Worried about dampness..... will the coop be OK in shady area?

[SeaChick]

Babies are coming next week, we're feeling hopeful about the city council vote, we're collectiing building materials and starting to think ahead 6 weeks to the coop construction.

In our tiny yard there are not many choices for location. The best place, hands-down, is space about 15 x 15 in the back corner of the yard behind the garage. Pics below.

The only trouble with this location, that I can see, is that it's very shady in the summer, has three solid walls (2 stockade fences, and back of garage) so there's not a lot of wind/air movement there. Are we going to regret building the coop there re: dampness?

The idea is to build a smallish henhouse (probably 4 x 6 and 5 feet tall) and an enclosed wire run (about 8 X 6 or so) the wire run will have a solid roof, either corrogated plastic or heavy duty shrink-wrap (husband works for a boatyard) slanted to let rain slide off. The floor will be dirt. Maybe with hay on top?

The henhouse part will extend out into the yard a bit, to catch the sun in winter and keep it warm. In summer the maples above will mean it's mostly in the shade. The run will be more back in the corner.

What do you guys think? Are we asking for dampness troubles back there due to shade and lack of tons of airflow?

 

[Poison Ivy]

I would use sand in the area if its going to be damp. Sand will dry out and you can rake it or turn it when needed. Hay will stay damp and mold easy. I had it in my run for a while but raked it out after a few weeks. I use hay only in the coop with sand under roosts for easy cleaning. I wish I had alot of shade for my girls. Florida sunshine is nice but at 98* shade would be nice.

 

[SeaChick]

Sort of like this:

 

[SeaChick]

Thank you Poison Ivy! Sand is a good idea. I wonder how thick a layer I would need and where I could get it cheapest. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Poison Ivy]

I just buy mine from lowes its the playground sand. You can get it from a concrete company or just look up sand in the phone book and they will have a listing of companies in your area. My run is all sand but I'm in Florida so as soon as the grass disappears your left with sand. Just make sure its washed sand. It doesn't have to be real deep just enough to keep it dry. If it needs more then just keep adding until your happy with it.

 

[michellerene]

A couple of thougts-- we built our coop up off the ground about 18" so the coop does not actually take up any run space. Also, you may want to find out how many feet away from your property line they are going to require you to keep the coop-- that spot is right on it & might be a problem.

As far as dampness goes, a good thick layer of sand should do the trick, although I would leave some exposed ground, as the chooks will love to scratch for bugs & weeds & such.