Keep your chickens cooler for $10

[chuckzoo]

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I am originally from South Africa and the climate is mild, much like yours so we build open air runs rather than coops.

I would suggest a covered run that has one solid wall be it your fence or whatever to stop prevailing winds/rain. Cover the top of the run but have all three sides only covered with hardware cloth. I have sand in 2/4 of my run the other 1/4 if soil/wood shaving but I think I will remove this and replace with sand as it creates too much dust when they dust bath in it. Since my hens are heavy types BR I do not have my roost high up off the ground.

I have done a little schematic of what I am taking about.

 

[chuckzoo]

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All is not lost - you could turn it into an outdoor shower

 

[9ByDesign]

Thank you ALL for all the feedback so far! I see all these adorable coops on BYC but not enough options for us Floridians. Anything else anyone has before we start...is much appreciated!

Chuckzoo--- THANK YOU for the time you took to post that, too. This may be a dumb question...but why do you put the roost beneath the nest boxes? I thought it was supposed to be the other way around?? The coop you have illustrated (and some others have posted) is what we were thinking of doing to that original coop/ link http://www.woodenart.org.uk/products.php?product=The-Harry-Chicken-Coop-Hen-House-and-Run-# I posted at beg. of thread. We were going to solid wall-in the back side of coop with exterior nest boxes also on that side.

 

[Lbrad7]

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Generally speaking the roosts should be higher than the nesting boxes to keep the birds from being tempted to roost on or inside the nesting boxes. Chickens will go to the highest point in an area to roost.

I'm not going to argue with this coop design though. I love so many things about it, especially the use of gutters and a rain barrel to capture and use that water for your birds. I do the samething and it works great!

 

[chuckzoo]

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Probably just the way I drew it! The roosts I mean. They should really be illustrated in front of the nesting boxed to serve a dual purpose, i.e., to roost of course and to use as a stepping point to enter the nesting boxes. I prefer things that do double duty.

It really depends on what type of birds you have. I have BR hens which are heavy birds and I do not want to run the risk of them roosting too high where they came come down from a roost and injure themselves. I have read many a post that birds have damaged their legs or something else coming off the roost. In this sense I go against the grain of what is customary. I feel that high roosts require a good bit of space for a chicken to disembark safely! That's really just my opinion although I know many will disagree.

 

[Tropical Chickies]

I just bought one from Lowes that was $14.99 and it is a tiny hose with nozzles that lets the mist out and it hooks up to you garden hose. Anyhow, I installed along the fence line of the run and the chickens won't go anywhere near it. I guess it helps keep the dirt wet and cool, not so dusty, and who knows...maybe they'll walk by it soon, haha!! At least it is there in the event they need it.

 

[chuckzoo]

The chickens may not go close to it but it still has a good cooling effect, cooling to air and moistening the soil. I turn mine on several times during the day (or you could use a water timer) and it really helps keep the run from getting very hot. Once I turn it off they like to go and scratch in the moist sand and lay of it which no doubt cools their bodies down. By walking on the moist sand it helps to cool them through their feet.

And as you mentioned it also helps keep the dust down.

Oh, and they have lots of "fun" pecking the water droplets off the fencing.