Novice needing advice / direction pls!

[CheerfulF0x]

I'm a bit overwhelmed at the moment.
I am still in the process of weeding through all the information within this group but would love and appreciate some direction so that I can figure out what is truly needed.

The factors I have to consider:

1.) Heat
I live in central Texas and our summers are hot - 90's to 100's [[<- Edit : Wishful thinking I guess. More like high 90's to 110's]]- and tend to be warm all year round. Well, except for those few weeks a year when we drop to the 30's.
I am very concerned about my hens getting overheated.

2.) Chickens (Size/breed/amount)
The Breeds I am getting are - 1 Cochin, 2 Brahmas, 1 Australorp, 2 Mixed/Sex-linked.
2 of those breeds are known for being larger hens and very 'fluffy'. I want a space that is safe for the girls and that gives them enough space.

3.) Simplicity / Budget
I am a novice at building things and have a modest amount of tools at the moment. However, I do have access to assistance from others who have building experience and tools as long as scheduling works .
I don't need something ornate - I just want secure and functional. How much should I realistically expect to spend?


Thanks in advance!

 

[Mamatomany123]

1) I live in west texas. Our summers get to 120s. Best thing is lots of ventilation in the coop, freeze a bucket of water every night and give it to them to sip out of and/or stand in, and a good area of deep shade.
2) I have production blues. They're australorp and RIR mixes. Rule of thumb is no smaller than 4 sq ft per bird in the coop and 10 sq ft in the run. Bigger is always better. Right now I have 7 chickens in a 10 x 8 coop and a 35x 20 run.
3.)depending how big you go will depend how much you spend. A good cheaper option is a hoop coop. Many different plans on here. Make sure to use hardware cloth. You either spend the money now to do it or you spend it later after you lose some birds.

 

[CheerfulF0x]

1) I live in west texas. Our summers get to 120s. Best thing is lots of ventilation in the coop, freeze a bucket of water every night and give it to them to sip out of and/or stand in, and a good area of deep shade.
2) I have production blues. They're australorp and RIR mixes. Rule of thumb is no smaller than 4 sq ft per bird in the coop and 10 sq ft in the run. Bigger is always better. Right now I have 7 chickens in a 10 x 8 coop and a 35x 20 run.
3.)depending how big you go will depend how much you spend. A good cheaper option is a hoop coop. Many different plans on here. Make sure to use hardware cloth. You either spend the money now to do it or you spend it later after you lose some birds.

Thank you for the advice!
((I need to edit my temps after looking at yours. I guess I was just being wishful?))
I will add the bucket idea to my tips list for sure.
And I appreciate the honesty regarding size and price.
I did plan on using hardware cloth - I won't sacrifice on safety.

 

[aart]

Best thing is lots of ventilation in the coop, freeze a bucket of water every night and give it to them to sip out of and/or stand in, and a good area of deep shade.

Yes!


I don't live in TX but we suffer from the heat/humidity here too.
Deep all day shade is best but....I don't have it.
Have found these are the best heat busters here....might work for yo too
I give a dose of Sav-a-Chick electrolytes/vitamins about once a week during heat waves.
It really seems to help....started this after they saved a heat stroked hen once.
Can mix up a smaller amount, just wrap the packet tight and store in a dry cool place.
Always have plain water available too.

BIG(9x14x2") chunks of ice last all day for wading, sitting, and sipping.
Much more useful to the chickens than frozen foods and treats.

Make space in your freezer!

 

[CinnaBun]

Search 'Hoop Coop' - pretty cool! Looks easy and good for warm climates.

This is a great example of an airy coopfor hot climates.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/texas-coop-build-pic-heavy.1371038/

 

[CheerfulF0x]

Yes!


I don't live in TX but we suffer from the heat/humidity here too.
Deep all day shade is best but....I don't have it.
Have found these are the best heat busters here....might work for yo too
I give a dose of Sav-a-Chick electrolytes/vitamins about once a week during heat waves.
It really seems to help....started this after they saved a heat stroked hen once.
Can mix up a smaller amount, just wrap the packet tight and store in a dry cool place.
Always have plain water available too.

BIG(9x14x2") chunks of ice last all day for wading, sitting, and sipping.
Much more useful to the chickens than frozen foods and treats.

Make space in your freezer!

Thank you for the information and the pictures !!!
I will add your suggestions to my list.

 

[CheerfulF0x]

I've about decided that the hoop coop is the way to go.... now to get my S.O. on board.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Lots of great ideas for hoop coops here.....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threadloom/searchquery=hoop20cooptab=620

 

[pozees2]

We have dry heat here, but 100 degrees is still 100 degrees. I have mainly Cochins the last few years and some heritage bred Rhode Island Reds. We give each run a wading pool - just a rubber feed tub that is filled with fresh cool water each afternoon - and if you dump it where they are they will think you are AWESOME, nothing like some nice muddy water We also run misters, and since we almost always have some to a lot of wind, and lots of iron in the well water, we use the ones you just attach to the end of a hose so we can position them however/wherever needed. We have many hoses. We wind up replacing the little nozzles a couple of times a year after cleaning them a few times in a jewelry cleaner, and we have inline filters on the hoses to try and slow down the clogging, but when all is said and done, it cools the air a lot. We also spray down the trees and ground around the runs in the afternoons, and put up shade cloth over the runs for the summer.

 

[CheerfulF0x]

Lots of great ideas for hoop coops here.....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threadloom/searchquery=hoop20cooptab=620

I will definitely check out the link you provided. Thank you very much!