Suggestions for 100-200 bird coop

[3KillerBs]

I do have 2 questions though;
1.) Wouldn’t an “always open” coop lead the birds to, well, die when it gets into the low teens and 20’s outside?

Even my heat-adapted flock weathered this past December's bitter chill without issue in their Open Air coop.

All I had done was to put a tarp on the wall to break the wind so that it couldn't blow directly on the roosts -- which I had actually put in place because of hurricane season.

2.) why do the birds require a minimum of 4 sqft each when they’re only in it at night and to lay/brood? Our chickens are out every day at sunup and in at sundown, so they only use the coop to roost.

Here's a quote from an article I'm writing.

But I free range/have a huge run and my chickens only use the coop to sleep and lay eggs! Why do I need all that space inside?

You might not. As I've said, these are guidelines, not hard-and-fast rules.

If you never close the pop door so that your coop and run function together as a fully integrated system that is the equivalent of a huge, open-air coop, then your flock might be just fine for years, even decades.

If you are always out there to open the pop door at the crack of dawn or you have an ultra-reliable automatic door so that your chickens never lack access to their free range territory during the daylight hours, then your flock might be just fine for years, even decades.

If you live in a mild climate where chickens can always go out into their run/range and are never kept in by snow or storms, then your flock might be just fine for decades. People who keep chickens in places with tropical and subtropical climates do successfully go without a coop at all, just offering a covered roost and some nestboxes.

But when something happens ...

When a determined predator moves in and breaks through the fencing so that you have to confine the flock to the coop itself so that you can fix the run,

When an extreme weather event prevents your chickens from leaving shelter for days,

When an emergency calls you out of town and you can't find someone willing to be there at the crack of dawn to open the pop door,

Then you could have a mess on your hands.

Which brings us back to the issue of flexibility and options. Any time you push a system hard against it's limits you have to count on everything remaining stable -- exactly as it is without any changes. How well that's likely to work depends on your specific circumstances. You may never encounter an unfortunate circumstance -- some people DO hit the lottery, after all.

 

[aart]

However, Woods' book suggests building multiple separate coops side by side OR constructing a contiguous building that is essentially multiple 10' by 16' coops. This approach maintains the design function while allowing flock expansion to the sizes the OP wants. If I recall correctly there is reference to the contiguous approach scaling to accommodate 2000 birds; no detail is provided on interior layout or construction approach.

I would think that full and 'air tight' tight walls separating the sections would be needed.

 

[Ted Brown]

I would think that full and 'air tight' tight walls separating the sections would be needed.

There are pictures showing the interior of Woods' "Large Colony House" in Chapter VI, page 94 that show that @aart is correct. Walls are placed every 20' with center doors permitting movement from one coop section to the next.

These walls manage air flow from one section to another and also provide necessary support to the front and back roofs.

 

[Ted Brown]

Chapter VI states that either the 20' by 20' semi monitor design or the 10' by 16' KD style houses can be utilized as the basis for a "Large Colony House"; in both cases intermediate walls are placed at 20' intervals.

Either seems to bring into question the "accepted" notion that the "air cushion" function is dependant on the length/width ratio of ~1.6.

The thread "Woods Colony House - Portable" by @Howard E is the only source that I have seen that introduces the notion that a specific length/width ratio is critical to the correct functioning of Prince Woods' design; this notion has been repeated in many other threads.

Woods' book does not reference this and, as pointed out above, it contradicts the notion. I also note that the fundamental concept introduced by Woods is that of "fresh air" and he references several other designs (eg Tolman) that work,

Not trying to start a long conversation about this, just an observation.

 

[aart]

Either seems to bring into question the "accepted" notion that the "air cushion" function is dependant on the length/width ratio of ~1.6.

It sure does.

 

[saysfaa]

Shrugging. I don't see a conflict.

It is common sense that the proportions matter. It is easy to see when taken to far enough extremes - beyond any in this thread. If it can't be seen yet, go more extreme.

1:1.6 works. So do dimensions either way from that at least as far as 1:1 and 1:2.
Some engineer can probably calculate how much further still works.

 

[Ted Brown]

Shrugging. I don't see a conflict.

...

I was not suggesting a conflict rather that adherence to the commonly accepted (on BYC at least) length/width ratio is not a immutable rule.

Perhaps important to the OP who is in design mode for an unusually large Woods style build.

 

[Yallqueda]

I was not suggesting a conflict rather that adherence to the commonly accepted (on BYC at least) length/width ratio is not a immutable rule.

Perhaps important to the OP who is in design mode for an unusually large Woods style build.

True-I’d hate to get to the end and realize I messed up before the first tree was sawed.
However I’m not married specifically to a woods style build. If there was a more modern style that would suit my needs better I’d go that way. I just tend to think that for my needs (good ventilation, clean, sturdy and unpowered) they probably had it figured out a long time ago.

 

[Ted Brown]

...
However I’m not married specifically to a woods style build. If there was a more modern style that would suit my needs better I’d go that way. I just tend to think that for my needs (good ventilation, clean, sturdy and unpowered) they probably had it figured out a long time ago.

I have been poking around this site for a few years, your 200 bird sizing requirement is well beyond anything I have seen here before.

I will watch with interest but will say you are not going to find any alternative design herein that fits your criteria.

The scalability of Woods' Large Colony House is also unique. You can start with a build that accommodates, say, 100 birds and expand in a modular fashion easily and with no impact to the existing structure.

FWIW I suggest that you also think through how you will maintain your flock and how that might impact the design. Examples:
1. Waste removal - I have seen a coop that uses drop boards that can be "cleaned" from outside. A horizontal panel on the back wall that opens upward with the bottom just below the boards allows waste to be removed easily.
2. Installing the front HC as removable panels greatly facilitates changing of bedding.

 

[3KillerBs]

However I’m not married specifically to a woods style build. If there was a more modern style that would suit my needs better I’d go that way. I just tend to think that for my needs (good ventilation, clean, sturdy and unpowered) they probably had it figured out a long time ago.

Modern chicken house designs for large flocks require mechanical ventilation.

Very modern ones are fully-automated with the fans and vent louvers connected to a computer system that monitors temperature, moisture, and ammonia.

1. Waste removal - I have seen a coop that uses drop boards that can be "cleaned" from outside. A horizontal panel on the back wall that opens upward with the bottom just below the boards allows waste to be removed easily.

I do not have a link and cannot readily find it on a search, but one member here has/had coops with droppings pits under the roosts.

The pits were covered with 2x4 wire to keep the chickens out and they opened at the back of the coop so that the manure could be readily shoveled away.