Shade cloth sufficient enough?

[Shamo Hybrid]

Are shade cloth sufficient enough to protect chickens from the sun, especially during the hot summer days? I was thinking of maybe expanding and instead of buying boards (they get expensive!), I can maybe get a big roll of these shade cloth to cover up the chicken run to provide enough cover from the harmful sun. What do you guys think?

 

[IamRainey]

I'm in SoCal where triple digit summer days have become ordinary and last for weeks at a time.

First, shade cloth comes in at least three different densities. I got the most dense. Then I doubled it over and applied it between the roof of my coop and a tall wooden fence about 4' beyond it. I think it may have dropped the temps as much as 20˚. I haven't measured it but it was well beyond merely noticeable.

I attached it to the wood on the coop and the fence with screws and 1" washers. I used a light tan color so it hasn't made the area dark, just well shaded, and it's high enough not to cut down on any of the breezes that blow through the run and also cool. We don't get a lot of rain so I don't worry much and haven't been troubled by water collecting up there. Plastic won't last forever so I know I'll have to replace it at some point but I haven't seen any signs of deterioration in the woven plastic mesh yet. If it turns out I need to replace it every 3 years or so it will still be a very affordable way to provide comfort -- even life saving comfort -- for my chickens.

It was so helpful that I'm going to do it on a second side this year. Happily the third side has the shade of a large walnut tree and the fourth side only gets sun later in the day when it's cooler.

I'd recommend it based on my experience here.

 

[aart]

It can surely help, how much it helps may depend on density of cloth, size/location of coverage, site orientation, and climate.

My coop gets nailed from midday on, late day has a brutal west exposure.
Some days it makes barely a lick of difference.
Birds discomfort can depend on humidity levels too, just like us.
When it's hot here it's also usually very humid.
Dose of Savachick electrolytes/vitamins has saved more than one bird here,
I now give it regularly to the whole flock during heat waves.

Pic is older, I now cover the west side of run and top,
covering that west window really helps.

Huge(9x14x2-3") ice cubes are the best cooler-offer that I've found.