A few basic questions

[michellebee]

@0die - Yes!! This is basically what I had pictured for mine, the "house" and "coop" with free movement of each other. Except mine would open into yet another bigger, fully-but-less-securely enclosed big day run. Can you clarify how big the "house" aspect of yours is? If I'm looking at the pic correctly, seems 4' x 6'? The one I mocked up in my picture was only 4' x 3', but that was just a guesstimate that now seems too small.

@svh - Many thanks for the warm welcome, and invocation of the chicken gods (<- a dance for them?)

@RoyalChick - Thank you.

@aart - Too generous - a 5 minute mockup in an online graph paper site But less messy than my paper drawings.

@Ryan A - That's awesome! 4 just seems a nice round number. I will definitely try to get some Comets, but am exploring the other breeds as well.

@David61 - Thanks David - awesome build. Enjoyed following your progress through the thread. Kudos to you for your use of recycled materials, and working in that heat and humidity!!

 

[michellebee]

@Ridgerunner - Thank you for your welcome and detailed response. Yes, your initial description of the 'coop/house' combo more or less sums up what I had in mind.

I think you're right about the overall coop space being too small. I will probably extend it 2' - 4' so that I can get in and out to clean. Stay tuned for a revised drawing...

Conveniently, I'm only 5'4" tall so I do think the 6' height will work all right for my purposes - just measured my height on my tippy toes to make sure, haha.

I thankfully think I do have access to tools - my uncle is a skilled hobby woodworker, and my dad used to be quite handy so I'm sure there are decent tools laying around. I'm mostly trying to tackle more of the labor myself as they're now not as physically able as they would have been.

Again, thank you for your encouragement. In addition to the online reading, I've been on Youtube watching "carpentry 101", etc lol. So much learning, but the time flies by because I really get absorbed! Only regretting that I didn't take woodshop in high school.

@CinnaBun - thank you for these additional ideas for materials to use! More search terms to book mark for my new Craigslist folder, haha.

 

[David61]

6 foot dimension ? buy 12 foot long boards. use a level, stay square . you can screw boards down or up but side to side (Hanging boards) screws can sheer so use nails going into boards that will carry a load.

 

[Ted Brown]

@michellebee

Hoop coops do not need to use stock cattle panels. Here is a link to @aart 's creation which is just a frame with hardware cloth attached and curved over from one bottom side to the other.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-hoop-coop-chicken-tractor.72211/

BTW aart is someone to pay attention to. She has a great deal of experience and common sense a mile wide. One of the most generous people on the site (not the only by any means) with practical advice. She is direct and to the point but well worth listening to.

 

[michellebee]

@michellebee

Hoop coops do not need to use stock cattle panels. Here is a link to @aart 's creation which is just a frame with hardware cloth attached and curved over from one bottom side to the other.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-hoop-coop-chicken-tractor.72211/

BTW aart is someone to pay attention to. She has a great deal of experience and common sense a mile wide. One of the most generous people on the site (not the only by any means) with practical advice. She is direct and to the point but well worth listening to.

Awesome article - great build and a great read, but unless I'm misunderstanding I do believe hers still uses the large cattle/hog panel fencing as an initial base. However, after poking around the articles a bit more I see more hoop coop designs that don't utilize cattle panels. I'll do some more reading.

And, I believe it!! I feel lucky then that she, along with so many other helpful BYC'ers, have graced my humble thread

 

[3KillerBs]

I wish hoop coops were feasible for me, but I've checked major hardware stores within ~30 miles of me and they simply don't stock cattle panels! That and I'm not sure if I would be able to haul. I'll keep it in mind, though, because I do love the simplicity and ease of that construction.

Try garden centers as a possible source for cattle panels in the spring. They're quite popular used as trellises, either flat or arched.

 

[RoyalChick]

Try garden centers as a possible source for cattle panels in the spring. They're quite popular used as trellises, either flat or arched.

And they are amazingly cheap at Tractor Supply - you just have to figure how to get them home which is not at all easy as they are 16' long!

 

[Ted Brown]

And they are amazingly cheap at Tractor Supply - you just have to figure how to get them home which is not at all easy as they are 16' long!

A possible approach if one has or can borrow a small trailer or truck is to tie the ends together to form a hoop then place the panel in the same position as they would be when used as a coop. Significantly smaller footprint and nothing to catch the wind when moving.

 

[RoyalChick]

A possible approach if one has or can borrow a small trailer or truck is to tie the ends together to form a hoop then place the panel in the same position as they would be when used as a coop. Significantly smaller footprint and nothing to catch the wind when moving.

Yes, I had to delegate this to a kind friend as nothing was going to work with my car - and I believe that is exactly what he did.
I don't have a hoop coop - I used them to reinforce the hardware cloth in the bottom 4' of the run with larger predators in mind.
An added benefit which I did not think of at the time is that they are the exact right gauge for those clip-on insulators so now I have an electric 'hot wire' around the run. I even had left-overs for trellises in my garden.

 

[aart]

@aart - Too generous - a 5 minute mockup in an online graph paper site But less messy than my paper drawings.

What makes it good is it is to scale and has labels and dimensions.
I've seen some complex drawings that sorely lack the pertinent information.
Graph paper and pencil are good tools....make some elevation views too.

Hoop coops do not need to use stock cattle panels. Here is a link to @aart 's creation which is just a frame with hardware cloth attached and curved over from one bottom side to the other.

but unless I'm misunderstanding I do believe hers still uses the large cattle/hog panel fencing as an initial base.

Correct. That one I used hog panels....stronger and stiffer than cattle panels.
No 'farm' stores around you?
Yes, transport is tricky...mine were hauled by other people and their trailers.