Woods-style house in the winter

[bluebirdnanny]

I used the windows they took out of my home when they replaced them.

 

[pennyJo1960]

The coop faces to the southeast. I have not had any real problems with rain blowing into the front. Sometimes in the summertime when all the windows are opened up, I have some rain blow into the house. But not enough to cause any unusually damp conditions. The house drys out fast. Also, the 3ft behind the open front is covered with sand contained by a 2x10 board. The rest of the floor is pine shavings. The overhang is built to design from the plans I got out of the book. That's the way it's supposed to be.
I know it looks kind of wide open, but it's a tight house with no drafts at all. Unless I open the rest of the windows. We have had single digit temps, with over 30MPH winds, You go in that house and can feel no air movement. The chickens seem to love it too.

You have done an excellent job for your birds possibly winter months 6ml plastic or heavier tacked
3/4 way down the front would probably be fine but still allow fresh air
but only if winds do become an issue... I believe you thought this out well for use
and placement.

 

[Howard E]

Finally got my Woods has finished enough to be occupied. Currently housing 15 - 2 week old chicks. They are having a ball!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1104954/woods-colony-house-portable

My experience so far is if the wind is in the south, and the side windows are open, there is some circulation in the back, but not much. With the side windows closed and the wind from the north, it is dead calm inside. I have a short video clip to prove it!

 

[aart]

Finally got my Woods has finished enough to be occupied. Currently housing 15 - 2 week old chicks. They are having a ball!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1104954/woods-colony-house-portable

My experience so far is if the wind is in the south, and the side windows are open, there is some circulation in the back, but not much. With the side windows closed and the wind from the north, it is dead calm inside. I have a short video clip to prove it!

What about when the wind is from the south and the side windows are close?
I'm assuming the open front is facing south.

 

[Howard E]

I started it out with the side windows out. It was about 75 to 80 out that day, plenty warm with a nice SW breeze blowing. That breeze went right on through the front and side windows and swirled around a bit at the open screen side, but in the back, where the roosts will be, it was pretty calm. A gust would move the back streamers a twitch. (I hung long strips of flagging tape as tell tale streamers to test the wind). Outside, they were blowing horizontal. So that would be summer mode.

Also for summer mode, to really open it up will be those tilt open monitor windows and a second full screen door will be installed inside, behind the current solid door. With the solid door open, and all windows open, there is good air circulation throughout.......a good thing for upcoming summer temps in the 90's, with high humidity.

Then a cold front went through, night time temps in the low 40's, so to button it up, I put the side windows in to kill any possible drafts. With the wind in the north, that pretty much put the air inside dead calm, but again, blowing horizontal streamers outside. Have not yet had strong south wind with side windows in to see what that does.

 

[aart]

It's a great design for airflow control while providing lots of fresh air.
Many folks don't understand the importance of both the building proportions and the operable window use.

 

[JackE]

You have done an excellent job for your birds possibly winter months 6ml plastic or heavier tacked
3/4 way down the front would probably be fine but still allow fresh air
but only if winds do become an issue... I believe you thought this out well for use
and placement.

Tacking anything to the open front is totally unnecessary. Winds are absolutely NO problem with this coop.

 

[JackE]

Also for summer mode, to really open it up will be those tilt open monitor windows and a second full screen door will be installed inside, behind the current solid door. With the solid door open, and all windows open, there is good air circulation throughout.......a good thing for upcoming summer temps in the 90's, with high humidity.

Then a cold front went through, night time temps in the low 40's, so to button it up, I put the side windows in to kill any possible drafts. With the wind in the north, that pretty much put the air inside dead calm, but again, blowing horizontal streamers outside. Have not yet had strong south wind with side windows in to see what that does.

I open up the windows in my coop, when the avg temp is 40F and above. And they stay open until the avg night temp gets into the mid-thirties in late fall. If we have a mild winter, like this last one, I will crack open the upper monitor windows a few inches. Can get a bit stuffy in there with twenty some birds, even with a wide open front wall. If it stays 25F and below, there is no prob. But if it gets into the high 30s and above, I have found that I have to crack open the upper windows.

 

[Howard E]

That is how I plan to operate it as well, at least once the birds are older and get their feathers. At only 12' deep, I'm not as deep as you are, so I may be getting a bit more air movement, even with it buttoned up.

Also, my chicks are not yet 3 weeks old, so for now, house is doing double duty as a brooder. Temps are in the 50's today, cold SE wind blowing with rain. I have two heat lamps running and they are staying close to those most of the time. I put a couple hay bales on the ground to block any further wind and drafts in the back, but open to one side, so they can come out to play if they want to if the the day warms up. Most days, with some sunshine peaking in, they want to.

The monitor windows have me a bit concerned. With our high wind potential, I'm concerned that when they are open even a little bit, they will start to work like an airplane wing and generate lift which will try to rip them off the hinges. Gonna have to find a way to securely fasten them down when open. Another option I'm thinking of is to install dryer vents.....the kind with screened openings with flaps up near the peak. Upwind side would close in a breeze......downwind side would open with negative pressure to vent air. Can stuff a rag in them if they are venting too much in the winter.

 

[Howard E]

BTW, we have a SE wind blowing in today. Outside streamers are blowing sideways. With all windows and doors shut, the streamers just inside the open screen are twitching a bit......the front SW corner moving the most. The tell tale streamers beneath the monitor and at the back are hanging limp. That is how Woods said it would work, and apparently, it does.