Woods-style house in the winter

[RareBreedFancier]

Quote:
Missed this before. You'd want the opening facing away from prevailing weather. Where I am all the farm sheds, field shelters, run ins etc are open to the east. I'm going with the local farmers wisdom and experience and building my shelters open to the east. Rain almost always comes from the west here.

 

[HappyChickenLover]

Here is a link to the book online "Our domestic birds; elementary lessons in aviculture"

http://ia600402.us.archive.org/27/items/ourdomesticbirds00robirich/ourdomesticbirds00robirich.pdf

 

[JackE]

Quote:
I haven't found any cons to this house. I use the deep litter method with the house. When I did my spring cleaning, I remove all the roost bars and get the feeder and waterer out of the way. Then I scooped the whole thing out with a coal shovel into a waiting wheelbarrow just outside the door. I think, including putting down fresh shavings, it didn't take me more than 15-20 mins to do the cleaning.
The book does cover southern style houses that are more open than mine, my house is designed for the northern climates.
One thing to mention though, My house faces to the south, maybe a little to the southeast. When the house is closed up for the winter months, With the front totally open. I don't care from whichever direction the wind blows, You don't feel it in the house. In the book Dr. Prince refers to the "Air cushion" that is in the house. The wind can't just blow through the house because it all the other 3 sides are closed tight. There are no gaps at the back of the house to allow the wind to blow through. Now if I was to cut a hole in the back wall, then the wind would have a path to travel through the house. Last week we had a big rainstorm pass through here. The wind was blowing right at the front of the house. When I went out to check on the birds, (Food/Water/Egg check) The sand by the open front was only damp, The shavings were as dry as they are when they first come out of the bag.
The weather is starting to get nicer around here, probably in a couple of weeks, I'll be opening up the other windows for the spring.
Jack

 

[patandchickens]

One thing to mention though, My house faces to the south, maybe a little to the southeast. When the house is closed up for the winter months, With the front totally open. I don't care from whichever direction the wind blows, You don't feel it in the house. In the book Dr. Prince refers to the "Air cushion" that is in the house. The wind can't just blow through the house because it all the other 3 sides are closed tight. There are no gaps at the back of the house to allow the wind to blow through. Now if I was to cut a hole in the back wall, then the wind would have a path to travel through the house.

Unfortunately this is not actually correct, if you are happy with your (south-facing

) house that's great but I want to say this for others who may still be in the design phase.

Rain, and the worst of the snow, will not blow very far into the house no matter which way it faces, simply because it falls out too fast to get to the back.

In terms of WIND penetration, however, it certainly DOES matter which way the house faces (and note that essentially all the old-timey ones faced S or E even if that was not the most convenient direction landscape-wise...).

An angled wind DOES penetrate to the back of that shape building (or anyhow reasonably far). It creates a sort of swirling generally-U-shaped circulation. And it is rare that wind will be blowing absolutely square to the building, angled winds are much more common. Therefore, if you want to avoid windiness in the back of the house (and you really do!!), you need to have its back to the major winter winds.

I know Prince has his happy little basically-drawn-out-of-imagination diagram and his little fairy story about air cushions and all that, but they are not really especially reality-based. This is one of several situations in which his GENERAL point still holds, but his extreme boosterism gets the better of him and what he says departs somewhat from how things actually work

Bottom line: you really DO have to face the house away from your major problem weather. The actual direction that this means your house should face will therefore depend on where you live (not just hemisphere, but region and site), but it is a very easy and reliable rule of thumb for anywhere.

Just sayin',

Pat

Pat​

 

[NaeNae]

I think I will just face it the same way Great Grannie had hers (its still there but I cannot use it as FIL uses it as his nuts and bolts shed) it faces East no slight variations on that just East. Big open windows too. Our house opens East and West too so maybe the genious behind my open bird house will go to the forefathers

JackE -

Do you wash as well or just get rid of the shavings and sand ... I think I might need to look into the deep litter method. So much to learn!!

 

[NaeNae]

Quote:
Jack can you please explain to me how the deep littler thing works on an elvated/stilted coop? is the base of the coop timber? if so how does the deep litter not rot the wood?

I am genuinely curious as I have read good things about the deep litter method and was wondering for the long term how it would work without rotting the bottom. Did you add any soil first?

Thanks Nae x

 

[happymom99]

What a beautiful coop.

A couple of people mentioned that these types of coops won't work it they are scaled down to a smaller scale. Can anyone suggest a good alternative design if you need something smaller?

Thank you,
CJ

 

[NaeNae]

Quote:
I think the Fresh air poultry book has smaller options but I am not 100%. I am sure someone else will be able to let you know

 

[Ahab]

The smallest I remember seeing in that book was either 6x8 or 6x10, with the 6-foot dimension being open, and the roosts a comfortable 8 or 10 feet back.

 

[JackE]

Quote:
Unfortunately this is not actually correct, if you are happy with your (south-facing

) house that's great but I want to say this for others who may still be in the design phase.

Rain, and the worst of the snow, will not blow very far into the house no matter which way it faces, simply because it falls out too fast to get to the back.

In terms of WIND penetration, however, it certainly DOES matter which way the house faces (and note that essentially all the old-timey ones faced S or E even if that was not the most convenient direction landscape-wise...).

An angled wind DOES penetrate to the back of that shape building (or anyhow reasonably far). It creates a sort of swirling generally-U-shaped circulation. And it is rare that wind will be blowing absolutely square to the building, angled winds are much more common. Therefore, if you want to avoid windiness in the back of the house (and you really do!!), you need to have its back to the major winter winds.

I know Prince has his happy little basically-drawn-out-of-imagination diagram and his little fairy story about air cushions and all that, but they are not really especially reality-based. This is one of several situations in which his GENERAL point still holds, but his extreme boosterism gets the better of him and what he says departs somewhat from how things actually work

Bottom line: you really DO have to face the house away from your major problem weather. The actual direction that this means your house should face will therefore depend on where you live (not just hemisphere, but region and site), but it is a very easy and reliable rule of thumb for anywhere.

Just sayin',

Pat

Pat

Have you ever sat in a Woods style coop with a smoking candle to see how the wind/air moves through the coop? I know I haven't, and I have one. So how do you KNOW for sure how the wind /air moves through it? I know THIS, As I have said, I don't care from whichever direction the wind blows. You don't feel any "Swriling U-shaped circulation". If that was the case, then my chickens would be living in the deadly DRAFT everbody is afraid of. I have been in that house every day since I built it. I have a pretty good idea of how weather affects it. Say, for example, the wind is coming at the house from one of the front corners. If I was to enter the house and shut the door behind me. I feel NO swirling winds in the house, None. Now, say I open the entry door. Now I can feel the wind/air flow through the house, Because there is a path for the wind/air to travel. Now, what would be the reason for that? I'll have to go with the "Air Cushion" theory.
Also, I am not suggesting that everybody in the WORLD point their house toward the south. I am aware of different prevailing winds that exist in whatever hemisphere somebody may live in. So of course, people are going to have to place their coop in the best position for their area. I almost sense a hostility to Dr. Woods from you, You have practically called him a kook and a liar. He is no longer here to defend himself, But I am.
Jack