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

[JeepDVL45]

I'm definately not an expert on this, nor do I have a TRUE open-air coop....but I wanted it as open-air as I was comfortable with....

I'm located in upstate NY....we've been dealing with 0F quite frequently and high winds on top of it. (A few days ago we had a HIGH of 6F and it was -14F with 20mph+ wind that night. While I don't have a TRUE open air coop, I do have an entire peak of the roof that is open. (it adds about 12.5sqft of open air to the wall of the coop --in addition to my open-ish eves and rood cap). My girls roost about 2 - 2.5 feet BELOW that lowest point of the open part just to keep any rogue wind from getting to them. I don't have a great picture of it completed, but I do have a pic WHILE I was building it. It is only this one side that is open so I don't get a cross breeze in the coop....I definitely like it better then my old coop....it still remains "warm" for them, no wind seems to get to them, and I like the additional light and more importantly ventilation...


I only have a 6" eve over the open part (you can see in the pic above).....if I did it again (ESPECIALLY if I kept one side completely open...which may eventually happen)) I would have made the eve at least 12" if not 18" to keep the snow out a little better when its really windy ( I get a little bit of the REALLY REALLY fine snow drifting in when we have really high winds)....I also would move the roost against the far wall away from the open part to get them deeper into the coop and further from the wind.

My girls moved into it at the beginning of the winter....I haven't noticed any form of difference in egg production when compared to the old coop (unless you count my 4 new girls starting to lay a few weeks ago....but that was going to happen anyway). Nor have I noticed an increase in feed as compared to last winter (I did add 4 girls to my original 2, so yea, I'm going to more grain than last winter, but I'm going through a little less the 3x what I was before (which is to be expected).

I know this wasn't EXACTLY what you were looking for, but I hope it helped.

 

[centrarchid]

The point I attempted to make is the truly open coop is tough on the birds when any type of production is desired. Mine can go down -14 F with winds so long as adult and in good feather. Growth and egg production both require enerdy, a lot, and that can conflict with needs for generating heat under extreme cold stress. Wind breaks are more important than anything but not why my pens did not have a roof in picture. That was to prevent roof collapse due to an anticipated heavy snow event. Roofs more valuable as protection from sun and for juvenile birds with respect to rain. The wind is the real kicker as it plays heavily into the stress imposed by wind chill.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It's not just wind chill as such, but chickens stay warm by trapping tiny pockets of air in their feathers. That trapped air is what is really creating the insulation value of feathers. If a direct breeze ruffles their feathers enough to let those tiny pockets of air out, then the feathers aren’t providing much insulation value. After that insulation is lost, the wind chill effect, wind hitting unprotected skin, is another factor.

Chickens can handle cold really well but wind is the kicker. If you can set up your coop so the wind does not blow directly on the birds, they will normally be fine. Ventilation is very important too. I don’t know why an open air coop will be any better than a coop with good ventilation provided in other ways. The net result is that you want a well-ventilated coop that prevents the wind from blowing directly on them. There are many different ways to achieve that. As long as you are comparing apples to apples I don’t see where one method is better than another. Was that author comparing apples to apples or was he comparing a well-ventilated coop to a coop that wan not well ventilated?

 

[JackE]

I have a Wood's open-air coop. Have had it for just over 5yrs. I get winter temps down into the single digits, and it has performed as advertised, as far as I'm concerned. I found the information in the book, to be true. The front wall is never blocked off, it is open year round. I don't know where you read that the open wall should be shut off. But whoever said so, is wrong. I'd say my birds are the picture of perfect health. None have ever had any respiratory problems, or suffered from frostbite. As far as eggs through the winter. I have found that first year layers, will lay right through the winter, regardless of temp. Egg production goes down, from them, in the winters after that. But will pick right back up when the longer days return.

As far as to what you are doing, with your existing structure. The book, you have, explains how, and why, the open-air concept works. Recommends how to properly site the coop, and why. You could convert your existing structure into an open-air coop. You structure faces south, so you are halfway there already. I would not go with screening the entire tallest wall of your coop. You could go do half the wall open. Take a look at the other designs in the book, like the Tolman. See how the roof comes down to the open wall. That's what you want. If it was me. I would convert the structure into a Wood's coop. IMO, it's the best coop you can have. All you have to do is add a 6' low section, to your 10X10' existing structure.

As far as wind blowing at the open wall of the coop. Don't worry about it. My coop, in the winter has experienced 35MPH winds, blowing directly at the open front. You go in there, and it's as calm as sitting in your living room watching TV. As there is no pathway through the coop for the wind to follow, there is no noticeable air movement/drafts, in the coop. I have also found that the coop's inside temp is usually 10 degrees, or so, higher than the outside. And that is with no added heat, and no insulation other than the birds themselves. So build you open-air coop with confidence. It does work.

 

[WthrLady]

I second what Jack said. The science is sound.

I am in the middle of building the same half monitor coop that Jack has. I'm in the middle of Nebraska where the temps can dip well into the negative numbers, with wind chills easily into the -50 range, along with lots of snow.... and ice. summer temps easily go over a humid 100.

It's the wind you have to protect from. My acreage abounds with quail, pheasant, and turkey. I can count the number of trees on my property with one hand, but the birds spend their nights and windy in the high fence rows, out of the wind.

The chickens are the same. This morning the temp is 6. They are out and about like it's Miami. yesterday was 40, but windy, and they hung out all day in the wind breaks.

The open air coop is set up back to the prevailing winds. Just like being in your open garage on a windy day, the garage isn't windy. smaller scale? Sit in your SUV on a windy day, nose pointed to the wind and open the back hatch...... it's not windy in the front seat.

In the end... to each their own, but the org. Poster wanted to know how it really works in the cold.

 

[centrarchid]

When it comes down to the economics, it can even pay to supply supplemental heat if your flock is large enough. At some point adding heat can cost less than adding additional feed and egg production is impacted by temperature where both high and low extremes can reduce production. Temperature extremes can play a role even indoors.

 

[WthrLady]

I guess.

My coop 80 yards from closest electric supply. So in my case, they can eat and sleep. I let them take winter off.

 

[windtryst]

My open air coop...

 

[centrarchid]

Looks like snow collector coop as well.

 

[Kutschka]

Many thanks for all these responses! With this input, and with time to ponder air movement, I realize now that a simple box, leaving one side entirely open (6.5" high, the tallest side) is not what I want; warm air will exit the coop too eagerly. I see now why the Woods coop, like JackE has, is ideal: Nearly all the warmth produced by bodies and by deep litter would tend to stay in the coop, following the roof lines, and the offset roof would allow for (more) windows, and thus more sunlight. (If you haven't seen JackE's other photos of his lovely coop, take a look here.) I'm hesitant to try that with my dog pen, though, because I imagine that the more complex structure would require significant bracing under the existing floor, and that would be tough, because the deck is just a foot or so off the ground.

So what I'm picturing now is building it almost like I was planning, with only a single, sloped roof, and walls only at the (well supported) edges of the existing structure, rather than having that offset framing in the middle. The change in my plan is that the fourth wall, instead of being entirely open, can be open only for the bottom few feet, with a big, openable (for summer) window built into the half-wall above. It wouldn't be as delightfully perfect as the Woods design, but it sounds like it would be adequate.

Or maybe, with more thinking, I'll decide it's worth it to do what it takes to make a true Woods design. Or maybe the Tolman design would have most of the aerodynamic benefit without needing central framing. Argh. I guess I should just ask the builder to do me a new estimate (or two), and see what the difference will run.

Wind breaks are more important than anything but not why my pens did not have a roof in picture. That was to prevent roof collapse due to an anticipated heavy snow event. Roofs more valuable as protection from sun and for juvenile birds with respect to rain. The wind is the real kicker as it plays heavily into the stress imposed by wind chill.

centrarchid, thanks for that explanation. Your photo seemed to show no roof, but I couldn't understand how the chickens would cope without protection from rain. Temporary roof removal, because of anticipated heavy snow, that I can understand. And if the chickens are all right with that, it makes the point nicely that wind protection is much more important than ambient temperature.

I'm definately not an expert on this, nor do I have a TRUE open-air coop....but I wanted it as open-air as I was comfortable with....

I'm located in upstate NY....we've been dealing with 0F quite frequently and high winds on top of it. (A few days ago we had a HIGH of 6F and it was -14F with 20mph+ wind that night. While I don't have a TRUE open air coop, I do have an entire peak of the roof that is open. (it adds about 12.5sqft of open air to the wall of the coop --in addition to my open-ish eves and rood cap). My girls roost about 2 - 2.5 feet BELOW that lowest point of the open part just to keep any rogue wind from getting to them. I don't have a great picture of it completed, but I do have a pic WHILE I was building it. It is only this one side that is open so I don't get a cross breeze in the coop....I definitely like it better then my old coop....it still remains "warm" for them, no wind seems to get to them, and I like the additional light and more importantly ventilation...


I only have a 6" eve over the open part (you can see in the pic above).....if I did it again (ESPECIALLY if I kept one side completely open...which may eventually happen)) I would have made the eve at least 12" if not 18" to keep the snow out a little better when its really windy ( I get a little bit of the REALLY REALLY fine snow drifting in when we have really high winds)....I also would move the roost against the far wall away from the open part to get them deeper into the coop and further from the wind.

My girls moved into it at the beginning of the winter....I haven't noticed any form of difference in egg production when compared to the old coop (unless you count my 4 new girls starting to lay a few weeks ago....but that was going to happen anyway). Nor have I noticed an increase in feed as compared to last winter (I did add 4 girls to my original 2, so yea, I'm going to more grain than last winter, but I'm going through a little less the 3x what I was before (which is to be expected).

I know this wasn't EXACTLY what you were looking for, but I hope it helped.

JeepDVL45, your experience does help. I suppose there's no clear line between "ventilated" and "open-air." The way I'm beginning to see it, based partly on Woods' explanations, "open-air" refers to designs where ventilation is maximized to the point that it's extra-important that the floor, roof, and whatever walls there are be tight against wind. Yours seems like a hybrid! Very pretty, by the way.

Thanks again, everybody! I'm still welcoming of whatever you've got!