Woods coop for cold weather/no sun?

[Rob Tof]

What about cutting down a few trees to open up some light for the chickens. Bonus fire wood.

 

[backbeat]

I will give you a suggestion based on my experience. I have kept poultry in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta for 5 years now (-50 F average cold temps) All kinds- ducks, chickens, quail, guinea fowl. All kinds of coops- 3 sided ones, tractors, sheds.
You'll want to start of by picking a cold-hardy breed. Ducks and quail are cold hardy. Wyandottes, Chanteclers, are both hardy- any small-combed breed is cold hardy. Brahmas are hardy, but their feathered feet cause snow and ice (moisture) to accumulate on the feet (one word FROSTBITE).

Next you'll want to consider an alternate location for a coop. The no-sun is a big issue. If you don't have an alternate location, I would look into a different style of coop. Make it walk in, and suitable for deep litter method (a great way to conserve heat).
Make your roosts 2x4s, 4" side flat, so the birds can protect their feet in the cold.
You'll want the coop to have 4 square feet of space per bird, especially if they will be locked up in winter. I wouldn't do 6 or 8- in cold weather like ours, you need to sort of squish it a bit. It's still humane and my birds do fine.
Build it with double-wall insulation using fiberglass insulation on the walls, floor, and roof, as well as a vapour barrier. That will be the best heat conserver.
Wire it, or have plans for an extension cord. During those cold winter months, your adults may not need any heat (mine don't), but you will want a heated waterer or heat pads to prevent freezing eggs. If you want your birds to lay throughout winter, you'll also need supplemental lighting.
Make sure all your ventilation is closable. Trust me. Most folks on here who suggest ventilation have never been in temps like ours. I learned this the hard way. Yes, follow the one square foot of ventilation per ten square feet of coop space rule, but make your ventilation closable and openable. In cold winter days, you may have to close up the coop completely to conserve body heat- and if you do decide to heat, for whatever reason (I am right now, because I have 10 week old chicks), you'll want that closing option. Another great way in cold temps to conserve heat but provide breathable insulation is stuff hay into your vents during winter.
Don't make the vents high up. This will cause all the heat to escape. Fatal in cold temps. Make them close to the floor, away from the Northern side. Drafts don't equal ventilation. One foot above or below your roosts.
Look into space effiency because your birds will be so cooped up during winter. Nest boxes under roosts. Movable roosts. Great ways of keeping the floor space large.
Frostbite will happen for a variety of reasons. I have had frostbite happen in open-air coops so I say, shut up the coop if you need to. Try to avoid food and water inside the coop. Choose small combed breeds.
I don't use heated waterers. I prefer providing free-choice snow, and then making 1 or 2 trips per day out to the coop with warm (not hot or steaming) water in a rubber livestock pan.

Thanks for the tips North Bay this dec. -42 with windchill I was going to use a ridge vent but glad i read your advice.Questions why wouldn't i keep the food and water inside since it's so cold and how far up should i install the vents ?

 

[Welshies]

Thanks for the tips North Bay this dec. -42 with windchill I was going to use a ridge vent but glad i read your advice.Questions why wouldn't i keep the food and water inside since it's so cold and how far up should i install the vents ?

Food and water bring in unnecessary moisture, increasing the risk of frostbite. They should be outside, but if your birds are locked up inside I would store them near a vent away from the roost. Keep in mind if your birds are outside during the day, their food and water is fine outside, because they don't eat after dark.
Make sure the vent is one foot below or above the roosts. Also remember drafts are not ventilation- any wind should be dealt with accordingly. I would make your ventilation openable and closable to help solve this issue especially here in the North. Hardware cloth, furnace filters, or pre-made vents installed into your walls work good. I use hardware cloth but cover it with some hay in winter because hardware cloth has no insulative properties. I have heard good things about furnace filters.
Vents should not be at your highest point otherwise all the precious body heat will escape. I wouldn't put them directly at the floor, either, though. I would look into eave vents, or install your vents a foot or two off the floor, or on the roofline at the lowest point of the roof.
However, the best ventilation is one system that captures the heat yet lets air in and out. Eave vents or vents on a slant work better for this then vents installed directly into the wall- installed directly into the wall, it makes it easy for wind to come in.
Also consider wind direction when building ventilation.

 

[backbeat]

Food and water bring in unnecessary moisture, increasing the risk of frostbite. They should be outside, but if your birds are locked up inside I would store them near a vent away from the roost. Keep in mind if your birds are outside during the day, their food and water is fine outside, because they don't eat after dark.
Make sure the vent is one foot below or above the roosts. Also remember drafts are not ventilation- any wind should be dealt with accordingly. I would make your ventilation openable and closable to help solve this issue especially here in the North. Hardware cloth, furnace filters, or pre-made vents installed into your walls work good. I use hardware cloth but cover it with some hay in winter because hardware cloth has no insulative properties. I have heard good things about furnace filters.
Vents should not be at your highest point otherwise all the precious body heat will escape. I wouldn't put them directly at the floor, either, though. I would look into eave vents, or install your vents a foot or two off the floor, or on the roofline at the lowest point of the roof.
However, the best ventilation is one system that captures the heat yet lets air in and out. Eave vents or vents on a slant work better for this then vents installed directly into the wall- installed directly into the wall, it makes it easy for wind to come in.
Also consider wind direction when building ventilation.

You mean these in the wall ? the roof will be insulated shouldn't it

 

[Welshies]

You mean these in the wall ? the roof will be insulated shouldn't it

Well, any vent that can be open and closed would do. Your goal is to have vents at a slant (so the airflow comes in at a slant) to conserve body heat and restrict drafts. Make sure you cover your vents with hardware cloth , but I would never again use hardware cloth as my vent.
You want the vents to close and open, but you want the airflow to come in through a downward-pointed opening. Warm air rises, so downward-slanted vents will help conserve warm air and "trap" it.

 

[aart]

I think any open-air coop needs sun.

Again, with a properly built Woods, it doesn't matter about the wind.

Exactly...most folks just don't get the air cushion function of a properly built and managed Woods 'Open Air' coop.

 

[aart]

@Alaskan might be able to offer some viable advice for the OP's climate and site.

 

[Alaskan]

I've read where they used Wood's coops, up into Canada, with -40 temps. But haven't seen anything about their use in Alaska. If it was me, I'd build a Woods. It's still the best coop you can have. If needed, you could always enclose the open front a little. But you probably would not even have to, it would work as it is.

I have read a lot of your posts and was hoping you'd reply - thank you! If I had a southern exposure in my backyard I would go for it, but with zero direct sunlight... It just seems like I'd be rolling the dice. I read the Woods book a while ago when I was doing my initial research and the fact that he stressed the specific orientation of coop to maximize sunlight (along with other light-maximizing factors) leads me to believe that's a necessity.

Several people in Alaska have and love their Wood's style coops. It is nice to have a sliding cover for the big front opening so that it can be closed up a little (NEVER the entire way). The person with that style coop, I think said the smallest opening she leaves is 4 inches.

For the Anchorage area it is a GREAT coop choice.. even on a North slope/no sun location. Because of the high latitude, as well as the lack of natural light, you will need light bulbs in there! Wire them so it is easy to have them on a timer.

Once you reach -10F it is best to have water and feed in the coop, with the vent still open. This is because if the food and water are outside at low temps, with the wind and darkness, the chickens might not eat as much as they should. If you windblock the run, and add a light in the run...you could leave food and water out there in colder temps.

Do make the coop as large as you can. Remember in the Wood's the perches are in the back pretty far away from the front.

 

[Alaskan]

You mean these in the wall ? the roof will be insulated shouldn't it

if you want to click on the link to my coops under my name. .. it will show you my coops, as well as a page on building coops in cold and windy areas. It will hopefully answer many of your questions.

I do very much like the Woods style coops... but they might be tough for long stretches of -40F and below. I don't know anyone who has them in those temps. For those temps having your coop in 2 or three sections is nice. A smaller roosting area that vents to a larger very well ventilated eating and drinking area that opens to a greenhouse (for winter only), as well as a run.

 

[Mama Runner]

im going along on this ride. I would have never thought we would have the weather this winter season has brought. My babies got cooped inside the house for almost three weeks.