Looking for experienced input on a cold-climate open-air coop

[Beekissed]

Do you have any issues with the flapping of a tarp freaking the chickens out or has the tarp ever ripped and flew into the coop? Those were two potential issues I wondered about when considering a tarp. Maybe it's just a matter of securing it well enough.

Or do you have a screen or fencing on the open side? I won't--our open side will be wide open to a secure run/yard.

Such things are secured well, but if they do wave or flap in the wind a bit, the chickens grow used to it.

 

[RR1011]

Im looking at doing an open air coop myself thanks to aart for introducing me to the concept. Ive scoured these forums and the web searching for all the info I can find on them. Im in Ohio where our temps with windchill do reach the negatives. I wanted to make sure this concept would work in my area since most open airs posted on these forums tend to be in the south.

I have a 9'x14' lean to Im going to convert so wont be doing the woods style coop, but have a modified version of the "Martin" house Ill be doing. My main difference is my width will be 8-9' and depth 14'.



I dont know if you've read his "Modern Fresh Air poultry" book, but it goes more in depth and has basic plans for different styles of open air concepts in it.

Here's the link: http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924003138272;view=1up;seq=1

This Missourian blogger has a simple open air coop that has worked well for her and an inspiration to my own plans. http://speedkin.com/2010/12/08/the-new-fresh-air-chicken-coop-2/

 

[Kris64]

Thanks for the update. I love hearing about folks with lots of open sides on their shelters

I gives me confidence against all the nay-sayers' comments.

 

[Kutschka]

I dont know if you've read his "Modern Fresh Air poultry" book, but it goes more in depth and has basic plans for different styles of open air concepts in it.

Here's the link: http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924003138272;view=1up;seq=1

This Missourian blogger has a simple open air coop that has worked well for her and an inspiration to my own plans. http://speedkin.com/2010/12/08/the-new-fresh-air-chicken-coop-2/

Thanks for this link! ... though I wish I'd seen it before I ordered the book; I hadn't been able to find an online copy of it, so I assumed it wasn't available for some reason. It's good that you let people know about it.

All right, so here's a new question: Having gotten the estimate, the 10x10 dog pen conversion feels like too big an investment, since I hope to move someday (the sooner, the better). I'm thinking now that I'll have a 4x8 portable coop instead -- it would be much cheaper, and I could take it with me.

It sounds like one key of the open-air coops is the ratio of width to depth (and your lean-to conversion seems better in that respect than the Martin house in the photo, RR1011). So I'm thinking to leave one of the ends open. I'm fussing over the roof now, whether to just make a long, low-sloped shed roof, low end at the open end, to keep the warmed air from pouring out unobstructed; to make the same long, low-sloped shed roof, but with the high end at the open end, as in the Martin house; or a peaked roof, sort of like a Woods house, but with the two sides of roof meeting in the middle, rather than offset. Or, I suppose, I could go all out and make it a half-monitor design, on a 4x8 footprint.

I could drive myself crazy this way. Part of the trouble is the weather's been too bad to actually do anything, so I'm free to reconsider ad nauseum!

I like the design here, and might try to adapt it to the open-air concept. Changing the roof lines makes being efficient/economical with 4x8 sheets a challenge.

 

[RR1011]

I like that TSC coop you posted. That looks great and wouldnt be too hard to build or costly to hire out. The weather keeping me indoors has me going crazy so I built my nest boxes last weekend in my dining room.

"It sounds like one key of the open-air coops is the ratio of width to depth (and your lean-to conversion seems better in that respect than the Martin house in the photo, RR1011)." Agreed!

Good luck planning. I looked at a million coops figuring out what I wanted.

 

[Kutschka]

All right, so I've given up on the dog pen conversion (for now, at least), due to money. I'm thinking now of a 4x8 open-air coop. I've read both Woods books and all of JackE's 44-page (!!) thread, and some other threads as well. In the threads, I see occasional mention that the Woods design doesn't translate well to smaller structures, though I don't remember Woods addressing that directly. I haven't seen suggestions or guidance about how to design a 4x8 coop while honoring the open-air principles. I've started another thread here, to focus on that.

Thanks again, everybody!

 

[pawl]

Thanks very much to both JackE and WthrLady; your explanations help a lot.

I hadn't made it very far into that thread you linked to, JackE.  43 pages!  But I did go look at your page 4 photos, which are just what I needed, and I'm going to recommit myself to reading that thread.

I've got someone at my library trying to find an interlibrary loan copy of Woods' 1924 book (they have to go out of state); Amazon's used prices are as high as new prices, and I didn't want to invest in that if it wasn't going to offer more of this sort of information than the first book did.  But, based on your review, I think I need to go ahead and buy it.  Thanks!

WthrLady, apparently what's super-easy for lots of people just isn't easy for me.  I gave up on building without help when I tried making just a basic 4x4 box coop, of which the preliminary pieces were out-of-square in every dimension, and somehow mismatched in size, despite what I thought was pretty good effort.  (Granted, I was working with scraps, rather than buying large pieces and just following a recipe.)  I expect that building is a skill that improves with practice, but I just don't have that much energy to work with. 

I've been to Habitat Restore many, many times, and have pretty much decided it's not worth the gas and time.  Quality materials of the sort I need just aren't available.  Employees say that when good lumber, good flooring, and the like do come in, they get snatched up instantly.  Maybe, like with garage sales, good quality stuff is more common in wealthier locales.

I hate to keep harping on limitations of money, energy, and ability; I hope I don't drive you all away.  Poverty plus disability is a nasty and discomfiting combination.  I expect that once I'm fitted out and actually raising chickens, I'll be fine.

The woods books are available free in the books section of the google play store. I'm getting ready to build one myself... For the most part it's just two lean-to's built faceing each other over a common floor. I'm using 10 x 10 graph paper to draw out what I'll build and try to work through rough spots on paper.... would really love a modern set of plans but can make do... I hope. Good luck with your project.

 

[WthrLady]

I'd send you measurement, but I built on site as I went. Add in mistakes and the corrections needed to make them, plus supplies from the restore, so my windows won't match...... not sure they'd do you any good. I will be putting photos and steps on my blog soon, materials used and quantities, etch. . And feel free to ask questions.

 

[pawl]

Page 61 in his book... he advises not to go less than 12 feet south to north. Hope that is helpful.

All right, so I've given up on the dog pen conversion (for now, at least), due to money.  I'm thinking now of a 4x8 open-air coop.  I've read both Woods books and all of JackE's 44-page (!!) thread, and some other threads as well.  In the threads, I see occasional mention that the Woods design doesn't translate well to smaller structures, though I don't remember Woods addressing that directly.  I haven't seen suggestions or guidance about how to design a 4x8 coop while honoring the open-air principles.  I've started another thread here, to focus on that.

Thanks again, everybody!

 

[pawl]

I'd send you measurement, but I built on site as I went. Add in mistakes and the corrections needed to make them, plus supplies from the restore, so my windows won't match...... not sure they'd do you any good. I will be putting photos and steps on my blog soon, materials used and quantities, etch. . And feel free to ask questions.

I would love to see pictures of every inch of that coop from every angle... Woods wasn't a very good photographer and I don't think you took any inside pictures... How do I get to your blog site? Since my son was born in 2004, I've been too busy to keep up with technology and am very far behind the curve when it comes to blogs and such