Cattle Panel Roof Coop Plans

[Redhead Rae]

Might have some dead air in the middle of the 25' length....unless you use fans.
It's really hard to say.

are there any good ways to vent in the middle? I know some solid roof structures have those whirling vents along the top. I wonder if one in the middle would help.

Make door thresholds higher, you only need maybe 6" of carbon to deal with poops and rain. Hopefully there no drainage problems......tho rain/snow off roof might be an issue.

Actually, the downhill side of the structure will be VERY wet when we get a lot of rain.

How are you going to move all that material 2x a year....twice, old out and new in.....700 cubic feet/26 yards. Have you done deep litter before?

Good point. I've done it in a 8x5 coop, but it is raised off the ground and I have a drop door that I just push the bedding out of. This will be a whole different beast.

Ooo, that's not much time...unless you never sleep.....or start digging before plan is fully assessed.

I can push it off. My dad hasn't even started setting forms yet and my mom is still recovering from breaking both the bones in her lower right leg 2 months ago. Also he isn't pouring the whole garage at once, he is doing it in stages, so my timeline is flexible. I'm not starting without a fully assessed, completed plan.
Also, I have a toddler so I need all the sleep I can get. ;-)

 

[CapricornFarm]

I was wondering about pouring footings for my greenhouse. What temperature is needed for concrete to cure properly?

 

[Redhead Rae]

I was wondering about pouring footings for my greenhouse. What temperature is needed for concrete to cure properly?

It needs to be above freezing. Ideally 40 or more for a few hours at least.

 

[CapricornFarm]

It needs to be above freezing. Ideally 40 or more for a few hours at least.

Yeah, kind of what i expected. Sigh. Why does it have to be winter right now?

 

[Redhead Rae]

Yeah, kind of what i expected. Sigh. Why does it have to be winter right now?

Because if it were summer we would have other things happening that we need to do.

 

[aart]

are there any good ways to vent in the middle? I know some solid roof structures have those whirling vents along the top. I wonder if one in the middle would help.

Not sure how'd you'd mount it. Wonder if anyone else has a hoop coop that long?

Actually, the downhill side of the structure will be VERY wet when we get a lot of rain.

Better plan for drainage/diversion of runoff...uphill and downhill.
Got a pic of the site?

Good point. I've done it in a 8x5 coop, but it is raised off the ground and I have a drop door that I just push the bedding out of. This will be a whole different beast

How long have you had it, how did it work out? True composting 'deep litter'...or just deep bedding?

Glad you can stretch the start time.

I was wondering about pouring footings for my greenhouse. What temperature is needed for concrete to cure properly?

Usually below 55F stops the process cold(haha!)....but it can depend on the mix they use, additives can change cure temps and times. Ask the contractor(s) when you get quotes, or do thorough research if mixing your own.

 

[Molpet]

Not sure how'd you'd mount it. Wonder if anyone else has a hoop coop that long?
.

I have a 8 x 24 hoop coop... the middle is fine, but it's only 8' wide....the south end is open, over the door on the North, and a few inches on the bottom of the east that I can block off in the winter.... I have shade cloth over in the summer and raise up the clear tarp underneath the shade cloth in the summer on the west.. It gets a lot of shade after 3 pm also.. about 2pm it does start to get warm in there, the shade cloth does make a difference.

 

[Redhead Rae]

Not sure how'd you'd mount it. Wonder if anyone else has a hoop coop that long?

Well I could build off the center support.... This will take some thinking.

Better plan for drainage/diversion of runoff...uphill and downhill.
Got a pic of the site?

Not at the moment. The pics I do have don't really show the area well, and it's dark now. I'll get it tomorrow

How long have you had it, how did it work out? True composting 'deep litter'...or just deep bedding?

It's more, deep bedding than composting litter. It doesn't get much water. I just throw a new bag of shavings on it when it gets starts getting stinky, which is maybe 2-3x a month. It is a bachelor pad and the roosters like to stay outside most of the time during the day.

Glad you can stretch the start time.

Me too. I'd rather not build it than build it wrong.

 

[aart]

It's more, deep bedding than composting litter. It doesn't get much water. I just throw a new bag of shavings on it when it gets starts getting stinky, which is maybe 2-3x a month. It is a bachelor pad and the roosters like to stay outside most of the time during the day.

How long have you been using that technique?
Changed part or all of it out yet?
How deep is it?

 

[Redhead Rae]

How long have you been using that technique?
Changed part or all of it out yet?
How deep is it?

We last cleaned it out in February, which is when we started using this method. I was doing some major improvements to it so I could turn it into a brooder house (what I plan on using it for this year too when I start hatching eggs). We were doing something similar before that, but the back side of the coop had "nestbox" and ventilation doors that only let rain in. I redid the entire back only leaving the bottom "cleanout" door which is normally screwed shut. There is probably a 12 inches or so of shavings, sometimes it is more, sometimes less as it gets packed down or stirred up (they like turning the bedding and finding the linoleum floor).

This is what the coop looks like after I made the improvements. That middle section in the back used to be a door and the top (which is wired in) used to have a door as well. With the roofing on it, rain doesn't get in the back at all really.

This is the coop from the front. The ventilation up here isn't as big.

This is the inside.

Just for kicks and giggles, this is the exit door to the run and the run.