Winterizing in Florida

[burchy]

Hi, fellow central Floridian!
Our cold snaps are such silly, weak things you don't have to worry. The birds love it.

Humidity being so high year-round means sealing that wood with paint or sealant is really important. We've had some unpainted boards rot when we thought we could get away with it.

You've got good upper ventilation to let the heat out, but I don't see lower ventilation to let the cool air flow in. A chimney effect is the goal.

Even though you have those sea breezes, Florida is way too hot for closed in coops.
At the least I would change that access door to be HW Cloth instead of solid. Unless you have a big window not pictured on the other side, and even then...
Experience with birds during scorching summers makes me want to see every coop be an open-air coop.

What do you mean by bottom ventilation. I do have cross ventilation at the top.

 

[aart]

I do have cross ventilation at the top.

That's not even enough for my climate in the summer, let alone FLA.

 

[burchy]

What if I cut a window in the access door.

 

[saysfaa]

What if I cut a window in the access door.

Yes, leave just enough wood around the window to hold the hardware cloth. Or, better yet, make the entire side a window. I promise they will not be too cold even if it gets below freezing. They have very effective down coats.

This picture is my coop last November. They didn't show any signs of discomfort or stress all winter.

 

[SourRoses]

What do you mean by bottom ventilation. I do have cross ventilation at the top.

Heat moves up (with ammonia and humidity). When air moves out of one area, other air must move in to replace it. In a closed box with only upper ventilation, some of the same air that's attempting to escape through the vents will get sucked back down in the box by the negative pressure created. Forming a loop effect where only some of the heat, ammonia, and humidity is vented.

A chimney effect is exactly what it sounds like - lower ventilation serves as the intake of fresh cool(er) air which can rapidly move into the void caused by the hot air moving up and out the exhaust vents. That keeps the air changing even when the wind is not blowing.
The "cross ventilation" you were aiming for only works when the wind is blowing straight through. It's better suited for cooler climates if used as a standalone.
It also needs much heftier proportions to work well. The smaller exterior upper vent is limiting your air movement to just that size - equal amounts of air must move through intake and exhaust, so it's constrained by the limiting factor.

@3KillerBs has great illustrations - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

I don't think it's your fault - the internet is rife with "coop designs" that prominently feature closed-up pine boxes.
I guess because it makes us humans feel the birds are safe? But that's what HW Cloth is for.
Even if these designs didn't make the birds miserable up north (they do), they would absolutely torment them here where the heat is so oppressive. And it's going to be hot into November, I always find October the worst month. We plan our garden to harvest tomatoes in December when it starts to cool off a bit.

The least thing I would do is replace that access door with a fully HW Cloth + frame version, not just a cutout. Make sure you use the cloth and not chicken wire like your upper run walls are. Just in case a determined racoon or whatever makes it through the upper run walls, I'd also add the HW Cloth to your upper vent inside the run.

 

[3KillerBs]

What do you mean by bottom ventilation. I do have cross ventilation at the top.

I'm sorry, but that's not nearly enough ventilation.

The usual guidelines are that for each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

But here in the Steamy Southeast I find that I need at least double or triple that unless the coop is in DEEP shade all day.

In a hot climate an Open Air design -- a big wire box with a 3-sided shelter at one end -- is the perfect option.

@SourRoses linked you my ventilation article. Here is my hot climate article to go with it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

 

[burchy]

I do leave that little door at the top of the ramp open all the time. I honestly don’t think anything is goin to gain access to the coop. I’ve got every single opening covered with HW cloth and chicken wire, even that little 2”opening under the roof (snake deterrent) and wire attached to the bottom and buried and I nailed the shit out of it all. I could just leave the Big access door open.

 

[Brooks_]

I do leave that little door at the top of the ramp open all the time. I honestly don’t think anything is goin to gain access to the coop. I’ve got every single opening covered with HW cloth and chicken wire, even that little 2”opening under the roof (snake deterrent) and wire attached to the bottom and buried and I nailed the shit out of it all. I could just leave the Big access door open.

If the run is as secure as described, I would remove the access and pop doors.

 

[3KillerBs]

I could just leave the Big access door open.

If the run is as secure as described, I would remove the access and pop doors.

I'd go further and remove the entire interior wall to turn it into an Open Air design.

 

[burchy]

I'd go further and remove the entire interior wall to turn it into an Open Air design.

Wow