I Can’t Get Their Rear Ends Out of the Run At Night!

[Mamatomany123]

I decided I would do a nice middle ground and build a nest box for the run, leaving the coop open, too, if they want that. They love the run, it’s probably a LOT cooler (I wouldn’t want to be sleeping inside a house if I didn’t have central air conditioning), and it’s covered on two sides by a shed and a house plus has a roof.
So I went out and slapped together what I am currently calling “the pauper’s box”. . I will fix them something more fancy when it’s not 108 degrees outside.

View attachment 2233478View attachment 2233477

Oh, you must be near me. We are also 108. Going to be that all week

 

[AllenK RGV]

Oh, you must be near me. We are also 108. Going to be that all week

I have no idea why they call midland midland. For christs sake you are a 9 hour drive north of me. There must be someone you can sue to get that cities name changed!

 

[3KillerBs]

LOL, no, they have a ramp that leads up into the coop from the run.

View attachment 2233094

That ramp looks extremely steep and difficult to climb.

 

[3KillerBs]

The other side isn’t fully open, it just has windows running down the length. NO MAKING FUN OF MY HORRIBLE LOOKING WINDOWS! . Me and the jigsaw were not getting along that day.View attachment 2233249

Heat and ammonia both rise. The ventilation needs to be at the very top to be most effective.

 

[Mamatomany123]

I have no idea why they call midland midland. For christs sake you are a 9 hour drive north of me. There must be someone you can sue to get that cities name changed!

It's seriously horrible here. We used to live in Corpus Christi. The drive down there is brutal. We dont visit often. Maybe once my kids are bigger but an 8 hr drive with 6 kids under 9 gives a new meaning to hell.

 

[aart]

Heat and ammonia both rise. The ventilation needs to be at the very top to be most effective.

Or wide open(meshed) sides in Texas.

 

[Ruby Rogue]

Good luck with your coop should be easy with all the advice and 'math lessons' you've been given. Hope they like their new outdoor nesting boxes, but with your luck they'll lay em and hide em in the grass somewhere when they're ranging.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Good luck with your coop should be easy with all the advice and 'math lessons' you've been given. Hope they like their new outdoor nesting boxes, but with your luck they'll lay em and hide em in the grass somewhere when they're ranging.

Lord knows mine do with eggs(big win for the dogs). They also go broody and incubate odds and ends for a few weeks and then we find them still alive and sitting rocks somewhere. It is a real miracle finding a dearly departed silkie hen in the yard alive and hormonally driven. Unless you find them with the lawnmower as I recently did.

 

[City Farmer Jim]

The biggest thing I learned is more IS better.... I'm a newbie here and to raising chickens but the wonderful Knowledgable people here have me straighten out(mostly) on heat in Texas and everywhere it gets hot. I built the cutest little coop that is just precious to look at...its about 1.5 to 2 square feet short on the minimum of 1 square foot of ventilation per bird. More secure ventilation is BETTER a chickens body temperature is high enough on its own. The ramp issue is a little trickier...if you just extend it you will loose head room at the entry point. Is it possible for you to make a landing and make 90 degree turn or a couple of 45 degree turns to ease the elevation for their cute little legs ? We are in Texas also and I lie awake wondering if I will find pre fryed chickens in the morning...I have feed and water in the coop 24/7 but they only go in to lay eggs and roost for the night. Where do your chickens go after dark/sunset ? We have an automatic door and if they miss the closing time they will huddle together on the ramp until I go to coax them in with a flash light. Chickens don't see well at night AT ALL. I manually open the door and with a narrow beam flashlight encourage them to follow the light into the coop...works well for me.

 

[SilkieMitch]

The biggest thing I learned is more IS better.... I'm a newbie here and to raising chickens but the wonderful Knowledgable people here have me straighten out(mostly) on heat in Texas and everywhere it gets hot. I built the cutest little coop that is just precious to look at...its about 1.5 to 2 square feet short on the minimum of 1 square foot of ventilation per bird. More secure ventilation is BETTER a chickens body temperature is high enough on its own. The ramp issue is a little trickier...if you just extend it you will loose head room at the entry point. Is it possible for you to make a landing and make 90 degree turn or a couple of 45 degree turns to ease the elevation for their cute little legs ? We are in Texas also and I lie awake wondering if I will find pre fryed chickens in the morning...I have feed and water in the coop 24/7 but they only go in to lay eggs and roost for the night. Where do your chickens go after dark/sunset ? We have an automatic door and if they miss the closing time they will huddle together on the ramp until I go to coax them in with a flash light. Chickens don't see well at night AT ALL. I manually open the door and with a narrow beam flashlight encourage them to follow the light into the coop...works well for me.

I think I can extend the ramp more without losing head room—the entry from the floor into the coop is wide.

Right now my chickens prefer to sleep in the run. They have very little interest in the coop. I think I will just add a nestbox to the run (It’s very secure—the coop is already open to it 24/7) and allow this. I will
Likely replace a side of it with hardware cloth after I finish installing my new bathtub—I want to have my masterbath back!!!! . One project at a time, right?

It’s really interesting to find out the alterations you need to make to a classic idea of a coop when you live in heavy heat! But I will take heat over snow anyday...i am not good with cold!