Woods coop for cold weather/no sun?

[junebuggena]

Anchorage gets some pretty intense storms. I spent 4 years in Kodiak, so I am somewhat familiar with the weather patterns in that part of the world. I don't think a wide open woods coop would be the best choice, considering your climate. Winds can come straight up through the bay so a south facing Wood's would get blasted. A simple box with one side taller than the other, and a with a decent amount of overhang would probably be better.

 

[JackE]

Anchorage gets some pretty intense storms. I spent 4 years in Kodiak, so I am somewhat familiar with the weather patterns in that part of the world. I don't think a wide open woods coop would be the best choice, considering your climate. Winds can come straight up through the bay so a south facing Wood's would get blasted. A simple box with one side taller than the other, and a with a decent amount of overhang would probably be better.[/QUOTE

Doesn't matter about the winds. With a properly built Woods, the wind is not blasting into it anyway, even with the open front. I've been inside of mine with 30mph+ winds blowing directly at the open front and there was no detectable air movement in there. Calm, as if I was in the house watching TV. Besides, this is behind the O.P.'s house. So there's a windbrake for the coop.

 

[junebuggena]

Anchorage is situated at the north end of a bay, surrounded by tall peaks that funnel wind up through the bay and directly at the town. 30MPH is a light breeze for them. They frequently can experience sustained winds over 60MPH. Alaska weather is a completely different beast.

 

[Welshies]

Anchorage is situated at the north end of a bay, surrounded by tall peaks that funnel wind up through the bay and directly at the town. 30MPH is a light breeze for them. They frequently can experience sustained winds over 60MPH. Alaska weather is a completely different beast.

Agreed. It's like comparing a raccoon to a bear- and Alaska is the bear.

 

[JackE]

Anchorage is situated at the north end of a bay, surrounded by tall peaks that funnel wind up through the bay and directly at the town. 30MPH is a light breeze for them. They frequently can experience sustained winds over 60MPH. Alaska weather is a completely different beast.

Yes, that may be. But, as I said, the O.P. was putting the coop behind his house, a windbrake. Again, with a properly built Woods, it doesn't matter about the wind. Although opening the side door, with a 60 mph wind might be an adventure. If it was me, I build one. But whatever, it doesn't really matter to me at all.

 

[RJ chickens]

I forgot to write earlier - I was buying something from a guy on Craigslist in town last summer and noticed chickens in his backyard. He told me they sleep in his big pine tree year round! They got the chickens from family with little notice, so they didn't have anything prepared. The chickens roost in the pine tree and free range in the back yard. In the winter when it gets really cold (can't remember what temperature he said) he turns a heat lamp on on the side of the house for a few hours and they huddle around it. That amazed me and made me much more excited about having chickens in general. I would do the same thing except I don't want a treasure hunt every time I go to collect eggs, and I'm guessing that winter collection doesn't go too well if the eggs are on the ground freezing. Again, this validates the Woods philosophy - that chickens survive cold weather just fine in the 'open air' as long as they have the proper shelter.

 

[lazy gardener]

RJ, I wonder if your front yard might bet some sun? In that case, that's where I'd put the birds.

 

[Welshies]

RJ, I wonder if your front yard might bet some sun? In that case, that's where I'd put the birds.

Agreed. I think any open-air coop needs sun. I learnt that the hard way... I had my open air coop away from the sun (my main thought was summer- what a mistake) and I had a roo lose his entire comb from the cold.

 

[RJ chickens]

RJ, I wonder if your front yard might bet some sun? In that case, that's where I'd put the birds.

If I could I would seriously consider it, but I don't have the space there to comply with local jurisdictions. I also live in a part of town where I would have serious concerns about chickens not being stolen/abused/whatever by people passing through. I love my immediate neighbors, but there are all kinds of other people who regularly demonstrate a lack of respect for personal property.

 

[RJ chickens]

Plus, then I'd have to leave this site and go to frontyardchickens.com! Ha ha