ventilation for run

[amberross]

My husband is just putting the doors on our coop. I am worried about ventilation. We live an Arizona and the temp now is 110 on cool days and will reach 115, we cut some holes in the door and the sides and put up a mister system but I am wondering if we should put a fan in? And their run is just dirt should be lay something down?

 

[4 the Birds]

A fan would be nice for sure. I am not familiar with misting systems but I have walked through a few out on the Vegas Strip. No doubt that the chickens would enjoy the cooling.

With such high temps I would for sure have a coop with very large wall openings and even a three sided coop. I am in the Midwest and my coop is wide open during the Summer months. I leave walk through doors open and remove panels on the run side. Storm rains stay out of the coop since the openings are protected by the run roofing.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

You almost can't have too much ventilation here in AZ. Your chickens need a place to get out of the wind and rain and constant access to shade. The more movement of fresh air through the coop the happier your chickens will be on the hottest days (and nights). A fan may help with this. Misters will work fine until monsoon hits, then the higher humidity works against it. Dirt is fine for the ground in the run, some people here also use the deep litter method.

I think it's really helpful to look at what other Arizonans have built to keep their chickens alive in the worst of the heat. Check out the "My Coop" link under my avatar to see what kind of ventilation my coop has. Also, drop by the BYC Arizona thread, say hello and check out the coops of the people that post there.