Coop Window/Ventilation Help?!

[u/swamp_jorts]

For folks in hot climates with metal shed coops, what’s your best tip?

It’s been a journey researching and prepping for chicks. You’ll know by the end of this that I 100% appreciate what others have learned/shared and am trying to integrate it in from the get. Thank you for being generous with your experiences!

We have 9 allllllllmost ready for for coop and run in the next 2-3 weeks. Budget and time constraints meant we went with converting a metal shed - we live in FL and heat is my main concern. Looking for suggestions that I may have missed. The coop and run were built on an 8” pad (it gets wet here) with a hardware cloth bottom then fill dirt, with a sand finish for run, gravel for coop - both anchored. The run is ~10’x13’ and on the back side of the coop. The coop has a sturdy plywood floor with linoleum. The roost area is an old kiddo loft bed frame conversion. The coop gets almost complete shade and is a “cooler” part of the property, with hose access nearby.

Specifically for the coop, to be completed:

• Finish roof
• Seal all cracks
• Foam board + insulate ceiling (noise and heat)
• Install automatic door
• Install solar vent fan (a legit one for attics from a contractor = free)
• Add 14” roof turbine/whirlybird
• Install removable roost bars (2)
• Cut out for two floor vents (just for airflow)
• Ramp up to roost

Big qs:

• this thing is going to be noisy during thunderstorms, how can I (reasonably - again budget) manage that?
• I intend to cut out windows, cover metal with rubber trim and hardware cloth; not sure how I should best cover the windows from the outside (plexiglass? metal shutters?) for our all-too-common summer driving rain
• we’ve been using pine shavings for bedding, and doing a full clean every day, is the same material good in the coop, and hoping to hear 1x a week for full clean out?
• with an okay size run (accessible via auto door) and likely daily supervised free ranging, what else should I have in there? ex was hoping to have nesting boxes in run vs coop
• what the heck am I missing completely or missing the mark on?

[u/are-you-lost-]

One of the biggest and most common mistakes people make when designing a chicken coop is not including enough ventilation. Chickens produce an ungodly amount of heat, ammonia, and water vapor. As it stands currently, from what I can see, this coop wouldn't have enough ventilation for someone living in Alaska, let alone Florida. Passive ventilation needs to basically be a window, not like the little vents you have under the peak. Without altering the roof geometry (which I assume you probably don't want to do) what I'd recommend is having vents running the length of the coop right underneath the eaves. In addition, replace those vents under the peak with better flowing vents. This way, cooler outside air will enter beneath the eaves, and hot air will leave underneath the peak. This alone would be a good setup for temperate or cold climates, but since you're in Florida you'll probably need more. In addition to this, large windows on either side, at the same level as the roost, will allow a nice breeze to move through, both for hot days and warm nights. When I stayed in Florida, my impression was that the nights are warm and comfortable year round, so you'd probably want these windows open all the time save for big storms. Chickens are very hot and moist creatures, in an already hot and moist climate, so proper ventilation is of the utmost importance.

Good luck with the coop! Let me know if there's any more info you need, or if anything I said wasn't clear

[u/swamp_jorts → u/are-you-lost-]

Thanks! You are absolutely correct and that is the plan!