Non-Heated, Open-Air Coop in Northern Climates: Yes or No?

If I had that coop... I would:

Where your warm coop area is, I would make a 5 x 2 foot poop tray. Flat side of a 2x4 for a perch (so about 3.5 inches of flat perch) that is about 8 inches above the poop shelf and is removable. The front edge of the poop shelf another wide flat perch.

That poop shelf would be about 4 feet up. The area underneath the poop shelf could be for the nestbox, or water, or feed, or oyster shell... or not...whatever.

Up against the West wall under that west side window I would put another poop shelf. But this one I would make a bit lower, make it so the chickens can look out the window but not have a perch. It would really just be an elevated dusting box. Looks like it would be about 2 x 3.

I would add in a window by the south facing door so that there was more wire covered ventilation on that side. Then I would extend the roof over the run to protect the run from snow and rain and mud and also make the ventilation openings more sheltered.

Hmm... I'll try and make a drawing of everything you mentionned, to be sure I understand what you've placed all around the coop. I'll reply back with some pictures :)
 
So the link above is to the book written by Prince T. Woods, hence the term "Woods Coop". In general, the premise is that the coop has open front ventilation, but a tight back end - so that air cannot flow through the entire coop creating a draft, but with very good ventilation. They are generally longer than wide, with a shifted shed-style roof - in other words, the roof line is not connected, it has the upper windows for more warm weather ventilation, as you can see in the pics @Alaskan posted. If you search BYC for "Woods Coop" you will find one very lengthy post along with other ones, some with specific plans using modern materials (like 4x8 sheets of plywood). I know I've read of someone who built it themselves and they classed themselves as not handy. Some others have priced out materials at retail, then got bids for a handyman/ carpenter to build it for them and the cost has been only a bit higher because the carpenter may have scraps to use/discounted rates at store/ efficiency of working on something pretty simple with regards to a build. I'm seriously considering a Woods Style Coop for our chickens - something like an 8'x16'. We can have it facing due South pretty easily, whereas placing it SE would be more difficult and awkward in our setup. We can get to very cold here, for long stretches and wind.

Good Luck to you! It is good that your coop is on the South side, and so should pick up some solar gain during the day.

Actually, the coop gets the most light from the west side, because the south side, although facing in the right direction, is hidden by very tall trees. I live in a forest, and the cabanon is placed in the upper right corner of the yard. The run is stacked directly within the trees, and they are very tall (I suspect the pine trees to be close to a century old). My chickens get maybe 1-2 hours of sunlight from the south side as a result, at least in summertime in between the leaves. I haven't been able to tell how much sunlight they get in wintertime; the sky is more often than not cloudy, so I can't spot the sun until well onto the afternoon, when it's out of the tree zone and more angled west than south. However, due to the dark paint from the coop, both windows look like they are shining when I look out from within the coop, so maybe the dark interior enhances sunlight and helps my hens to keep on laying?
 
I thought sand/ash/DE/anti-parasite powder helped chickens get rid of lice? o.o how come they are still on your birds?

I don't use DE... even though there is a great deal of hype about it, I do NOT think it kills parasites.

I just wait until I notice they are infested and then treat the chickens and the coop with a spray with permethrin in it. Permethrin works well.

But... my place is surrounded by wildlife. .. so the parasites return. :confused:

Do you have links to the black rubber pan and small stock tank deicer you have used for your water? I need a visual to show store clerks to see if the have a replica, otherwise I will end nowhere in my search xP
I have pictures on my cold weather housing page... there is a link to that from my main coop page.

Howeve in my region we can go down as low as -86/104F below the freezing point, since Quebec is located near Fleuve St-Laurent and alot of humidity travels there on strong winds. Blizzards are to truly watch out for, because when they strike, they are powerful ones. If I keep the water outside, I will have to think up a way to keep it stable and protected from strong winds lest the water container gets blown away.

That cold is too cold for the water to be outside. When it is that cold you need feed and water in the coop.

the poop board in your coop page says the chickens are sleeping with their heads out, and their butts over the poop board? Does that mean you stacked your perches directly on the long edges of poop board?

I think there is better picture of the poop tray and perches on my page for my bantam coop.

What brand of radiant heater panel do you use?

I don't have one and don't use one and I don't heat. But I rarely get below -20. However....... I know people in colder parts of Alaska use them.

so if I mix a brown hen with a blue roo, I'll get green, blue and brown eggs from their offsprings all in one shot.
More likely brown and green, not blue, but is depends on the genetics of the parents.

I do wonder though, if the rose comb leghorns have the smooth comb modifiers that would give a pea x rose cross offspring the cushion comb rather than the default walnut comb?

Depends on what the Leghorns have. My rose comb white Leghorns have very smooth combs, but my dark browns have bumpy combs. :confused:

Wattles, though, I have no idea if the smooth modifier will shorten them up too.

Wattles are a totally different unrelated thing. However some breeds like the Ameraucana usually have zero wattles.

All brown egg layers see their eggs go pale through their laying season; if you want brown eggs from your Wyandottes, from what I have read so far, you have to incubate only the darkest eggs from your flock to ensure the color will carry on to the offspring.

True... but I have never seen a properly brown egg laid by Wyandotte. ...ever. I have looked on the Internet too, to see what else is out there, and nope. Wyandottes, all of them, lay VERY pale eggs.
 
Community nest box:

That wire wall on the nest box goes up against the wall of your coop. It is set up the way it is to give a bit more of ventilation to the nestbox.
 

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-20C is -4F. Maybe you're thinking about -40?

Eelantha, remind me to get that SOP to you today. I've been distracted, sorry.

Don't worry about being distracted, I understand completely. I too have my hands full, so I don't always have the time to reply quickly. I will patiently wait for your SOP, no problems ^^

And, when I use a Celsius - Fareinheit convertor on google to see what C equals in F, and write temps like, say, -30°C, the conversion says -86 F in response. Link here: https://www.google.ca/search?ei=9SP...1.1.64.psy-ab..5.5.828...0i67k1.0.e04nE0T-fBQ

I have no clue how fareinheit works to be honest, I was taught celsius at school and the weather radio only uses celsius too. I'm sorry if my temps are inadequate in fareinheit >///<
 
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