New to coop building and this weather!

[Meg09]

Hi! Im not completely new to chickens, but I am new to coop building, although my hubby isnt and hes building the coop. I had a goose, turkey and hen here years ago (we moved then moved back) But we had to tear down the coop as it was old. They all seemed to do okay as far as the weather goes, but I want to know what I can do better. Im in CA, so the winter isnt terrible, it doesnt snow. But it does get icy and has gone as low as 10-15 degrees. In the summer, oh it gets hot. Usually it stays between 90s-110s in july, aug,sept.But we have had those occasional scotchers where it gets to be about 115-120. With my goose, turkey and hen, I never did anything special, just made sure they had water and a pool for the goose (kiddie pool) In winter I never did anything, but now Im wondering if I should have?

What would you suggest to keep the coop warm/ heated or do you think I will need to? Should I put a fan in the coop in summer? (we are going to make it so the chickens cant get to it) then of course Im planning to put frozen milk jugs in there in the summer and make sure they always have water, of course. Anything else we should do? Im getting Cochins- if that makes any difference. Thanks for the advice!

 

[marktoo]

We're in the central valley, got our chicks in March 2 gold & 2 silver laced wyandottes. This past summer we made sure they had shade & plenty of cool water. The days over 100 we used a mister as well. They seemed to handle the heat fairly well. What I don't know is...at what age the hens are best able to handle the extreme heat. Will they be more susceptible as young adults?

From what I read here for cold weather they need a dry, well ventilated coop & they're able to take some pretty cold temps. Our coop is just a wooden plywood box that I slide in a wire pen (tractorish), I leave the door open & the roof ajar. I have some metal roofing material & shade cloth that I place over the pen or remove as the weather dictates. They seem to do well but plans are in the works to build a proper sized coop in the spring.

I can't offer any advice on breed choice as these are our first.

 

[teach1rusl]

Sounds like in your case you're going to need to make sure there are LOTS of windows in your coop, with summer temps like you mentioned. We deal with really high humidity in my area, so even though our summer temps are in the 90s, it feels so much hotter with the high humidity. I do use fans in my coops just to keep air circulating. I use window fans and pedistal fans - you shouldn't need to cover them if they're fairly modern fans (small openings). You can always cover wired window openings with plastic or plexiglass over winter, and you can always add extra bedding during that time. You shouldn't need more than that...

 

[ECBW]

OP,

It seems that your past experience might enlighten us as to how things could be done. You and the old flock have handled high heat without much "high tech". We can learn from that.

Summer in my area reaches humid 90 and rarely over 100. My coop is under shady trees and the coop has as much windows and vents as possible. Plenty of water, no fan, no mist, no AC. The birds do look hot with their mouths open and wings drooping but never any fatality.

Winter should be easy for your area. With lows in teens and twenties in my area, draft free well vented coop, water warmer, no heat, no insulation, light to stimulate egg production, my flock manages just fine.

 

[JackE]

Build a Woods coop like the one below and you do not have to worry about your winter temps. Plenty of fresh air/ventilation, No added heat, or insulation needed. For your summer highs, you could install styrofoam insulation under the roof boards to soak up that summertime roof heat. But, my summer highs can get up over 100, and I don't have any insulation in mine, and I haven't had any problems for going on 4yrs. No fans either. No guesswork, build a proven 100yr old design.