Do I need an enclosed area on a hoop coop?

[Moogie]

DirtyChix - That's good to know --- glad to hear an open pen is do-able! It makes me feel better about them, since I can only work on this project in the evenings and early am.

I bought some landscape fabric (more durable than burlap) to cover the entire top of the pen - it lets water & air through, so it should work fine and I'm going to move the shade screen to the end wall, behind the roosts. I still have to come up with a waterproof covering for part of the pen...will check out the billboard tarps...

I also installed a misting system this morning to turn on for a few hours in the heat of the day and the girls seem to really like it - that and their damp sand pit. So I think all of this - along with some frozen 2-liter bottles - just might work.

Thanks for everyone's help and comments - this is such a great site and I really appreciate all the wonderful info everyone shares.

 

[hannakat]

I

your hoop coop. That is sooo cool.

Will only add that chickens instinctually like to be 'in' someplace come evening. All birds are like that....safety. I even keep a corner of my parakeets cage covered since it's only natural for them to be under/in somewhere when it gets dark. They never sleep anywhere else. Birds biggest preditors are from the air, and they know it, so having some place to hide is needed.

 

[Moogie]

Hannakat - that's good to know - I'm working on the covering tomorrow (babysitting my granddaughter today) A couple more nights and they should be feeling safe and sound.

I bought my hoop coop on craigslist for $175 - a true bargain. I would have spent much more than that just on the cattle panels & hardware cloth! (not to mention the misery of building it in this Texas heat wave!) We rented a uhaul and made quite a spectacle of ourselves on the hour+ drive home - on hwys & all! We're the second owner of this coop -- and it's got lots of years left in it.

(would someon please tell me how to make my pics smaller?)

Kathi

 

[acer3211]

the biggest problem will be water and shade

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

That looks great!

I know my chickens would LOVE it! You should just be able to put a tarp over the top of it when it rains as long as it is not to cold.

To make pictures smaller you re-size them before you click "submit" as you go through the uploading process.

 

[bluecoop]

does anyone have wire under the run for critter protection, or would that mess with the chickens walking around?

 

[dianaross77]

Quote:
It keeps them from scratching which is what chickens do. Most people put a hardware cloth skirt around the base on the outside to deter digging critters.

 

[bluecoop]

Quote:
It keeps them from scratching which is what chickens do. Most people put a hardware cloth skirt around the base on the outside to deter digging critters.

ok, thanks

 

[turbodog]

Moogie, I bet y'all got some looks going down the road with that!

If you want some shade/protection from rain that's more permanent than a tarp, you can add some flat fiberglass panels to a portion of the hoop. That's what I did with my hoop coop (see my BYC page) and it has worked very well to keep my girls dry. Lowes or Home Depot sells them.

Also, I would ask how the apron is secured down? If a digging pred can just lift the edge and get under it to start digging closer, the apron isn't gonna do any good.

 

[MARANMAN2011]

Youll need something more to keep them cool but its pretty cool.