3 sided hoop coop vs weather conditions

[chickenmomma16]

My plan is to build a few 8x8 hoop coop breeding pens. My question is, what weather extremes could large fowl Ameraucanas handle in a 3 sided coop like these pictures?

I really like the idea but my concern is cold and wind. We rarely hit 90+ in the summer and we're pretty shady where we live so I'm not worried about heat but we can get down to the low teens at night in winter along with some gusty wind. But most of the winter we have 40 degree rain...:/

 

[pennyJo1960]

depends on how you face it I suppose you know I have the geodesic domes here
my coop has it back to the strongest winds and is good the one we use as a catchall "barn"
is head into the wind. My birds are fine even when we got so cold and all was frozen they would
not go out in the run on the snow at all but stayed in the coop

 

[ChickNanny13]

Love the design! I've thought of making/asking Hubby to make one like this but my concern was the "covering". We can get some nasty trade winds, tarp/canopy don't hold up. Instead we came this (8 x 12) & so far it's working well, built end of 2015 in operation January 2016 and still going. Yup that's shower curtains on EMT made rods, rain protection, over lap the sides...

 

[aart]

Those first two look pretty good, except for the heat lamp.....am assuming that they are the same coop with heavier cover and a wall up for winter?
Looks like it would hold up to wind and rain provided it was on high ground and any run off issues were addressed to keep rain out from going under/into hoop area.
I'd put your nests under the poop board.


Not sure about the 3rd pic tho.

Where did you find these pics and is there more info on the coops they show?

 

[donrae]

I'm in Grants Pass, on the I-5 corridor. Looks like our weather is probably pretty similar.

I have this style of pens and really like them. I've had them about a year and a half. I plan on doing something similar when we move, I like them that much.

With my climate, I really don't see the need for a conventional "coop". In my mind a coop has a few purposes....first is predator protection. I've got that covered. How you address that is up to you.

Second is protection from elements. My elements aren't that bad. Like you said, teens in the winter. Birds handle that just fine, even my bantams. My pens are in a very sheltered area, between a hay shed, a fence and a pump house. So, no direct winds. That's going to be your biggest challenge, I'd think. Finding a protected area, building or planting a wind barrier. But as long as they're out of the wind, and dry, they can easily handle our weather. Even my littles---I use the middle pen as a grow-out pen.

We started with just regular duty tarps on the top. They didn't last well at all. We had some sheet metal, so used that to cover the pens. When we move and build again, I'll look into the heavy duty poly tarps/boat covers/whatever....something heavier duty and made to last.

A lot of what we deal with is water, like you said...rain. Be aware those tarp like covers are just going to dump the rain right down along the side of the pen. You'll wind up with all that water going into the pen and making a lake. I don't know if there's some type of gutter system you could run along the sides, that might be something to look into. It would be cool to run it to a rain barrel, maybe something you could use to then water the birds? I've seen some folks put "wings" on the sides of hoop pens, but I don't know if that was just for shade in the summer or if it helped shed water.

Here's a link to my pens....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1003092/my-breeding-pens

 

[chickenmomma16]

Those first two look pretty good, except for the heat lamp.....am assuming that they are the same coop with heavier cover and a wall up for winter?
Looks like it would hold up to wind and rain provided it was on high ground and any run off issues were addressed to keep rain out from going under/into hoop area.
I'd put your nests under the poop board.


Not sure about the 3rd pic tho.

Where did you find these pics and is there more info on the coops they show?

I think I did a random Google search. It was a while ago so I don't remember if there was any more info. The 3rd picture is all I had saved of that set up.
Yes I agree, nests under the poop board, and definitely no heat lamp. My main concern is having one whole side open with cold, windy conditions.

We just built this. It's a 8'x16' run attached to a 8'x12' shed type building for the coop. For the smaller pens we are planning on using 4x6s for the base with 3-4 inches of wood chips to help with the water run off. It has worked so far in our wet location and weather with the larger run/coop.

 

[Beekissed]

Was wondering why you'd make it 3 sided if wind and blowing rain or cold temps was going to be an issue...why not build in both ends?

You'll get more bang for your bucks on the tarps if you put an underlayer of heavy mil plastic under them...this has a two fold purpose....protects the tarp from rubbing against the spines of the hoops and also as a double barrier against leaks.

The clear (with woven sealed in the layers) poly tarps are great for winter use and seem to last longer and are of better construction than the typical heavy duty tarp. Folks in HI say they will last them up to 3 yrs, even with their sun and wind they get there. I use a clear tarp on mine in the winter, then cover that one with a heavy duty shade tarp for summer use....I'm one that wings the tarps out in the summer to allow for airflow.

 

[chickenmomma16]

@Beekissed

I guess I am not exactly sure what chickens can handle in the winter. Recently we had temps in the teens/twenties with 30mph gusts. So, if situated right and the entire run covered exept one side where the door is, would they be fine?


Here is what Wikipedia says about our nearest city about a 7minute drive from our house:
This region experiences very warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F (22 C) . According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Enumclaw has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.[20] In comparison, Enumclaw is typically warmer than Seattle by about 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer and cooler in the winter by about 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. On average, Enumclaw experiences two to three wind storms per year that last up to 3 days each. These wind storms usually produce a constant wind out of the east at 20 to 30 mph (9 m/s, 32 km/h) and gusts as high as 60 mph (27 m/s, 96.5 km/h). Enumclaw city center is at 750 feet (228 m) above sea level. The higher elevation allows Enumclaw to experience sunshine when most of the Puget Sound region is shrouded in fog and more snow than Seattle.

We live in a town nearby and are somewhat shielded from these wind storms. But we do get some of the wind.

 

[Beekissed]

I'd say, yes, they would be fine....but still not sure why you'd not just build in the end and be sure of it.

 

[TalkALittle]

I've seen pics of some really nice hoop coops that have the back 1/3 of them enclosed to serve as a coop and the remainder open to the elements.

I've also seen metal roofing used (in place of the oft used tarps) to cover a portion of the hoop, presumably to increase protection from the weather and predators.

If you want to keep it 3 sided, perhaps consider constructing a huddle box around the roost.