Read this thread. I don't have a problem with a snow load here, but this thread explains how to build a hoop coop super strong to withstand heavy snow. I love love love my hoop run. It was easy to construct even for me, with no building experience...
I skirted the coop and run with two feet wide 1"x2" welded wire. The floor of the coop and run is dirt. Right now the run is 2 feet deep in packed and crushed leaves. I gather leaves in the fall, put in the coop and run and the girls scratch them to pieces and poop all over them. They make my...
I built my chicken coop 8'x7' using a lot of salvaged materials and it cost me $340. Later I added a hoop run using 3 cow panels. Again, I had salvaged materials, and I used what I had. I used 6"x8"x12' beams because that's what I had. Since they weren't treated, I put them up on cinder blocks...