How much ventilation in a warm climate?

[beergnome]

I am making an open-air coop. Do the chickens want all the walls to be hardware cloth, or should some area be solid to make them feel secure? I am in a pretty warm climate and will close up the coop once in a while if we have a freeze

Here is a view from the back. The more framed-out part to the right is the people door and the nest boxes will be on the short side in the foreground. I was planning on making these of solid panels with small vent holes and leave the rest open. Would the hens be happier with a little more coverage?

THanks for all y'alls chicken advice.

 

[Tala]

The only place that they really demand "coverage" is in the nestbox, however I do frequently find them taking an afternoon siesta in the covered part of the chicken tractor - maybe it's just the shady roosting area that attracts them more than the "protection"

I had the same question when I built my coop too! Here's my BYC page on it! https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=27985-open-air-design-coop

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

The side with the roost should be closed in by at least 3 walls to make them feel some what safer IMHO.

 

[Tala]

Quote:
Mine isn't

They will roost out in the open by choice if you let them --- top fence rail, back porch rail, etc.

My coop just has 1 wall. I felt safer building a wall behind the roost, partly for shade, but the main attraction is to keep raccons from reaching through while they sleep. Hardware cloth should protect them though, so the proposed design looks fine!

 

[beergnome]

So, I should enclose the four panels enclosing the end of the coop (foreground of 1st pic)? I want the gals to feels secure, but I also want plenty of breeze in the brutal summer (coop'll be in the shade).

Thanks again for the input. These birds are getting big for their cardboard box.

 

[Jen71]

That coop looks fantastic! Congratulations.

 

[teach1rusl]

Personally, I would always have a "housing area" w/three walls, although I might still stick a narrow ventilation area up under the roof line in the far end, just for air movement. Gusting rain could soak your birds if not, unless your roof has some serious overhang.

 

[patandchickens]

It is best if they can have SOMEWHERE they can tuck themselves away from strong storms and suchlike. There are different possible ways of doing this, but if you want to be able to shelter them more in wintertime then it would be most logical to make most or all of 1-2 walls solid.

Making most or all of 1-2 walls solid (using plywood) would also provide the very important function of giving you some diagonal bracing, which that structure badly badly needs. Even WITH two solid sides I would personally be inclined to give it a little extra help on one or both of the other sides, so it does not twist or rack and start coming apart.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[beergnome]

Thanks all!

I believe I will make about half of the coop solid wall, the next box short side and half each of the long sides, with a few inches of open (hw cloth) at the top. I am making it with panels that can be added or removed as the weather requires.

Pat, thanks for the advice. I have read your pages and found them helpful. I planned to brace the feet to the floor supports underneath with 45 degree 2x4. Would you suggest bracing the 2x2s (above floor) as well? Should I put 45 deg supports the tops and/or bottoms? Or is it advisable to have full-length diagonals? I've used really long deck screws and it feels pretty darn rigid.

Thanks again everyone and I will post some pics and info when I get this thing done!

 

[elmo]

I have a friend here in North Texas who has been keeping chickens for more than twenty years. He now uses open sided roofed coops after nearly roasting his laying hens in a conventional type closed coop when he first started out. The roosts for his chickens are up quite high under the roof, so rain doesn't blow in from the sides onto the chickens. In the winter, he tarps the sides of the pens.

I have a similar set up, but I have used removeable corrugated panels, pictures on my BYC page. Right now I've taken down most of the additional side panels for my summer coop. Just don't need them. My winter coop, the closed sided one, is already getting too hot inside on sunny days.

And instead of fixed nest boxes, I'm using moveable ones, two are covered storage bins and the third is a covered kitty litter box. They provide privacy and darkness, but are easy to clean and don't have any crevices that can harbor mites.

I think you've got a good design for our Texas climate. Just make sure that where you put your roost doesn't get rained on.