Im so sad. My mother in law busted my bubble. Now What?

[nursesammy]

Well i was going to turn an old grain bin into an immaculant chicken coop. Then my mother in law reminded me of how hot they get in the summer. Now what am i going to do? Any one have suggestions? All are welcome. I want something different for 20 birds.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

How about a shed coop?

You can make the shed look any way you want.

 

[darkmatter]

Quote:
Paint that old grain bin with the high gloss white paint intended for propane tanks, available at the field store. Expensive, but worth it, I think the brand was VanSickle. It's used for exterior machinery paint. Insulate the inside and ventilate. Can you plant trees for shade or grow grapevines up the side for sun protection? By the way------why not prove your mother-in-law wrong? That's always good for a few brownie-points in life.

 

[Terri O]

Maybe you could adapt the bin? I am not sure what kind of grain bin you are talking about that gets hot...we have corn bins with a metal top...but the sides are all wire. Then there are the old style corn cribs...but they are wooden...do you have a pic? Maybe we can offer suggestions! Terri O

 

[farmer_lew]

For 20 birds you'll need about 80 sqft. So plan on roughly 8'x10' for your coop. The run, if not free ranged, will need to be about 200 sqft.

 

[nursesammy]

Darkmatter- i LOVE the way u think ; ]. The grain bin is about 15ft wide and about 8-9 ft tall not including the roof. Its like the Butler brand kind that sit on the ground.

 

[downhome]

here is a idea, know what a solar chimney is? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_chimney
maybe you could incorporate darkmatters ideas also, paint the lower part, Just need to do the lower half white (6' or so) the top black separate the two sections with a ceiling.
which would also help add some structural stability ( grain bins gain strength from being filled and pressure being equally distributed,at least that's my understanding.)
put a vent port in the center of the ceiling and the top section with a cap (like they do with chimneys to keep they rain out.) should act as a solar chimney. you could also include a fan there to help if necessary though I think you could reverse flow in the winter to help warm the bottom space just hook it to a thermostat in the upper half so it only pulls air when its warmed.

you will need to provide a place for the cool air to come in, windows and door perhaps, but I just keep having an idea of plastic culvert pipe buried a few feet below ground as the fresh air input. if you could best option would be to coil it under the foot print of the bin the ground should remain cooler there so you would not have to go as deep.
I believe permies(permaculture folks) would call these earth tubes? basically a simple geothermal cooling system.

where there's a will there's a way. I may be over thinking it but these are sound scientific principles that would require no power input (unless you wanted to use the fan idea)
more the sun shines or hotter it get the more it works.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

This is what I love about this place! When faced with a problem, we come together to find a solution. You guys ROCK!!!

 

[Katy]

Without a lot of work I have to agree with her mother in law........we store wheat in that type of bin and I also live in the same state as she does.....those birds will cook in a grain bin in the summer. I've been in them in the summer....not a fun place to be. Now if she could talk someone into putting some windows and fans in it might work.

 

[nursesammy]

Im thinking that this is going to be much more of a project than i originally thought of. But, with all the input you guys are giving me, all the wonderful suggestions,this thing could be wonderful! You guys are great.