Always add more ventilation. If you have too much, you can always cover it when it gets cooler
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
I’m in a heavily wooded area in the south too. If you’re talking about how the metal ridges cause a small gap opening about every foot that cannot be closed with wood - I stuffed the ones that led into the coop itself with wadded-up hardware cloth scraps (to keep mice from chewing through) and then filled those gaps and all those that led into the run with Great Stuff foam insulation. I found it in black instead of the regular yellow so you don’t even notice it. It’s a little tricky to work with as it continues to expand until it cures, but it’s easy to trim off the bulges flush with a serrated knife after it’s cured.We haven't built a coop, but we have been building a house for the past 8+ years, and I think this tip might help someone. We live in a heavily wooded area in the south. We chose metal roofing for durability, but it has come with a terrible downside for us. Each and every "groove" of the roof is a potential red wasp nest. There's no telling what we've spent on wasp spray and contraptions, and their sting is very painful. I wish we'd used shingles.
This is my biggest or best-learned coop lesson. I put up some used clear plastic roof panels over our run and coop area instead of just the bird netting that I've used over the last several years.... huge difference. I had no idea it would make such a difference. Sure I knew it would be less muddy after a rain but having a solid roof has also kept flys down. My eggs are also cleaner because they don't have muddy feet. Also, the coop area seems to smell less. My next project is to seal some of the old screw holes that were in some of the panels from their previous use. Wish I would have had a solid roof years ago. The clear PVCWater-proof the roof, very well, of both the pen and coop areas. Your chickens will thank you for it.