Sunny side, or shady side??

[Prospector]

The Chicken coop is coming along s-l-o-w-l-y... I lost night to an amazing presentation of "High School Musical" as presented by DD's middle school, and will lose tongiht to a guy who wants to buy my car (YAY!!) so I can't really complain, but those dang birds keep eating and growing, and I have to get the coop in place in a hurry. Sinc eth ecoop is nearly done, I am getting close to moving it to its "forever home." The home will be beside the woodshed we started to build last fall, and finished up just before I started the coop (its not quite done in this pic, I know):

Here it is on a rainy day in the fall...

The wood shed matters because I don't know whether to put the chickens on the left or right side of the shed.

To the left, (south side of shed) its really sunny, but also very exposed. In th ewinter the coop would have a lot of solar gain (especially if painted a darker colour) but in the summer would bake. It would also be very exposed to stormy weather, wind, and more visible from the rest of our property.

If it goes on the right (north) side of the shed, it will be tucked in under trees, and behind th eshed, which means it will be very protected from wind, and would be cooler in the summer, however, in the winter it would not get much sun at all. It would also be susceptible to predators dropping in from above. It would also be far better hidded from the rest of our property.

The shed is 10 X 8, and in the fall is full of a season's worth of firewood, so we can't house the chickens in there. I have thought about it. Our coop is looking far more attractive than the woodshed.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm assuming York region means England. If so, your climate should be OK for it to be in either position as long as you have adequate ventilation. To a chicken the York climate isn't bad at all. It does not get that cold or that hot. Chickens wear down coats so they can handle colder temperatures pretty well. Nights are a lot cooler than days in the summer and that is when they are roosting. You do need good ventilation for both summer and winter though.

Unless you have a top on the run, critters can climb in, whether it is under the trees or not. Putting it under the trees may make it a bit more risky, but it really won't make that much difference. With an open top they are at risk anyway. I'd say the position you decide on is purely personal preference. The one criteria I would look at is drainage. You do not want it to get and stay wet. I'd suggest putting a swale on the upslope side so the water drains around it instead of into it when it rains.

Good luck!!!

 

[Prospector]

England would be lovely! Unfortunately, I'm just north of Toronto. I should change my profile.

 

[elmo]

How hot does it get in your summers? And, do you have cold hardy breeds of chickens?

I'm prejudiced in favor of putting coops in the shade because most chickens have such a hard time tolerating heat but can manage pretty well even in very cold climates as long as they have shelter from wind and good ventilation.

I'm in Texas, and every year people report some chickens dying from the heat despite their efforts to shade them and keep them hydrated. Of course, it's already hit the 90's here this week, and this only May! I have heat tolerant chickens, though, so they manage OK with an open coop design plus shade. For our winters (which can get mildly cold, occasionally freezing), I solved my too cold in winter/too warm in summer conundrum by building two different kinds of coops. Plus I kicked my husband's car out of our attached garage and housed my chickens in there during the few really cold nights.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I would think that "hidden from the rest of your property" would be a BAD thing -- don't you WANT to be able to look out the window, or across the yard, or whatever, and see what the chickens are up to?

Really, why deprive yourself of the entertainment. Also if you can see the coop/run it provides considerable extra security.

From your description I would personally lean pretty strongly towards putting the chickens on the sunny side. The only disadvantage I can see is that it's hot in summer, but provided you build LOTS OF ventilation and breeziness (you can bolt panels on, or etc, for wintertime) and provide shade, that's not likely to be too bad a problem, it's not like it gets SO awful hot around here. Whereas you sure will want that sun in wintertime. If you can build the run so that some of it is on the E side of the coop, the chickens will have the shade from the coop to hang out in during hot summer days.

Also consider drainage, though, in case you might have any reason to believe one location is significantly better drained than the other.

JMHO, good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Georgie17]

its not too hot in summer in england ,sometimes its 25-30 degrees but normaly it rains alot so will be cooler.

I had the same problem , The area my chicken hutch is they wont get much sun in winter but its shaded for winter . Hope you find a solution to your problem .

 

[Prospector]

Thanks guys.

Pat you raise good questions about drainage. The back of the shed is about 3' from the creekbed, so drainage isn't an issue for either spot. One side has nice, rich dark native soil though, while the other is sand fill brought in when they levelled the lot. The sand would drain better.

When I said the one side was better hidden, what I meant was you couldn't see it from the road. From our deck (where the first pic was taken) you would see it no matter where the coop was sited.

I agree with you that our summers aren't brutal hot. Except for the end of July/start of August.

I think I'm leaning toward the sunny side, but that raises the issue of where to put my new greenhouse. Ugh. Always decisions to make.