Suggestions on Warm Weather area Coop?

[greysandy]

I live in So California and was wondering if anyone had any specific suggestions regarding coops in warm areas or does it not really matter since the average temp is 70 degrees year-round? I like some of the pictures I saw with the removable large windows.

I am most concerned about when it gets over 100 degrees in the late summer for a few weeks. I could always move the coop to the shady North side of the house for that month, since it will be small.

Here's the spec's of the area, skills and needs:
10 hens - planning 5X5ft coop
5X21' attached run, contains 3 dwarf citrus trees
urban area, not too many predators except feral cats
small lot, backyard for the dogs, side yards for the chickens
have 7'X4' chicken tractor and plan to use that a few times per week in the front yard.
avg 9.8" annual rainfall (basically very little)
winter evening low temp of 42 degrees on ocassion
1 talented woodworking father in law that loves a project
lots of free redwood 2X2's and 2X4's that I would like to recycle
severe termite problem (and our home is wooden), must be on concrete blocks or lay concrete

Should I insulate the coop to keep it cool or will my chickens just roost outside most of the time in moderate weather?

I welcome any suggestions or comments

 

[lynnlee]

We live in south Texas and have quite a few 100 + days and have never done anything special for the chickens. The bottom of the coop is open for circulation and it's in the shade most of the day. As long as they have plenty of water then they are just fine. I have been raising chickens for years and have never lost one to the heat. I really feel for the people up north who have to deal with the cold....

 

[willheveland]

how about something like this with your run connected.then you could still move it around when you wanted.i use this in warm weather here in n.y. will

 

[CarlaRiggs]

I've been thinking about constructing a coop/run similar to your's, Will. I'm not too far from Anaheim

although we have about 16" of rain a year. And sometimes the thermometer will dip down into the 30's. brrrrrr Creates really great fruit on my trees, though!

Do you think an open coop would work well year round? Or should I be able to enclose the front of it when cold? I don't like to be cold, and I'd hate to think my 'girls' were at night. I'll only have three or four, so there won't be a lot of body heat.

Carla

 

[ridgefire]

Quote:
I thought I read chickens do better with cold than heat?

 

[kstaven]

Chickens do tend to tolerate extreme cold better than extreme heat. Trick with heat is to have lots of open air flow, water and shade.

 

[greysandy]

Will - thanks so much for the picture, that is a great design idea!

I will need to plan for more shade, than I had originally anticipated, but I'm glad I figured it out before I started building

I'm not comfortable in the extreme heat or cold and neither are my thin skinned dogs, so I worry about all the animals equally.

 

[willheveland]

if you were worried about the cold you could build something like this.i've kept 4 chickens through the winter in this.in new york after about 3-4 weeks in the single digits 30's is t-shirt weather.you'd be surprized on some really cool nights they wouldn't go in the coop just sit on the handle rails.i don't think they mind the cold as long as the cold wind isn't blowing on them,you should always have the front pointed opposite as the prevailing wind. if the roosts are higher than wood on three sides it should go under them.
in one coop i built that was all open,i framed a place in the roosts that a plastic tupperware dish pan would drop in,i put pine shavings in it and used it as a nestbox.i'd let them out in the morning to free range,then one at a time they would go back in long enough to lay and right back out.
i guess one day i'll have to venture out to sunny calif. and check out that heat you guys are talking about.i'll probably melt.
check out "my page"and you can see the side of this coop posted.
thanks for the compliment will

 

[CoyoteMagic]

I hope this like still works. I'm at work and the dadgum computer won't let me see pictures!!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=8315

I built my coop on the same lines of this one made by Judymae's hubby. I think she lives in Texas where it is rather hot. Hardware cloth would be the best to cover it with. Plenty of ventilation

 

[Xtradust]

I live in Orange, CA (one city over) and we could almost keep a chicken in a cardboard box.

We did get freezing temps for about 2 weeks last year. So I feel that they should have an actual coop, with walls.

But, I have a friend here who keeps his in a wire coop with a tarp over the top and sides, year-round.

Heat here is the biggest problem. It gets over 100 during the summer and sometimes it lasts.

I just move a few beach umbrellas over the coop and run and give them plenty of cool water and very little corn.

Also, if you live in Anaheim, you have Possum, Raccoons, Coyote, Hawks and Rats.

If you haven't seen them, it's because you don't have chickens.

Just make your run and coop strong so you don't have to worry about them and you'll do great!

Matt