Texas Coops

[txcarl1258]

Fellow Texans,
We all know how hot it gets here and how important it is to keep your birds cool. I am designing my own coop and wondered if any of you could inspire me!

I am going to build a shed with an attached run so they can be out of the rain and the little cold we do get here. Any pics and ideas are greatly appreciated.

 

[7L Farm]

I actually found this coop in the woods at our farm & moved it. I moved it under a big hack berry tree so there's plenty of shade. I have windows on three sides. The fourth wall is facing north with no window. The roost is facing south for the prevailing south wind for our long hot summers. Forgot to mention the north wall with no window will protect the laying box's from the strong north winds we have on the hill I live on. This is my first coop. So far so good. One bit of advice don't cut corners try & do it right the first time. I didn't & had to do some things twice . Make it stronger than your house trust me. Everything loves to eat chickens. Use hardware cloth & bury it in the ground. One last thing build it big & cover your run. Also, I would get a automatic pop door opener . You will get tired of opening the door every morning .

These pictures have not been updated . I now have hardware cloth everywhere. Hope this helps.

 

[nuts4hotwheels]

I built my coop from old wood fence that was given to me. I try to be as eco-friendly and cheap as possible and this was both. It is home to 5 chickens. Most of the pics that I have are during the building process.

I used chicken wire around the bottom 2 foot of the run as well.

I have a window on each side for ventilation with a small fan on one side to help with air flow.

 

[txcarl1258]

Thanks for the pics everyone. I have an idea in mind just wanted to see what everyone else came up with. I am building mine under a large oak tree. It is going to be a three sided shed with an wire run attached. My birds do free range during the day, but I wanted to be able to lock them up when needed. I am placing the open wall facing south. It does get cold here(well cold to me

below 40) during some parts of the winter and the wind can be strong at times. Last year it was terribly rainy and the girls spent most of their time in my Grandma's barn to stay out of the weather. I am going to install some windows so I can let some air flow through. Will post some pics when it is complete so maybe it can help inspire someone else in our great state.

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
I just noticed where your from my father worked for the Abercrombies & we use to hunt on the 74 ranch. Which is near you .

 

[txcarl1258]

I don't know the Abercrombies, but the 74 ranch is only a few miles from my house. Its funny no one knows where Pleasanton is, but a lot of people know where the 74 ranch is!

 

[elmo]

Location, location, location.

I love my new coop:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=32217-the-just-right-coop

I keep a temperature gauge in it and have been monitoring the temperature. The combination of coop placement (it's in the shade most of the day, only gets a bit of morning sun on the east side), plus the ventilation (32 square feet total, vents and windows), plus radiant sheet insulation in the roof, mean that the inside of the coop is getting no hotter than the air outside. That's exactly what I was aiming for.

I have an open, wire sided coop but I foolishly sited it somewhere in our yard that gets afternoon sun. Even with the open walls, it gets terribly hot up at roost level, right under the roof. So I think my new coop is actually going to be much better in the summer than the open sided one.

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
I know where you are. I think allot of people know about 74 Ranch because its not only 30 thousand acres its a hunting resort.