Coop positioning?

[Soapfreak]

I have been doing some reading here but not finding much and am wondering how to position my coop for the first time in the yard. I have a 12" vent that can't be closed plus a window beside it. It's the same thing on the opposite side. Do I position it east and west so the air flows through the coop from the west or will I have problems with rain driving through the vent? Or should I face the vent towards the north and south instead? Does it matter much? Any advice is well appreciated. Thanks, Kristy

 

[Ridgerunner]

My first thoughts on positioning a coop and run center on drainage. Don’t put them where water drains to them or especially where water stands. To me that is more important than anything else.

I assume your main winds come out of the west. That would fit most people in Ohio but I live in a north-south valley. My winter winds normally come out of the south, strange as that sounds, but some do blow from the north. Very seldom do I get anything from the east or west. It’s always possible localized terrain features can make yours different than my assumption of from the west. You may have trees or other buildings blocking winds.

How high are those vents? Are they over the chickens’ heads when they are on the roosts? In Ohio you are going to get some fairly cold weather. In cold weather, you don’t want the wind hitting them when they are on the roosts no matter what direction the wind is coming from. As long as they are not hit by a direct breeze they can handle your cold weather fine with their down coats. If the vents are over their heads any breeze that develops will be over their heads.

In summer the more ventilation the better. It doesn’t matter if a breeze hits them.

I still haven’t answered your question have I? I don’t think it matters that much as long as a breeze is not hitting them directly in the winter. Most of your winds probably blow in from the west but your coldest winds are likely to come out of the north. They can come from any direction. Same with rain. Most of your rain probably blows in from the west but it could come from anywhere.

I don’t know what your vents look like. Do they have shutters or something to keep the rain out or is it just a hole cut in the wall with hardware cloth over it? What does your coop look like? Will it dry out rapidly if rain or snow blows in? If that is all the ventilation you have and your coop is very large it may not dry out that rapidly.

If you do have a predominant direction rain usually blows from position the coop to minimize that, which probably means north-south. But I’d be more concerned on how the vents are positioned on your coop from the effects of a winter wind hitting them than on coop orientation.

 

[TXchickmum]

I think it depends upon your climate/wind patterns. Our coop faces North East. (Our severe weather usually comes from the SW) The back of the coop is solid (toward the SW). Two large windows are on each side. There are double doors that are closed in the winter on the front (and opened in the summer - with a hardware cloth screened door/wall inside the two doors for ventilation). Our climate requires more consideration for the summer heat than for rain/cold. I don't think that too much rain would blow through a 12 inch vent, but I don't know what size of coop you have. I would place more for optimum air flow, and close the window during times of storm/snow. -vent could likely remain open all the time (unless it is right in line with the roosts). -good luck with your coop!

 

[Finnie]

I agree with what the other people have said. I just want to add, it might matter more which way your pop door faces, than which way your vents face. Since presumably your pop door will remain open during all rainstorms, whether or not the vents are open or closed, if you are worried about rain blowing in.

 

[tracecom]

I haven't read all the responses, so I may be repeating some of what's been said.

My coop faces the east and the run is on that side in order to get the morning sun. Conversely, the coop provides some additional shade against the afternoon sun. I have vents on the east and west sides, and windows that open and close on the north and south sides; both windows have small awnings to prevent most rain from entering the coop. I close the north window in the early winter, and the south window a little later. This arrangement works for me.

 

[TalkALittle]

You may also want to consider the orientation of your people door if your coop is a walk-in coop and you live where it snows a lot. If blowing winds cause snow to drift up against the door it can be a pain having to shovel your way into the coop each winter morning.

If you find that one side of the coop is getting a lot of wind you could always create a windbreak. A single section of stockade fence placed correctly can provide protection from wind. A row of arborvitea or similar shrubs can do the same.

Installing a simple window awning can prevent the sun from beating in and heating the coop while also preventing rain from blowing in during storms. You could even change the window to one that is hinged at the top and tilts out to block rain from blowing in.

 

[Soapfreak]

Wow, thank you everyone for your great responses. We already have the coop built with vinyl siding so putting an awning on them is out of the question according to hubby. The one vent is at one end of the roost but it's a ridged vent like this.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/120769115642?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Maybe I don't have to worry so much about rain coming into these. I'm thinking maybe I will face one end towards the north because most of our winds come from the west. I was going to turn it. Have the one end face the west in the summer and turn it so it faces the north in the winter for driving cold winds. We are going to be moving ours around the yard, so it won't be permanent.