Open air coop in NE Florida.

[MattDeL]

Just wanted to share my open air coop. Any suggestions are welcome. I’m a renter until next spring so it needed to be able to be broken down - that’s why I chose a 10 x 10 dog kennel as the base structure.

Bought and 8’ post for the center and made a hip roof with some 1x2 and wrapped it with 2 - 10 x 12 tarps.

Set it all up near my porch so I could use the house, etc for walls in their run area .

Run is about 300 sq ft or so and is only partially covered but I keep a close eye when they’re out.

Put some privacy fabric on the west side to block the hot afternoon sun - I like it because it’s breathable but also helps block a bit of the hard rains that come in every day this time of year. Can’t really think of much else to point out other than my tarp I have rolled up that I drop in heavy rains. 26” fan to keep the air moving.

I guess it’s worth mentioning that I have seen Hawks in the area but other than that I really don’t seem to have many predators as I live right by a very busy road and also I have two dogs that patrol the yard throughout the day. Neighborhood cats are even hesitant to come into our backyard.

When I move and set up my permanent open air coop and run I will have more serious predator protection. I’m not too worried about it right now because I am home 99% of the time since I work from home and I also have a security camera set up watching them.

What do you think?

 

[3KillerBs]

Nice. Space and air are the big things when you're in a hot climate.

 

[SourRoses]

Hi fellow Floridian!
Yep, you made very good choices for our climate!

I have to know, what is the red thingy hanging from the ceiling? I recognize the heat lamp and bug zapper of course.

You may want to do regular inspections of the fan because they can get clogged with chicken dander / dust and stop working or even cause a fire. We broke two box fans in a mostly open stall coop before giving up on the fan thing, but of course they can still be helpful in a pinch during the worst temps.

 

[MattDeL]

Hi fellow Floridian!
Yep, you made very good choices for our climate!

I have to know, what is the red thingy hanging from the ceiling? I recognize the heat lamp and bug zapper of course.

You may want to do regular inspections of the fan because they can get clogged with chicken dander / dust and stop working or even cause a fire. We broke two box fans in a mostly open stall coop before giving up on the fan thing, but of course they can still be helpful in a pinch during the worst temps.

That’s a trouble lamp with a bug zapper bulb on it. It also has an led option on the bulb.