Putting a chicken coop on property with NO shade! Beginner needs help.

[RoosterML]

I have not looked to see what kind of coop your getting. Are you able to elevate the coop so they can go under? It doubles your space along with providing shade . If it by a pool I don’t see why you couldn’t get a potted tree. Whatever you do remember this. Metal reflects heat/sunshine away while plastic coverings hold and absorb the heat making it even hotter.

 

[Mtnboomer]

Keep it a light color. Paint it white or other but avoid dark wood stains and colors

 

[Maton1]

Allow the grape vine to cover the coop and run = shade in summer and light in winter

Yes! thank you. WE were planning to redirect the grapevine over the coop and run.

 

[Maton1]

Keep it a light color. Paint it white or other but avoid dark wood stains and colors

Good idea. We got the lightest color that they have but I could always make it lighter, thanks!

 

[Maton1]

I have not looked to see what kind of coop your getting. Are you able to elevate the coop so they can go under? It doubles your space along with providing shade . If it by a pool I don’t see why you couldn’t get a potted tree. Whatever you do remember this. Metal reflects heat/sunshine away while plastic coverings hold and absorb the heat making it even hotter.

Thank you! Yes, I got the coop that elevates so that they could go underneath it for shade.

 

[Aquatic_blue]

There are plenty of options for cooling down a coop. Shade is definitely nice for hotter days. Maybe buy a tree from a nursery that has grown quite a bit and plant it nearby where your coop will be? A mister (a little ways away from the coop, though) may be a good option. Hanging a tarp over head somehow can help or buying one of those large shade tents from Walmart could help. We put a large, thick wooden board against the side of our coop and it kept the coop much cooler, but we are almost done building a new coop closer to the tree we have so it will be better.

I used to get those gallon ice cream pails, add water, freeze, and put a big ice block in the chicken run and wet it a little. It gets cool. I also did those $1 ice packs in different spots and they enjoyed it. Just a puddle of cool water nearby and they are glad to cool off their feet.

You might want to fence your veggie garden if it isn't already. Chickens like to help themselves =P

 

[Maton1]

There are plenty of options for cooling down a coop. Shade is definitely nice for hotter days. Maybe buy a tree from a nursery that has grown quite a bit and plant it nearby where your coop will be? A mister (a little ways away from the coop, though) may be a good option. Hanging a tarp over head somehow can help or buying one of those large shade tents from Walmart could help. We put a large, thick wooden board against the side of our coop and it kept the coop much cooler, but we are almost done building a new coop closer to the tree we have so it will be better.

I used to get those gallon ice cream pails, add water, freeze, and put a big ice block in the chicken run and wet it a little. It gets cool. I also did those $1 ice packs in different spots and they enjoyed it. Just a puddle of cool water nearby and they are glad to cool off their feet.

You might want to fence your veggie garden if it isn't already. Chickens like to help themselves =P

This is great! Thank you much!

 

[Aquatic_blue]

This is great! Thank you much!

You're welcome =)

 

[paintedChix]

what a conundrum... How many chickens are you actually getting and which Eglu coop did you get? Where in Europe are you? How much snow/ice do you get? You only talked about summer heat.

I love the look of the Eglu Coop and I so wanted one when I first saw them. But even for chicks for us, they are just very impractical and expensive. And it gets hotter than 90* with up to 100 % humidity (w/ no actual rain).

I disagree with the grape vine. First - you invested in a small, portable coop with light weight wire run. Unless European grape vines are vastly different than those here in the USA, the weight of one (even trailing across) could seriously damage your coop/run. Second - once your grape vine is supported by your coop & run, it (the coop/run) is no longer portable. It becomes pretty much permanent unless you want to destroy the part of the vine now supported by it. I've dealt with overgrown grape vines and seen it destroy HEAVY duty chain link fencing. If not maintained, it can even get too heavy for proper & heavy duty trellises.

Even other vining plants are going to be heavy, though should work for shade if on a properly supported trellis that you then put your coop and run under. You would want to keep the vining plants off of your coop/run - if you want to keep it easily portable w/ no damage.

I do not know what your fencing options are where you are located. It's hard to give options or ideas when those of us on the other side of the pond don't know what you have available.

The mister and ice ideas should work anywhere. Putting up some shade cloth should work as well - even beach type umbrellas. There are posts here on BYC that show umbrellas as shade.

I've always liked Aart's shade cloth run and have recently found a pipe bender I could get locally and afford at the same time. Hmmm.....

Please share pictures of your yard/pool and maybe even give dimensions. Local feed/hard ware stores and what they carry that can be used would be helpful. When do you get your chicks?

I ususlly do this backwards so - Welcome to BYC!!

Edited to add - Eglu coops have really updated and expanded. Looks like enough have been purchased that the prices have dropped as well. CUTE, but I still stand on what I stated above. As to shade - you can add a light weight and weather protected board to the side of the run under your coop on the side that is hit by the sun. If you make it movable, you can move it as the sun rotates. You can make the shade cloth that they show in several options larger - also producing more shade for longer in the day. If you are free ranging your birds (be aware, some might take a dip in the pool safely and others could land in the pool and drown), put up a larger board angled against the side of coop run - your chickens will find it to lay under when they get hot. They will also dig holes under it - so you may have to move your coop/run quite a bit to prevent too deep of a hole being dug OR refill it daily.