Pre-fab Coop Ventilation 🥵 my chickens are hot!!

[ddago003]

I have a pre-fab coop for my 5 Buff Orpington hens. We are in south Florida where the summers are pretty brutal. The summer has just started here and already I’m noticing the coop is so warm… warmer than the outside temp. The girls pant a lot. I have large pine shavings inside for litter that is changed regularly. We added a solar fan to the front door which helps blow air in, but the temp is still pretty warm, especially where they like to sleep off to the side. There is another window opposite the fan but it’s pressed up within inches of the fence (due to lack of space) so the cross breeze isn’t there. I’d like to adjust the ventilation but wanted some expert opinions before I start chopping up my coop. I’ve attached a photo here… the part circled in green came with clear thick plastic over it and we added hardware cloth over that to prevent critters from getting in. There is a long rectangular window on both sides. Would I be correct to think that removing the thick clear plastic, keeping the hardware cloth, and adding a longer overhang to prevent rain from getting in would result in a cooler coop. So existing fan would blow inward from the front door and upper long windows that came covered would now be open allowing hot air to escape. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

 

[Iluveggers]

I would see if you can remove half of the front side and the back side (that they don’t sleep on), and replace it with hardware cloth. Seems like a lot of ventilation but they need it. How old are the chickens? That space is going to be hot no matter how much ventilation you add with 5 full-size chickens inside. If you are able, a good solution would be to make an open-air hoop coop with a cattle panel covered in hardware cloth. You could still keep the prefab inside for laying purposes, but door could stay open and they wouldn’t have to cram in there to sleep when it’s super hot. There are also some good articles on here about expanding prefab coops and adding more ventilation if you search through the coop & run section. Definitely possibilities to help your ladies! Good luck!

 

[nuthatched]

Yes, remove the plexiglass and also start cutting windows in it anywhere you can, I'd even replace a wall with hardware cloth.

 

[ddago003]

Thank you for the great replies! Wow I guess we need more vents than I thought! The chickens are just over 3 months old. I’m a bit hesitant to start cutting into the wood siding on walls because it is a very thin & flimsy wood. Wishing we had made the coop from scratch to begin with but this is our first flock and a learning experience for sure. Alternatively, if removing the plastic/plexiglass isn’t enough, there are two more nesting boxes on the opposite side (so 4 total) that I could try to remove and cover that wall with hardware cloth to really open things up a lot. The ladies don’t ever use the extra 2 boxes for anything. I do worry about raccoons or rats trying to scratch at them if too much is exposed near them though. Will take a look at open-air hoop coops with a cattle panel covered in hardware cloth, and will check out the articles mentioned on extending prefab coops. Thanks so much

 

[ddago003]

One more question… if I start opening up walls as suggested, how would I go about keeping the rain out? Thanks again!

 

[DobieLover]

One more question… if I start opening up walls as suggested, how would I go about keeping the rain out? Thanks again!

Build a walk-in run with a solid, pitched roof and place the tiny coop under the roof.

 

[Altairsky]

A temporary fix could be this thing (idk how it's called in English). It's ugly but if I put it on the roof it reduces the temperature by 3 to 5 °c

 

[ddago003]

Makes sense, thank you all!

 

[Lrnadoon]

One more question… if I start opening up walls as suggested, how would I go about keeping the rain out? Thanks again!

I have an open concept coop that we built. When it rains I put in plexiglass windows that can be there temporarily. Works great. Just cut to size what you need. I have 13 windows but and it only takes me about 5 mintues to put them all up before we get storms. They in the winter they are there to keep the drafts off ot them. Good Luck!

 

[Bawkbok]

We are also in FL. It is blazing here as you know. Much hotter than it should be for this time of year. I'll share what we do and what has worked for us thus far.

Our girls have an open air run attached to a prefab and the run is covered with a tarp that serves as the roof. They are also under trees. Move your coop under a tree if you have one and put a canopy over it if you have one. Perhaps a table umbrella if you have one. Time to get creative. There is no cross breeze for them and that fence probably radiates heat onto the coop since it's wood.

We removed vents and windows in the coop and replaced them with hardware cloth. The coop is not inside the run as it would take up too much space so we cannot remove the doors as they would be totally exposed and it would take up too much run space. We have a white canopy over the coop that is up full time and provides total shade for the coop, lowering the temp by 15 degrees. We also have the run fully tarped which serves as the roof as well as tarps that we use on the run "walls" (wire) hung with bungee cords that blocks the sun in the morning and afternoon. We also have four fans running at all times, one in the coop and three outside the run. Yes, it requires running extension cords to the house. If you do this, ensure you buy / use the outlet splitters rated for exterior use as well as outdoor extension cords. The cords are the most expensive aspect of running the fans but a small price to pay to provide air movement, albeit hot air. It's important to get air flowing in the coop, especially at night.

Try this fan:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DP4F63BV?ref_=pe_123509780_1038749300_t_fed_asin_title&th=1

It's quick to charge, has a thin profile, can be hung on your hardware cloth or set up on its stand inside the coop. It has a long battery life and it's the best small fan we've discovered yet for interior coop space. It has four speeds and they all blow phenomenally well. It has helped us tremendously. I highly recommend it for inside the coop.

We have been running 4 box fans for the past month when it turned hot. While our electric bill has taken a hit by $35 in one month, we are still getting eggs from all our girls every day. They are handling the heat very well but do pant and wings are out in the hottest part of the day. Hot is hot. There is no getting away from 104 heat index no matter what you do.

It looks like their run floor is pine shavings? If you can, add some dirt so they have something to dig down into to get cool and can dirt bath which will help with the plethora of insects we have here. Pine shavings can be hot to lay on based on how they are to the touch when we collect eggs.

We found Home Depot has the best selection of hardware cloth depending on your need. Rolls come in various lengths. Determine how you can enclose the top and tarp it out. They need shade and air movement.

Best of luck. Congratulations on your first flock.