chicken hoophou *cough* bomb shelter *cough*

[Lunawriter]

My husband is a dear and patient and helpful man. I asked for a hoop house made out of cattle panels that I could move around our yard so the chickies could eat pasture, have great ventilation, and still be protected from hawks. I told him the moving of it would help protect the hens from creatures digging under it at night because according to what I've read, moving it every day confuses and makes most of those critters wary. Well, he finished it this morning--just in time. I moved four hens over to it, leaving my broody and her seven eggs in the old coop. The babies are due to hatch on Monday so the girls needed a new place. As my hubby was building it and adding more wood...and more wire...and then more wood...and, um, different wire on top of the other wire, I said "honey, that seems to be getting pretty heavy...do you think I'll be able to move it?" He replied "Well, I want the chickens to be safe and comfortable, don't you?" How could I argue with that?

This morning, as soon as he finished it he left for a business trip for 4 days. The only thing left for me to do was to thread a rope through an old piece of hose and hook it to the two hard-core bolted-in rings he had on the front of the coop for that purpose. I thought, surely I could move it forward the length of the coop once a day. I'm a strong girl. And by throwing my entire weight against that rope, and straining fit to burst a vessel, the coop squeaked forward a quarter inch. I tell you, the thing is a built like a tank--except, um, for the soft and grassy and diggable DIRT FLOOR!

Now whatdoIdo? Oh, freaking, dear. It may be up to our big red truck to come to the rescue--slowly.

 

[The Chicken People]

Remove the chickens to a safe locale and yes slowly use the truck!

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Weight is a problem with cattle panel hoophouses and even if you have been very careful not to add more weight than is necessary they can still be hard to move.

I suggest looking at putting wheels on it.

.....Alan.

 

[onthespot]

I suggest posting pics so we can all have a good belly laugh....!!!

C'mon, it's been a rough day. I need a laugh here!

 

[clothdiaperingmom]

pics pics PICS!!!!!

 

[Tala]

A.T. Hagan :

Weight is a problem with cattle panel hoophouses and even if you have been very careful not to add more weight than is necessary they can still be hard to move.

I suggest looking at putting wheels on it.

.....Alan.

Why do you say that? I have a stationary cattle panel hoop house (over my garden) --- now assuming that it was built with 2x4's instead of railroad crossties.....I think it would be portable.


I agree, we need pictures of this bomb shelter coop!​

 

[QuackerOats]

My only thought is to stick a skate-board under it and wheel it that way.... but without a picture, its hard to tell.

Good luck!

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Quote:
Why do you say that? I have a stationary cattle panel hoop house (over my garden) --- now assuming that it was built with 2x4's instead of railroad crossties.....I think it would be portable.

I say that because I have five cattle panel hoop houses that I move every day. I really like the design. They are very versatile, but you have to be very careful to keep the weight down.

For ease of movement I find that 4x4s for the sledge runners work better than 2x4s, at least in my pasture where they have to go through occasional patches of soft soil. They are heavier than 2x4s but less like to dig in when they hit soft soil.

.....Alan.

 

[elmo]

I wouldn't count on moving a tractor daily to deter digging predators. If a digging critter finds chickens in a tractor one night, I think it will dig. It won't wait around until the next night to see if the tractor is in the same place.

A wire apron weighted down during the day and lifted up to move the tractor could help make it more secure.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

An apron wire all the way around the outside nailed to the tractor along one edge and laying flat on the ground is what makes the tractors work as well as they do. I don't weight mine down, but I do make sure it's laying flat after every move. Been over three years now and haven't had a predator get into a tractor even one that I did not move for over a week.

.....Alan.