The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

This is an open air coop. If I ever made another coop it would be this. That front end is open all year round. The top windows to I believe. Plus there are windows on the side. This is a coop a BYC member made following the old plans the old timers used to use. He never has a humidity problem. I tried to follow this plan but with my hoop coop. It really makes its simple. And proves cold wont harm the chickens. Their down feathers are great insulators and they tend to snuggle with each other so its like a giant chicken sleeping bag

Okay. Fresh air coops and Ventilation:

There are different styles of fresh air coops. The one shown above is the "Woods Style". In the winter the ONLY thing that is left open is the front side. ALL OTHER WINDOWS ARE CLOSED. This provides the situation that (was it Scott?) referred to in which a pocket of air remains near the front but there is no draft because there's nowhere for it to go. These coops are faced AWAY from prevailing winds. You'll also notice on this WOODS STYLE that the pop door is near the front. It it were placed further back it would "undo" the "no draft" status so it needs to be placed where it is on this coop or on the front. On this particular style the other windows - on sides and in the monitor top, are opened up in the summertime only.

There are other fresh air style coops that don't have the monitor top but the idea is the same. They are all based on some specific depth to width ratios that create that air pocket near the front; roosts are placed in the back wall farthest away from the open fronts. Again, no drafts.

The classic book was already mentioned but I'll post it again. Definitely worth reading to get the idea of MANY STYLES (not just the Woods style even though he was the author). It will definitely help you get the principle and plan on how to build or place windows for the future. I own the book and refer to it quite frequently when planning.

http://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Air-Pou...d=1384385384&sr=8-1&keywords=open+air+poultry

(These people should pay me a percentage I've advertised for them so much

)

I like owning hard-copy so I have them as an "in-my-hands" reference personally.

BTW - Jack, who owns the coop in the photo above, says it stays about 10 degrees warmer inside than out.

 

[armorfirelady]

My dream coop

But made out of composite wood. No creepy crawlie worries then and no rotting

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:

Maybe we should install HVAC systems in our coops and close them all up tight....no worries that way!

 

[Scott H]

So Leahs Mom, does the book say how far back the roost has to be from the front to create the pocket of still air? I think I could easily do this by covering the back vent in my converted dog kennel to coop.
Check it out.
I cover the hardware cloth windows with very clear thick vinyl when it's cold. I could leave the one on the end open (the slats to left of it already have 1/2 inch gaps between them), it's the one with the Fresh Egg sign under it.



The kennel, err, coop is 8 feet deep and the roost is already at the far end from that window. This shot is taken through that end window.



That's a poop hammock underneath it if it looks funny to you. That's the triangle shaped vent above the roost I could block off. Pop door is closest to you and the 2 side windows are sealed off with the clear vinyl.

From the outside....





So just guessing, as the girls are in bed right now, the roost is approximately 6 feet back from the pop door. The roost is to the right of the right window in the above picture. Whatcha think?

 

[armorfirelady]

I'd say try it and then go in the coop and see what the drafts are like after they roost. Someone mentioned using a candle to check. That was a cool idea just use safety of course.

 

[Scott H]

I'd say try it and then go in the coop and see what the drafts are like after they roost. Someone mentioned using a candle to check. That was a cool idea just use safety of course.

Yea, that was me....the reason I used a candle was you have to be on your hands and knees to be in there.

I just got worried and covered that window up. Now I'm worried about opening it back up and closing the back top vent. Does it ever end?

 

[Leahs Mom]

First - I want to say that is one of the nicest looking coops! I really like the "look" of it!! What is over the top of it? Looks like a deck?

I would DEFINITELY try that with your coop. A couple questions and notes..

-Inside top - is there open ventilation overhead? (I know you mentioned the vent at the gable end..but I was looking up into the peak where the hardware cloth wire is.)

-Where is the door that you enter? Is that it to the left of the fresh eggs window?

In the book, some of the original fresh air designs have a roof sloping down from front to back so that the back of the coop was shorter than the front. Kind of like sawing a house in half - at the peak, and having the roof slope down from the front to back (On the 6x10 woods model it is 4ft 7in tall at the back of the house and 6 ft. tall at the front peak.) The slope is all part of the design and ventilation style. BUT NOT ALL OF THEM. The "Tolman House" is a case in point in which the front is situated like yours is with a regular roof. And there are other models that don't have the slope like that either.

Now a good part of the book is showing some pretty large houses. But there is a section on "Small Flock" houses (they call backyard "back lot") that shows various small houses and a woods style that is 6ft w x 10 ft deep. They range all the way down to some very small houses in various styles. For some of the particular floor plans they are definitely best and tested at the dimensions given, but there a lot of variations on the smaller houses all the way down to very small broody houses.

So...I'd sure try it with what you have there. Everything is aligned right (even though it isn't the Woods style) (as opposed to my hen house that is totally unsuited in almost every way imaginable.)

You can test it out and see how it's working and let us know. I'd be very interested to see how it works out. I like the clear vinyl to keep the light coming in and to maybe act as passive solar too. You can go in there yourself and see what the air flow is like once you get everything covered up...check and see if it feels like a wind blowing back there in the roost area or if it feels relatively protected. It sure wouldn't hurt to try it out and if it doesn't work well all you've lost is a little time in strategically closing the sides and vent while leaving the fresh eggs window open.

JackE (the guy whose house is pictured in the post by AFL) has a thread on byc about his Woods style and built it using the plans in this book. He's very versed on that particular style. He may also have some good input on the other styles as well but not sure as I know he particularly studied the Woods style and built it specifically.

 

[lalaland]

Yea, that was me....the reason I used a candle was you have to be on your hands and knees to be in there.

I just got worried and covered that window up. Now I'm worried about opening it back up and closing the back top vent. Does it ever end?

No!!! it doesnt ever end.

last couple of nights the roosters have been out of control. Buster, head rooster, thinks Booster, the subordinate rooster, shouldn't be in the coop. It is pure chaos. A couple of the girls are like "ain't no way I'm gonna go in there" while there is all that caterwauling. I'm thinking, oh good, everyone is in, I can go close it up and all h*** breaks loose and hens come flying out of the coop. Buster doesnt want Booster in the littles half of the coop, and the big girls aren't going to stand for him being in their half of the coop. Evenutally it settles down, but wow!

things seem ok during the day, but ....not sure whether it is going to lead to bloodshed. And of course I am leaving town for the weekend, which is when these things happen, when you are going to be gone.

if it isn't a sick chicken, its a hawk, and if it isn't a hawk its the drafts, and if itsn't the drafts its the danged roosters!

 

[Leahs Mom]

PS: I'm going to ask Jack if he'll come over and comment.

 

[JackE]

PS: I'm going to ask Jack if he'll come over and comment.

I just got over here, and I'm reading some of the posts to get caught up.

So basically, Scott wants to open up the end of his kennel/coop to get better fresh air exchange. From what I can see, that should not be a problem. It looks like the coop is in a somewhat sheltered spot. And if he closes off that eave vent at the roost end, should be draft free. Sorry if I missed it, but how many birds in there?, Whats the dimensions of coop?