DIY Thread - Let's see your "Inventions".

[mom of silkies]

Panels of what?

I use Cattle Panels.

it really depends on your "Winter" what kind of winter you have. There are people here all the way from the Philippines to Alaska. Dry deserts to wet rain forest... Yep there are cold rain forests too.


IN my climate Which is Mild High Desert. I get WIND as a major component. About 72 hours worth of snow .... not all in one day. Rain in the form of Cloud bursts that can dump enough water that can flash flood in seconds. A dry wash will be a Raging flood in seconds and dry again in more seconds.

My coops are chainlink with one solid wall on the prevailing wind side. I stack bales of straw to make an igloo for the goats. But my roof's are canvas over chainlink. The same setup that works for winter works for summer. the only difference would be added straw bales and or an extra tarp added for winter winds.

What ever you do no matter the temperature Chickens need ventilation Not a breeze thorugh but a chance for ammonia to escape and fresh air to enter, and a DRY place to hang out. Most chickens can handle low temps. Very low temps I have a friend that has chickens in Alaska. His coops are made of scavanged materials and the only coops that have any kind of heat are ones situated in his green house. He follows that fresh air no direct draft chriteria.

deb,

I live in Virginia, so we have cold winters, I face my coops South because of the wind. They have plenty of ventilation, I normally do a wood frame, with a panel bent over top covered in a tarp. I also give them a little yard all year that they can go out in rain or snow if they want too. January-March are the worst months here, I usually lock my chickens up in really bad weather.
I would like to build a chicken coop, made out of cattle panels, with a tarp over it that would survive the snow, I figured I'll have to have a pointed roof not just a flat one, but I don't know if the panels will hold up to snow? I'm going to put tee-posts around it and tie the coop to them, so the wind won't move it. Any ideas of how to make it hold up to the snow? I'm just afraid it will collapse.

 

[aart]

I live in Virginia, so we have cold winters, I face my coops South because of the wind. They have plenty of ventilation, I normally do a wood frame, with a panel bent over top covered in a tarp. I also give them a little yard all year that they can go out in rain or snow if they want too. January-March are the worst months here, I usually lock my chickens up in really bad weather.
I would like to build a chicken coop, made out of cattle panels, with a tarp over it that would survive the snow, I figured I'll have to have a pointed roof not just a flat one, but I don't know if the panels will hold up to snow? I'm going to put tee-posts around it and tie the coop to them, so the wind won't move it. Any ideas of how to make it hold up to the snow? I'm just afraid it will collapse.

Look up hoop coops.....you may still have to remove some snow tho probably.

 

[mom of silkies]

Look up hoop coops.....you may still have to remove some snow tho probably.

I tried a hoop coop, and over night the snow crushed it. (Thank goodness no chickens were in it!) So I have to have a steep not round coop. I make hoop coops for the summer then just take the tarps off in the winter so they don't get destroyed, I have to have 2 different types of coops, winter coops then I have Spring, Summer coops.

 

[bruceha2000]

I use Cattle Panels.
I live in Virginia, so we have cold winters, I face my coops South because of the wind. They have plenty of ventilation, I normally do a wood frame, with a panel bent over top covered in a tarp. I also give them a little yard all year that they can go out in rain or snow if they want too. January-March are the worst months here, I usually lock my chickens up in really bad weather.
I would like to build a chicken coop, made out of cattle panels, with a tarp over it that would survive the snow, I figured I'll have to have a pointed roof not just a flat one, but I don't know if the panels will hold up to snow? I'm going to put tee-posts around it and tie the coop to them, so the wind won't move it. Any ideas of how to make it hold up to the snow? I'm just afraid it will collapse.

I suspect it depends on how wide you make the coop. CPs are usually 16' long (I think). I made an "arbor" from 2x4 welded wire for the beans and cukes. 2 pieces 4' x 16' with six 6' metal T posts 4' apart both long and wide made an arbor ~7' tall, 8' long, 4' wide and curved enough for the welded wire fencing to be self supporting on top. Given cattle panels are WAY stiffer, I would think you could do the same and even if you made it 6' tall so it is a little wider, the snow should just pile on top into a natural "steep roof" shape. If you have really heavy wet snow, you could just use a push broom to pull the snow off the top.

If your prior cattle panel "hoop coops" had flat roofs, they weren't hoop coops! If the snow crushed a cattle panel arched hoop, I have to think it wasn't made of single arched panels with the 4' wide parts on the ground on both sides (several can be linked to make a coop longer than 4'). It is the "spring" action of the panel trying to flatten back out that gives rigidity to the arch. OR it was really wide and low. Neither will likely hold up to snow. It is the single panel HOOP shape that you need to hold up the snow unless you want to build a lot of wall and roof framing and attach the panels to that.

People frequently make wood frames for the ends of the hoop coop which will stiffen the panel (and have a way to put doors in them). You can always run 2x4s or 2x6 (depending on length of the coop) from the end framing at the peak of the arch and again a foot or so outboard to help support the non vertical parts of the panel.

 

[mom of silkies]

I suspect it depends on how wide you make the coop. CPs are usually 16' long (I think). I made an "arbor" from 2x4 welded wire for the beans and cukes. 2 pieces 4' x 16' with six 6' metal T posts 4' apart both long and wide made an arbor ~7' tall, 8' long, 4' wide and curved enough for the welded wire fencing to be self supporting on top. Given cattle panels are WAY stiffer, I would think you could do the same and even if you made it 6' tall so it is a little wider, the snow should just pile on top into a natural "steep roof" shape. If you have really heavy wet snow, you could just use a push broom to pull the snow off the top.

If your prior cattle panel "hoop coops" had flat roofs, they weren't hoop coops! If the snow crushed a cattle panel arched hoop, I have to think it wasn't made of single arched panels with the 4' wide parts on the ground on both sides (several can be linked to make a coop longer than 4'). It is the "spring" action of the panel trying to flatten back out that gives rigidity to the arch. OR it was really wide and low. Neither will likely hold up to snow. It is the single panel HOOP shape that you need to hold up the snow unless you want to build a lot of wall and roof framing and attach the panels to that.

People frequently make wood frames for the ends of the hoop coop which will stiffen the panel (and have a way to put doors in them). You can always run 2x4s or 2x6 (depending on length of the coop) from the end framing at the peak of the arch and again a foot or so outboard to help support the non vertical parts of the panel.

Thank you very much! I will give it a try and tell you how it works!

 

[aart]

Quote: Good details Bruce.
mom of silkies..where are you located?

 

[mom of silkies]

Good details Bruce.
mom of silkies..where are you located?

I live in Virginia

 

[aart]

Quote: So maybe wetter snow, if not as much as I deal with.......except for the last couple years.
Key is keeping the snow load off the mesh/tarp/whatever as much as possible so it doesn't accumulate....it gets heavier as it 'melts'.

 

[MeepBeep]

I tried a hoop coop, and over night the snow crushed it.

If you make a cattle panel hoop coop similar to this...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/permanent-hoop-coop-guide

You should have no snow load issues, especially if you brush it off with a shop broom on the rare heavy snow days...

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
I have seen this on several parusals through BYC.... Thats probably the best hoop coop I have ever seen.

deb