Pre-fab Coop Ventilation 🥵 my chickens are hot!!

[ddago003]

I have a pre-fab coop for my 5 Buff Orpington hens. We are in south Florida where the summers are pretty brutal. The summer has just started here and already I’m noticing the coop is so warm… warmer than the outside temp. The girls pant a lot. I have large pine shavings inside for litter that is changed regularly. We added a solar fan to the front door which helps blow air in, but the temp is still pretty warm, especially where they like to sleep off to the side. There is another window opposite the fan but it’s pressed up within inches of the fence (due to lack of space) so the cross breeze isn’t there. I’d like to adjust the ventilation but wanted some expert opinions before I start chopping up my coop. I’ve attached a photo here… the part circled in green came with clear thick plastic over it and we added hardware cloth over that to prevent critters from getting in. There is a long rectangular window on both sides. Would I be correct to think that removing the thick clear plastic, keeping the hardware cloth, and adding a longer overhang to prevent rain from getting in would result in a cooler coop. So existing fan would blow inward from the front door and upper long windows that came covered would now be open allowing hot air to escape. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

 

[Iluveggers]

I would see if you can remove half of the front side and the back side (that they don’t sleep on), and replace it with hardware cloth. Seems like a lot of ventilation but they need it. How old are the chickens? That space is going to be hot no matter how much ventilation you add with 5 full-size chickens inside. If you are able, a good solution would be to make an open-air hoop coop with a cattle panel covered in hardware cloth. You could still keep the prefab inside for laying purposes, but door could stay open and they wouldn’t have to cram in there to sleep when it’s super hot. There are also some good articles on here about expanding prefab coops and adding more ventilation if you search through the coop & run section. Definitely possibilities to help your ladies! Good luck!

 

[nuthatched]

Yes, remove the plexiglass and also start cutting windows in it anywhere you can, I'd even replace a wall with hardware cloth.

 

[ddago003]

Thank you for the great replies! Wow I guess we need more vents than I thought! The chickens are just over 3 months old. I’m a bit hesitant to start cutting into the wood siding on walls because it is a very thin & flimsy wood. Wishing we had made the coop from scratch to begin with but this is our first flock and a learning experience for sure. Alternatively, if removing the plastic/plexiglass isn’t enough, there are two more nesting boxes on the opposite side (so 4 total) that I could try to remove and cover that wall with hardware cloth to really open things up a lot. The ladies don’t ever use the extra 2 boxes for anything. I do worry about raccoons or rats trying to scratch at them if too much is exposed near them though. Will take a look at open-air hoop coops with a cattle panel covered in hardware cloth, and will check out the articles mentioned on extending prefab coops. Thanks so much

 

[ddago003]

One more question… if I start opening up walls as suggested, how would I go about keeping the rain out? Thanks again!

 

[DobieLover]

One more question… if I start opening up walls as suggested, how would I go about keeping the rain out? Thanks again!

Build a walk-in run with a solid, pitched roof and place the tiny coop under the roof.

 

[Altairsky]

A temporary fix could be this thing (idk how it's called in English). It's ugly but if I put it on the roof it reduces the temperature by 3 to 5 °c

 

[ddago003]

Makes sense, thank you all!