Where & How Much to Ventilate...?

[Baumshell28]

So, I knew I would need to add additional ventilation to the coop that came with the property, but deep down I hoped all the shade combined with the mesh door would be enough. Our temps, combined with the humidity, have our heat index over 100 daily (110 degrees yesterday). There’s not enough shade or ice blocks in the world that will help without any air actually moving in the coop.
I was thinking about taking several inches off of the top of the back wall (opposite the “door side”) and replace with either welded wire or hardware mesh. Here are the questions:
1-How many inches should I take out in Height? (I plan on the width being all the way across)
2-Should I ventilate another wall in the same way? 2 more? All of them?
3-Should I save the metal cutouts to try to form an overhang or canopy for the spots they were removed from?

 

[3KillerBs]

In your area a lot of people have coops that are more wire than wall.

My inclination would be to pull about 6 inches of the siding off the back wall then continue to remove siding across the other walls at the same level -- replacing it all with hardware cloth.

If done carefully, you might be able to use the same siding to put rain shields above the newly-opened areas since you don't have much roof overhang.

 

[Baumshell28]

Rain Shields...
Do you think it would work if I left a few inches intact at the top of the walls, made cuts, and then folded/bent the metal up and out so as to not have to REattach the shields?

 

[3KillerBs]

Rain Shields...
Do you think it would work if I left a few inches intact at the top of the walls, made cuts, and then folded/bent the metal up and out so as to not have to REattach the shields?

That sounds pretty clever to me.

You'd probably want to add some wood supports off the studs, and wouldn't know for sure until you got some rain, but it could work.

 

[springvalley123]

I can't readily tell the dimensions of this coop---looks about 5x5 or 6x6? And how many and what type of birds, will they be locked in just at night? The proportions look about right for about 5 birds, assuming it's a 5 x 5 coop, and you could eliminate that ladder roost, which looks like the birds would be pooping on the bird below, and just keep the solid bar across the width (and add one about 16 inches away from it, and from the wall), for the roost. Then, I'd cut another opening similar in size and construction to the door, and cut the foot or so off the back wall. That'd give more ventilation, and the opening along the back would still be well above the lower roost in winter. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Baumshell28]

I can't readily tell the dimensions of this coop---looks about 5x5 or 6x6? And how many and what type of birds, will they be locked in just at night? The proportions look about right for about 5 birds, assuming it's a 5 x 5 coop, and you could eliminate that ladder roost, which looks like the birds would be pooping on the bird below, and just keep the solid bar across the width (and add one about 16 inches away from it, and from the wall), for the roost. Then, I'd cut another opening similar in size and construction to the door, and cut the foot or so off the back wall. That'd give more ventilation, and the opening along the back would still be well above the lower roost in winter. Just my 2 cents.

The coop is actually 8’ x 8’ (outer dimensions); inside, usable dimensions are slightly over 7’ x 7’. There are 12 girls: 7 Barred Rocks & 5 Golden Comets. The coop is outside the 100% enclosed run with a pop door for their access. Once we rebuilt the old run to make it larger & enclosed it to protect from aerial predators, I started leaving the pop door open at all times. They choose to roost together at night in the small tree in the run. I “fortified” the branches where they sleep by resting them on an anchored wooden ladder. I moved the ladder roost from inside the coop to the base of their roosting tree. I left the indoor solid roosting bar, chicken ladder and old nest box as it had always been. On the left interior wall where the original wood nesting box is, I installed a plywood 1/2 “wall” and mounted 3 new plastic nesting boxes.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Heat rises....I would also lower the roosts and nests. That metal shed will be a LOT hotter up high than down low.

I would be looking at making a giant window in that back wall so air moves freely from your screened door through the structure.