Woods Style Open Air Chicken Coops

[swar40]

The coop faces to the south/southeast, to catch and maximize sunlight getting into the coop. If it faces more to the west, it will be a dark and shadowie coop for more of the day. I wouldn't do it.

I will see if we can at least get it facing straight south. I was hoping for south east to maximize sun. I wasnt sure if being in the south it would be as bit of a deal if it wast the exact direction it is supposed to be. 9 months out of the year we are 60s+, 2 months probably a low of 30 and maybe 1 month a low into the teens with a few days lower than that. During the winter during the day, 40 is normal.

 

[JackE]

I will see if we can at least get it facing straight south. I was hoping for south east to maximize sun. I wasnt sure if being in the south it would be as bit of a deal if it wast the exact direction it is supposed to be. 9 months out of the year we are 60s+, 2 months probably a low of 30 and maybe 1 month a low into the teens with a few days lower than that. During the winter during the day, 40 is normal.

Well, one good thing, in the winter, the tree will be bare, and the coop will get the sun.

 

[swar40]

Well, one good thing, in the winter, the tree will be bare, and the coop will get the sun.

It is a huge pine tree! If you look at the snow pictures I posted earlier you can see the huge tree.

 

[aart]

Do you think it would still work if I have to face mine slightly south west? I am thinking since we don't get the crazy cold winters that this may work, but don't want to build it then regret it. If we do South east there would be a big tree blocking all the light.

It is a huge pine tree! If you look at the snow pictures I posted earlier you can see the huge tree.

9 months out of the year we are 60s+, 2 months probably a low of 30 and maybe 1 month a low into the teens with a few days lower than that. During the winter during the day, 40 is normal.

Raleigh, NC gets in to the 80-90's in summer, you might want that shade....would be more important that solar gain in winter.
Add more windows for more light.

Adding your location your profile is easy and most helpful

 

[swar40]

Raleigh, NC gets in to the 80-90's in summer, you might want that shade....would be more important that solar gain in winter.
Add more windows for more light.

Adding your location your profile is easy and most helpful
View attachment 1243898

Thanks! I will add it when I get to work later. And yes, I am more worried about the summer than the winters. We do get some below freezing nights though. But at the most maybe for a month.

 

[ScottandSam]

My coop is 8X16'. If I wanted to get more birds, I would not hesitate to knock out one wall and bump it out another 8'. That's another great thing with this coop, easily expandable. In the book, (Fresh air poultry houses) you can see many pics of expanded Wood's coops. When this coop was used in the commercial egg industry, when they wanted to get more layers, they bumped out and expanded the coops. Perfect coop.

I'll start a new thread but this is exactly what we want to do. Two 8x14 or 8x16 so total building outside is 16x16 or 16w x 14 deep. Solid wall at the 8' marks the sub divided at 4 ' mark in each side with chicken wire. That will give us 4 stalls 4x14 or 4x16. And I think that will keep the function like a woods. He mentioned that idea using a 20 wide building. Then I'd take down siding on one exterior wall. Put up plywood and add another 8' wide section. Till we got a 100' long woods coop.lol
Some reason I was thinking 8x14 would be the right proportions.

Thanks
Scott

 

[bruceha2000]

We started with woods and my son in law wanted the higher roof with ridge vents.

That kinda messes up the concept of "open to the world in front, air tight elsewhere". This is the way a Wood's style coop keeps this wind, rain and snow out of the coop. The purpose of ridge vents is to PROMOTE airflow through the building and out the roof peak.

 

[aart]

That kinda messes up the concept of "open to the world in front, air tight elsewhere". This is the way a Wood's style coop keeps this wind, rain and snow out of the coop. The purpose of ridge vents is to PROMOTE airflow through the building and out the roof peak.

Exactly.

 

[GinaNew York]

open to the front and air tight elsewhere is NOT what the woods book says at all - his book and designs represented learning curves and modifications he made and noted over the years

what is interesting in the woods book, which I've read and reread from cover to cover is that he says several things - one is that the coop shouldn't be shorter than 16 feet in length, best 18 to 20 feet with the roosts at the farthest part in the back, and that airtight isn't the issue - it's air, the air buffer from inside and no drafts which doesn't mean wind but different temps/humidity from outside air to inside air - in fact in the air flow pictures the air circulates under and up through the roosts and the chickens on the roosts - and the top windows should be open continuously at the 10 foot level from may to first snow, then closed - he is more specific on what not to do it seems than do, such as making the front too short in height for example - the book is a historical treatise on what changes occurred over the years and how he modifies - wonder what he'd do with new technology now?


in designing our coop as I stand in it now, with the front windows open there is no draft I personally feel at the roost level, having the acurite system to check the outside run in comparison to the inside, it is interesting to see that the humidity levels are doing well inside - not sure where everyone else lives with this design, but here in CT with the super cold we had it was minus 5 for days and nights and continuing cold that was oppressive and clearly stressing the birds and us worrying about them


with the dry humidity days, no frostbite, but the warmer days with the snow present a challenge regulating humidity inside - so I would love to see a comparison of more humid days in other climates from people using an acurite system for outside vs. inside humidity levels - this is where Woods is quick to point out that if the height above the roosts is too close, humidity will develop and drip back onto them-in ours it rises up and out - there are no outside vents into the coop, so the hot air can be trapped up in the top above them and the shed area if the shed window is closed - not sure how much air is making it out of the peak since there are no outside vents in the coop to help push it through - in the spring we could do smoke testing to see


outside, the run is enclosed in plastic which makes it about 10 degrees warmer than inside the coop and yard -the side of the run against the coop is open on the bottom because the coop is about 2 to 2.5 feet off the ground which is sloped, and there is wire cloth and a plastic open fence to keep critters out - so still lots of fresh air in the run


we have a majority of breeds that have pea combs and rose combs, but the two that have the very floppy single come - one has no sign of frostbite, but the Columbian cross does have black on the very tips of her comb - the birds chose to go out into the covered run and were standing on one foot, then the other - feet all seem to be ok - we check them over as best as possible - two are having feathers pulled on their heads because we believe put their head under the others on the roosts


regarding drafts - different temps inside than out - not wind - Woods points out that when a screen is placed in front of a window, the greatest percentage of wind is actually stopped

 

[bruceha2000]

there are no outside vents into the coop, so the hot air can be trapped up in the top above them and the shed area if the shed window is closed - not sure how much air is making it out of the peak since there are no outside vents in the coop to help push it through

This part confused me. No vents means the windows in the front of your coop are closed??

It would make sense that if the front is open there wouldn't be a draft on the birds on the roosts in the back even with a ridge vent, assuming there is no way for air to escape the building behind an imaginary vertical wall going up to the peak. I would GUESS though, that some amount of rain or snow could get somewhat farther into the front of the coop with the ridge vent there allowing air flow. Of course the same would be true if any of the upper windows were open.