Some prefab coop modifications I made for a cooler coop :)

[new_chickees]

I posted awhile back asking for advice about keeping my chickens dry in the occasionally torrential downpour and keeping them cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Here’s what I’ve done :

View attachment 1793059

I added a radiant barrier because the roof gets afternoon sun for only a couple hours at the end of the day, but the sun heat on the roof radiates into the coop. The barrier prevents heat from coming in via the hot roof.
Also I added a fan, which the chickens love They’re favorite roosting bar is beneath the fan and they were all standing on it, fluffing and enjoying the “breeze” this afternoon.

The next thing I did was sew this coop rain fly from a $12 camping footprint tarp:

I have it rolled up here, but left it up on the roof so I can drop it down when the big storms start rolling in around 5 AM:

I’ll probably only use this for the bigger thunderstorms because the coop was pretty dry in the light rain and the girls were dry after the last big storm because they have their nice nesting box, but the coop was soaked. I’m trying deep litter bedding and it seems to work better if it doesn’t get saturated (less chance of mold) and since a rain fly keeps my tent dry when camping in the rain I figured it would work for their coop.

 

[Willowspirit]

I have that same coop andi think what you've done is genius!

 

[new_chickees]

I have that same coop andi think what you've done is genius!

It’s a great coop! In the pic you can also see I added 1 x 6” boards to the bottom to help with the deep litter experiment

 

[aart]

Cool Beans!...or cool chicks (haha)
Do you have a link for that fan?

Is the fan under the tarp?
Doesn't that block the intake air for the fan?

Will ask again:

Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[new_chickees]

Cool Beans!...or cool chicks (haha)
Do you have a link for that fan?

Is the fan under the tarp?
Doesn't that block the intake air for the fan?

Will ask again:

Hello,
I saw your question but prefer not to give out my location.

The fan is turned off when the tarp is on when there is a big storm.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Hello,
I saw your question but prefer not to give out my location.

.

no one want your address silly but state is easier to advise some of us even add the town

 

[sharkerbaby]

Hello,
I saw your question but prefer not to give out my location.

I feel the same way so after being pestered a bit I relented somewhat and added my zone and area of country. You may be "reminded" multiple times but it's perfectly fine not to divulge.

 

[Henriettamom919]

I have a similar prefab coop and that is great! Would have solved a ton of my issues! Now we use it to house our four 10-12 week old pullets while we build our walk in. Our three layers outgrew the roosting space by about 8 months old. They're now in a more spacious free standing coop. All said and done we'll end up with three coops! (I think subconsciously I meant for this to happen so I can let the chicken math go crazy )

Ventilation was my biggest issue with our prefab so that's a great idea!

 

[aart]

but prefer not to give out my location.

I feel the same way so after being pestered a bit I relented somewhat and added my zone and area of country. You may be "reminded" multiple times but it's perfectly fine not to divulge.

If ya'll are on phones, 'they' know exactly where you are anyway.

 

[Henriettamom919]

I'm in Snohomish. Please don't steal my chickens; y'all can have the rest