No Shade Available for Run

[Sleepy Hollow Chick]

Hi folks,

I've been reading this for months now and getting great ideas, but this is my first post. I'm ready to build a run for my girls (5 10-week-old sex links) and am having a heckuva time finding the right location on my property. The best site is right next to my well - NO WAY! The other sites are either on sloping ground or in full afternoon sun. I'm building a 9' x 12.5' cattle panel hoop run with a small (3' x 3.5' and free!) retrofitted coop inside. The site that I'm leaning toward (flat, easily accessible to water and power, close to the barn, on my twice-daily chore route, visible from the house) gets full sun from about 1 to 5 pm in the summer. I'm in southern Oregon, which has a Mediterranean climate (hot and dry summers), so I'm concerned that this location might be too hot. I plan on covering the run in shade cloth - do you think this will be adequate?

Thanks for your help.

p.s. This is my first foray into raising chickens . . . we had them when I was a kid, but that was back in the 60s!

 

[BaaKaaawk]

You're in Oregon... people keep chickens in Southern California, Southern Texas, Nevada, New Mexico... and of course all over Latin America- all climates wayyy hotter than Oregon. Your birds will be fine!

If you are really worried about them, you can always put some kind of shade in there. A simple tent-like structure with roofing panels will work great.