one. And the best coop in a hot climate is an open sided one in the shade all day.

 

[pharr389]

I built my roof out of the green fiberglass material that goes on greenhouses. It was very hot in the chicken house. I installed 4 x 8 sheets of rigid insulation to the under side of the rafters. This solved the heat issue, but the roofing material hasn't held up to the weather here. It now has crackes, holes and has even been torn off by the wind. I am replacing it week after next with tin roofing.I'll probally use the rigid insulation to help with the heat.

 

[Country Heart]

Thanks for all the insight.

I would like to add something like the white roof you mention elmo, at least by the start of the rainy season. I will probably mount it 6'' to 8'' above my already secure wire roof. That way the hot air can escape thru the gap while the area itself remains secure. I'm just not sure if the shade from the roof will be helpful or not during the summer. The area is right next to the house so it tends to get a good bit of shade most of the day already anyway.

 

[shopchicks]

I ended up using a product called Ondura, which is a corrugated roofing. It is available in white or tan, which I'm thinking would work well for you, and it is easier to work with than metal or fiberglass corrugated roofing. It was about $20 per 4x6'6" piece. It can be cut with a circular saw, and nailed on with the special nails that are sold for it. It feels like a rigid rubber material.