Picking location for small coup-----direct sunlight question.

[Maton1]

Hi. I would like to have a small chicken coup. I was thinking only of a few chickens because space is limited.

Some of my best options as far as space goes happen to be facing south and in the summer time it gets full sun all day long.

In that case would it be impossible to have chickens there? Even in the shade I can imagine that temps get pretty high after a few hours.

I guess the obious answer would be 'no' but maybe others have found simple solutions to that problem.

Also because of limited space the coup would have to be relatively close to the house. Is that a bad idea because of the smell?

Obviously I don't know much but I'd like to learn more to see what my options are and if it's even a possibility to have chickens. thnx.

 

[mh10]

yes you can have but only u have to do is chose the correct breeds

 

[Maton1]

So which ones are heat tolerant?

 

[sunflour]

so glad you have joined us.

It is more difficult to find information on heat tolerant, most breed characteristic charts tend to emphasize cold tolerance.

IMO a full sun area for the coop will be quite a challenge - mine gets sun only from morning til noon and I have extra shade, an outdoor fan and still have to worry when the temperatures are high. And we have to use iced water and cold treats to help avoid heat issues. If the humidity in your area runs high, that amplifies the issue.

I had one heat exhaustion to deal with - the temp was not excessively high, just a quick change from cooler weather to warmer weather was the cause.

If you have another shadier area to use, think about building there.

I like my coop close to the house - so much easier to watch and tend to their needs. Smells are a result of wet poop - so frequent cleaning solves that concern.

Good luck with your plans.

 

[N F C]

Chickens can handle the cold better than they can the heat (think of all those feathers as a fur coat). Depending on where you live, some members in hot climates do well with open air coops to avoid heat build up and aid in ventilation. Also, the top of a run can be covered with shade cloth to give your chickens a bit cooler place to spend their day. A clean coop won't be too smelly to have close to your house.

You might want to post in your state forum to get input from other members that share your climate. You can find your state thread by doing a search by state name.

If you haven't already done so, check out the Learning Center...there are a lot of articles there that will help you get off on the right foot.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Maton1]

Ok thanks! That helped a lot! There is a little stip on the north side that gets sun from the frist morning rays and then only gets the last rays of afternoon sun. Maybe that would be better only that it is tight---a small area probably not wider than 5 sq ft. at it's flatest spot and then quickly goes from flat to a very steep rocky slope. Maybe I just have to build something creative.

One more question. How are cats with chickens? Are they also considered predators? We have lots of neighborhood cats. Just thought in case I ever wanted to let the chickens run out from time to time for some extra space. thanks again.

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, Maton1, and

! Pleased you joined our community! Yes, sun is always an issue. Some folks, if no natural shade is available, use shade cloth over the run to filter the sun out. I also think breeze is always important in the hot days of summer as well as obviously plenty of fresh water. Looks like you've received lottos good advice above so I'll just say best wishes to you and your future flock!!

 

[whoop whoop]

Welcome to BYC -Most of my cats are just inquisitive rather than predatory but the Roo normally sees them off anyway. I have cochins and Sebrights and both love the heat, within in reason, sorry what I mean is, as long as they have a shady tree or bush to go under they seem fine. Must have plenty of fresh water two or three times a day.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Welcome to BYC, I have read where some use misters in the summer...

Good luck

Gary

Must. Finish. Coop.

 

[Teila]

G’Day from down under Maton1

Welcome!

Living in Aus, I have some experience with heat and chickens.

You have received some great advice which I am probably just going to echo but here goes ….

We do have our coop close to the house and as the run is fully covered and deep litter, unless we are flooded [which has happened] we do not have an issue with the smell or flies. However, our gals also free range the garden all day and this also means that they are only in the coop to lay eggs and sleep. The sun beating down on the coop all day is going to make it hot and probably uncomfortable at night if the temperature does not drop much. So if you can, some shade is definitely going to be of benefit. However, too much shade will result in the ground not drying out and the risk of nasties developing in the damp ground.

We opted for a raised coop, lots of ventilation and a slatted timber floor for more air flow.

I hope I can explain this so it makes sense, the roof to the coop and run is slightly raised above the wire which means in winter we have one layer of shade cloth between the wire and roof and in summer we add an additional one plus the natural shade from a nearby tree.

While you can not see the roof in this picture [it is white, not focused and kind of blended into the sky] you can see the layer of shade we have under it and on top of the wire:



While the back and front walls only have a small door in each, as mentioned, the floor is slatted and the two end doors are also ventilated, plus the gaps above the solid walls:


Slatted door for air flow.

Obviously this is not suitable for all climates but works well in ours.

I hope that helps.

I also hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun. Unlike non chicken loving friends, family and colleagues, BYC’ers never tire of stories or pictures that feature our feathered and non feathered friends