Run Bedding and Ventilation

[Sagey_7878]

If it gets really hot.... I would be tempted to completely remove the shed wall that is against the run...

So make the shed with 3 walls... 4th wall wire, or if you are confident in the security of your run...just open to the run.

I would put a window on the opposite side of the newly open wall... so that YES wind can blow right through and directly over the perches.

My sister in Texas has her coop set up so the entire top half of the coop walls are wire.... so yes the wind blows over the perches. She very rarely has snow, so it does get cold, but heat is her big issue. The open coops fix that.

My sister though has deep eves, that shed does not.... so the window that I suggest putting across from the new open side.... would have to be closed in storms or set up with an awning or some kind of rain protection since wet birds are bad... need to keep the rain out.

Thank you so much! I won’t be able to get a new coop but we’ll be able to fix it up. Where you said taking the wall out and putting wire, I like that idea but I don’t know if I’d have to cover it cause the shelter from the run roof blocks run, so I don’t think I need to open and close them unless you think otherwise. Could I just cut a small section out from the top (the side that’s in the run) and put wire over it? Winter is not that cold in Australia but summer is very hot. We plan to build roosts outside for summer to solve the heat issue, will that work? They’ll get all the wind.

 

[Sagey_7878]

I use wood chips.
I think it gets pretty hot in Australia, yes? I would definatly make lots more ventilation. Minimum standard is 1sqft per chicken, but more is better I'm guessing you have about 2sqft or less. Being made of metal I would imagine that coop is going to be like an oven. Of course I'm in NJ USA and worry more about cold, but ventilation is needed no matter the climate.

So what do you recommend I do?

 

[Sagey_7878]

Is that a ridge vent on the coop? If it is, that helps a lot. Not sure how cold it actually gets in your part of Australia, probably not cold enough to be dangerous. I'd cut another hole like your pop door at ground level on the shady side of the coop and cover that with hardware cloth for predator protection. Hot air rises but only if cooler air is there to replace it. The coolest air you can get in summer is on the shady side down low. On the sunny side it can get hotter than inside the coop. That might be enough if you have a ridge vent.

I can't see how much overhang you have. I like to open the top of the walls under the overhang and over it with hardware cloth for predators. That let air in and keeps rain out.

Since you consider your run secure I'd let them decide where they want to sleep. They won't go to bed until dark and that metal building will probably cool off pretty fast. Where are your nests? I'd want them on a cooler side so the sun doesn't turn them into an oven. I'd worry about that more than where they roost.

Thank you! Yeah the top vents are open. It does not get that cold in Australia and we get is rain, no snow, and if we get holes on the side facing the run, it’ll be protected by the shelter part? What do you think about cutting a big part out and covering it with wire (the side that is in the run?) above the coop hole. Are you worried more about where they’re laying in summer, if you are that’s fine but I’m a bit confused. What do you think of the idea of me building roosts outside so they have the option to sleep outside in a nice protected area?

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[Alaskan]

Thank you so much! I won’t be able to get a new coop but we’ll be able to fix it up. Where you said taking the wall out and putting wire, I like that idea but I don’t know if I’d have to cover it cause the shelter from the run roof blocks run, so I don’t think I need to open and close them unless you think otherwise. Could I just cut a small section out from the top (the side that’s in the run) and put wire over it? Winter is not that cold in Australia but summer is very hot. We plan to build roosts outside for summer to solve the heat issue, will that work? They’ll get all the wind.

If the run is secure enough... you make it all into a large coop / run combo. Where the one wall of the coop is completely open to the run.

As long as there is some place where they can hide from the wind (like in a huge blustery storm) in hot places, it IS ok to have breeze going over the perches.

Actually.... where it is super hot...it is probably a good thing to have some breeze hitting the birds while they sleep.

 

[Sagey_7878]

Can one of you guys please circle where I’d cut a hole in the shed and then cover with wire to provide more circulation?

 

[Sagey_7878]

If the run is secure enough... you make it all into a large coop / run combo. Where the one wall of the coop is completely open to the run.

As long as there is some place where they can hide from the wind (like in a huge blustery storm) in hot places, it IS ok to have breeze going over the perches.

Actually.... where it is super hot...it is probably a good thing to have some breeze hitting the birds while they sleep.

Thank you, they always have the shed if a storm comes. What do you recommend I do to fix my problem?

 

[Alaskan]

 

[Sagey_7878]

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Thank you! Instead of removing it as it protects the chickens a lot during cold and stormy weather, could we just cut 2 large windows in the places you mentioned? And if yes, at the top or at the bottom? Chickens roosts will be on the side where you said “large window on this wall”

 

[Sagey_7878]

Someone recommended me to get rid of their entire shed and I feel like I have done a terrible thing to my chickens. I can’t get a new one but we can create more ventilation by cutting holes.

 

[aart]

Mulch bedding looks great....I doubt you need anything else.

Here's a great thread showing putting windows in a metal shed:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/from-tool-shed-to-coop.1321135/