Open air coops-pics

[WestKnollAmy]

I have been asked in the past to show what the front of my open air coops look like and finally got a few photos taken. We live in a fairly warm climate (summers can be 90-100 degrees) but get the occasional snows (winters can be 20-40 degree nights). You can see that on my BYC page but here are recent photos of my open air coops for my free ranging chickens.

And for my shed across from the barn I have 3 windows (one on each wall) with hardware cloth on them and we made a screen door that on these hot nights we are able to leave open to catch as much air as possible for the Silkies, bantam Cochins and standard Cochins I have in there as well as a few growing chicks and a wheaten Marans hen in need of some rest.
These birds all have separate runs out from the shed but I close the pop doors at night. They are usually panting even at 9 pm.

 

[AtRendeAcres]

Nice

 

[grannymac]

nice work!

 

[LittleMamaBigPapa]

cool! I love the BRIGHT green. makes it FUN!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

DD likes the bright green. I am more the blues kinda person. DH likes the darker green.
I try to paint my tractors very appealing colors. As seen on my BYC page.

 

[Omran]

that's looks awesome

 

[davony's chicks]

I love it.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

They used to be horse stalls and we just converted them over to chicken coops. The one on the end has the 2x2 dog fencing and the one beside it has hardware cloth.
The screen door on the shed also has hardware cloth and I clamp it closed on the latch at night to try and keep critters out.

Caught a raccoon in a trap loaned to me by Daniel Brown here on BYC the other day that had gotten in to the end coop and killed 8 of my chickens in about 10 days. We have plugged all holes around the top where the roof meets the frame. We plugged the raccoon also.

 

[pattyjean73]

I haven't heard much about open air coops. But I am interested. I like the looks of yours. I have my "starter" coop almost done, but later this year I'd like to start on my permanent coop that'll house much more birds. Where can I learn more about these types of coops? Would they work well in Missouri? We get summer heat well into the 100s for a couple or so weeks out of the year and some occassionally a couple weeks of single digit temps in winter. The humidity here can be horrid during the summer heat.

Is that a dirt floor with pine shavings?

VERY interesting coop. Seems like all that ventilation would be a great thing as long as the birds can handle the temperature lows and highs here.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Yes, they are dirt floors with "used" pine shavings. My DD has Guinea Pigs and she dumps the dirty cages down in the coops. Of course, what is dirty to the piggies is fine for the chickens. The chickens love to scratch around for food in the shavings and find occasional hay left over.

The ventilation is wonderful but still can be hot for them at night with only one side open. With no air moving they pant in the 90 degree nights. We sometimes put a tarp over the front in the winter if the wind gets up. The chickens do fine in the cold but the wind will kill them with cold added.

I have no idea if this would work in Missouri. These coops face south and are down behind a southern slope but still we get wind from the west side sometimes.
For the heat, I like my DH's M*A*S*H units. We take off all the tarps and it is totally open to let air through. We have 3 in our front pasture. Check out my BYC page to see about them. I worry more about them in the winter there but they were happy last winter.