How much shade...and with what?

[INchickens]

We just finished our run onto the chicken coop. It is in full sun. I assume the chickens will want shade at some point during the day...what is the best way to provide that? Ideas welcome.

 

[Katy]

I put shade cloth on the top of mine. It's important for them to have shade when it gets warm/hot...Heat affects chickens much more than the cold does.

 

[INchickens]

Thanks for the idea.....Where do I get shade cloth?

 

[Rte.66_chicks]

A hardware store or Home Depot will have it. I like to get it at Tru-Value because they will cut how much you need.

 

[INchickens]

is it expensive?

 

[Katy]

I don't think it was too expensive. I think I got my last roll at Lowes.

 

[Acre of Blessings]

We're thinking of covering part of our run with treated plyboard for some shade in the summer. Our coop and run will also be in the full sun. And it gets really hot here in the summer.

 

[patandchickens]

You can also try local garden centers and nurseries. I got some nursery-grade 70% shadecloth last year (for making a big frame to shade our west-facing sliding glass patio doors - MAN did that ever keep the house cooler in summer, wow!) for I believe $1 per running foot, it was 12' wide material.

If you live somewhere with really hot summers, something solid would be better than shadecloth.

And, the most important thing is to locate the shade-objects on the W side of the top of the run, and part of the W side of the run, since noon and afternoon shade are much more important than a.m. shade.

Of course, the chickens can also go into the coop for shade (assuming it is well ventilated), but that does deposit more poo in there for you

Good luck,

Pat

 

[sundance]

We just went to Dollar General (only Place in town) and bought a blue tarp for $5.00, then sloped it so both rain and snow would just slide off,It covers about half the run so they have the coop, the run or if they want the sun the far end of the run.

marrie

 

[scgamecock]

I used blue tarps last summer and now they have rotted so I have an idea that I'm going to try this year.I have got some running butterbean seeds and I'm going to plant them at the end of the run and let them run up the fence and possibly over the top some.If I can keep them from eating the vines it should give them shade and I might gets some beans out of the deal.In the fall when the frost kills the vines I will just pull them down and they will have full sun in the winter to warm up.