what direction should coop face?

[Sacri]

I have read a lot about what direction the coop should face but frankly, I am confused.... Should my run face a certain direction? The windows of the coop? Should the front of the nesting boxes be facing the desired directions with windows overlooking them? What do people mean when they say the FRONT?
for reference, I am in the low country (southern GA). Our summers get very hot and our winters are short but can drop to below freezing at night. THANK YOU for your help!!

 

[ngennetta]

You'll want the coop opening/door opposite of the direction the wind blows most often, so that it's not blowing into the coop.

Windows on the sunny side for added winter warmth.

The run doesn't matter much, but they need shelter from wind/rain/heat/etc

 

[imnukensc]

In your climate, overheating is the biggest concern so you will need plenty of ventilation and no windows on the west side of the coop. I wouldn't want windows on the south side, either. Nest boxes should probably be on the east or north side. If your chickens are confined to the run, you'll want it covered to provide plenty of shade and even if they aren't, you'll want plenty of shady places.

Lots of things will be dictated by what kind of coop you'll have or build as well as the general vegetation and topography in the area.

 

[aart]

@imnukensc gave some good suggestions.

In perfect world the coop would be surrounded by large deciduous trees for shade in summer and solar gain in winter...then it wouldn't matter which side faced which direction.

 

[Sacri]

In your climate, overheating is the biggest concern so you will need plenty of ventilation and no windows on the west side of the coop. I wouldn't want windows on the south side, either. Nest boxes should probably be on the east or north side. If your chickens are confined to the run, you'll want it covered to provide plenty of shade and even if they aren't, you'll want plenty of shady places.

Lots of things will be dictated by what kind of coop you'll have or build as well as the general vegetation and topography in the area.

Thank you! We do have a level place surrounded by tall pine trees that will provide ample shade so maybe we will go with that. We are building an 8w x 7d x 7h coop, on the ground (with cement cornerstones, wire cloth underneath, pressure treated 2 x 6 base as well as pressure treated plywood floors. We framed it out with 2 x 4 pressure treated boards and we do plan on putting plywood inside as well as out and sealing and painting it all and then a metal roof. The run will be 8 x 16. I do plan on letting the chickens free range as well though. With the current floorpan, if I put it in that spot the back of the nesting boxed will face SW and the chicken will run SE to NW. I am planning on putting windows on the SW and NE sides with air vents on the SE and NW sides. hopefully that will work

 

[Sacri]

@imnukensc gave some good suggestions.

In perfect world the coop would be surrounded by large deciduous trees for shade in summer and solar gain in winter...then it wouldn't matter which side faced which direction.

I actually do have a spot that would be surrounded by trees. I hadn't considered it before but I now think that spot might be best.

 

[Kiki]

Face it any way you want to look at it in your yard.

 

[Sacri]

Face it any way you want to look at it in your yard.

haha thanks! I just want to do the best for them, but I think you are right. If I build it right and it is shaded and vented and they free range it should be fine : )

 

[peeps224]

My experience (which isn’t much) is that you should face the door that the chickens will be using and the run, towards the rising sun, so this way by the afternoon the coop will be in the shade, if it still gets to hot you can put up some tarps or some other form of shade. As for the nesting boxes I find that chickens like to nest in darker places where they can feel safe, so if you have windows in your coop try putting the nest boxes on the same wall this way there will be no light shining into the nests. Thats all I have, I hope it helped and good luck on your coop.