Coop design

[Mallory F]

We're building our first coop. We live in south central Wisconsin. My question is should we build the coup facing east and west or north and south. Our winter temps could be -20 and summer temps in the 90's. In the summer the coop will be shaded. Also, if we position the coop east to west should the vent holes be on the south side to avoid the north winds in winter

 

[lazy gardener]

When I built my coop, I built according to prevailing winds as well as to take advantage of sun exposure. I'm also in a cold climate.

West wall (prevailing wind) solid. Only a clean out door on that end.

North wall solid. A double door can be opened to allow extra ventilation in the summer, or separate entry between broody cage and private broody run.

East wall has pop door, full thermopane human door, thermopane window, and outside access doors to nest boxes which are inside coop foot print. All that glass on the East heats the coop up quickly on those Winter mornings.

South wall has 2 thermopane windows and a floor level louvered vent. Good roof overhang helps prevent excess solar gain when Summer sun is high in the sky.

Extra ventilation: Soffit and gable end vents.

The only thing I might change would be the roof slope. The peak runs E to W, with snow load falling off on S and N. That means that all that snow load from the N lands in the run. So, the birds can not use 3/4 of their run during snow season.

When you design your coop and run, in addition to planning to take advantage of sun exposure and allow for wind protection, I advise you to plan your run and pop/people doors to minimize the amount of snow removal you will need to do.