Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Triple Willow]

You could by ridge vents for the sides. Just cut the hole big enough to fit the ventilation holes on the vent. I have a hoop coop and wanted more ventilation at the bottom. I learned from bee more is better.
(Coop pic under my name if you need a visual) I even put roof vents on it. Stays cooler in the summer and I have no fear of fist bite come winter.

Really great job on the coop!

 

[RoseMarie1]

You could by ridge vents for the sides. Just cut the hole big enough to fit the ventilation holes on the vent. I have a hoop coop and wanted more ventilation at the bottom. I learned from bee more is better.
(Coop pic under my name if you need a visual) I even put roof vents on it. Stays cooler in the summer and I have no fear of fist bite come winter.

Good job Armorfirelady!

 

[Beekissed]

Truly, girls...a hoop coop is an easy build, even for a woman and with minimal skills. I had mine built in 10 days and that was slacking around. And cheap...you can have a coop that holds 20 birds for a little over $200 and it's a coop you can walk into, is sturdy, moveable, and will last you for years upon years and one you can easily tear down later or add onto. Versus paying $500-$1200 for a doll house dream coop that only holds 4 birds and you cannot walk into it, is airless and not built for expansion and can't keep out even a weak and geriatric coon.

Now, Armorfire...I'm wondering why you are having to install ventilation in a coop that is mainly ALL ventilation. Wouldn't the issue at that point be not installing ventilation but in actually regulating the large amount of airflow in the winter?

 

[maryhysong]

Truly, girls...a hoop coop is an easy build, even for a woman and with minimal skills. I had mine built in 10 days and that was slacking around. And cheap...you can have a coop that holds 20 birds for a little over $200 and it's a coop you can walk into, is sturdy, moveable, and will last you for years upon years and one you can easily tear down later or add onto. Versus paying $500-$1200 for a doll house dream coop that only holds 4 birds and you cannot walk into it, is airless and not built for expansion and can't keep out even a weak and geriatric coon.

Now, Armorfire...I'm wondering why you are having to install ventilation in a coop that is mainly ALL ventilation. Wouldn't the issue at that point be not installing ventilation but in actually regulating the large amount of airflow in the winter?

I love my hoop coop but I have been thinking about upgrading it. I just put a new tarp over it since the old one was shredding. Going to look into using tin or corrugated plastic for the roof since tarps only last nine to twelve months in our sun.

 

[RoseMarie1]

Truly, girls...a hoop coop is an easy build, even for a woman and with minimal skills. I had mine built in 10 days and that was slacking around. And cheap...you can have a coop that holds 20 birds for a little over $200 and it's a coop you can walk into, is sturdy, moveable, and will last you for years upon years and one you can easily tear down later or add onto. Versus paying $500-$1200 for a doll house dream coop that only holds 4 birds and you cannot walk into it, is airless and not built for expansion and can't keep out even a weak and geriatric coon.

Now, Armorfire...I'm wondering why you are having to install ventilation in a coop that is mainly ALL ventilation. Wouldn't the issue at that point be not installing ventilation but in actually regulating the large amount of airflow in the winter?

she probably needed the ventilation when she covered it with the tarp for the wintertime.
Yep I have build a sort of hoop out of PVC pipe for my ducks to "free range" when they were little BUT mine was a square instead of a hoop. I covered it in the bird netting just to keep the ducks inside it. I was always around when they were out in it or otherwise they were inside their real pen.

 

[Triple Willow]

Thanks. Took me a few months but I love it!! So much more room ESP once winter comes. But I tweaked it a little to make sure it has more ventilation. Might even add a couple more side vents for winter. Going to put shaving bales on the prevailing wind sides (they already wrapped in plastic but will put in another couple bags so they don't get ripped up) so I will lose that ventilation. And it moves pretty easily with 3 or 4 people. Other than having to move it because it wouldn't dry out because it was in a low spot its worked wonderfully. I'm working on solving the drainage problem because I want the coop back in that spot. It gives them access to the yard for summer and garden for winter.
So much room in there, I now have 8 hens and could easily fit more but I am limited by the town. There def shouldn't be as many problems come winter if they stay in this year during storms. Tho I hope the big girls show the tots its ok being out in the snow. Best part is I picked a lot of stuff up from big trash days in the town, had on hand or from my own roof. The old doll house coop is now a storage area .

Thanks for the pictures and written description. Being a visual learner, I like that. I have plans to build a hoop coop but my plans have been delayed due to some health issues - lately a bum knee. I like looking at how everybody else has built theirs then take ideas from all and go from there. A couple issues I am going to have to plan for are very heavy rains in the spring and fall as well as some crazy crazy wind especially in the spring! I'll have to strap my hoop coop down real well or it will end up a mile down the road and chickens scattered all over creation! LOL I've got a tree now that I've got to get cleaned up that split in the last wind we had a month or two ago. Once I "get it in gear" I HOPE to build a drive-thru hoop shelter for my 4-wheeler that I use to feed and take care of my chickens and other critters. I may build it long enough for the lawn mower too. I saw on youtube where a guy made a hoop greenhouse (used clear plastic instead of a tarp). Cattle panels are great! lol

Thanks again.

 

[Beekissed]

We had a derecho here last year that blew over living trees and uprooted many of them but my hoop coop didn't even flutter...seriously, the tarping wasn't even fastened well, though they were lowered, on the sides and it didn't even flap. I think the streamlined design of the hoop lets air just slide right by. My coop is so heavy that it takes a truck to pull it and it's heavy going...unless we had a tornado here, this thing ain't budging.

My tarping is layered over 4 mil plastic and fastened down to firring strips on both sides of the coop, so the tarp does not have friction from wind movements along the spines of the coop. I added an additional, darker tarp to block out more sun, as the silver tarp was a tad too thin. This is the original tarp applied last spring and has shown virtually no wear and tear~and it was a cheapy.

 

[Triple Willow]

I love my hoop coop but I have been thinking about upgrading it. I just put a new tarp over it since the old one was shredding. Going to look into using tin or corrugated plastic for the roof since tarps only last nine to twelve months in our sun.

I know exactly what you mean! Tarps don't last long enough here either. The wind will just snatch those dang grommets right off! And like you said, the sun just rots them. I find myself fighting with tarps quite a bit! LOL I made the mistake of buying one of those light weight blue ones a few weeks ago - already torn up! We have a "tent and awning" place in a town not far from here. They have some HEAVY DUTY stuff but you sure do pay for it! $$$ Some of that sure would be nice though, they cut and sew it to any measurment you need. One thing that might help to keep the tarp from getting torn up is putting something on the edges of the cattle panel's sharpe edges. (You may have already done that.) I saw one where that foam tubing stuff used to insulate water lines was attached around the edges. I think some old water hose would work just as well. Just split it and attach it to edges of the cattle panel with wire or zip ties. That will keep you from getting scratched up too.

 

[RoseMarie1]

I know exactly what you mean! Tarps don't last long enough here either. The wind will just snatch those dang grommets right off! And like you said, the sun just rots them. I find myself fighting with tarps quite a bit! LOL I made the mistake of buying one of those light weight blue ones a few weeks ago - already torn up! We have a "tent and awning" place in a town not far from here. They have some HEAVY DUTY stuff but you sure do pay for it! $$$ Some of that sure would be nice though, they cut and sew it to any measurment you need. One thing that might help to keep the tarp from getting torn up is putting something on the edges of the cattle panel's sharpe edges. (You may have already done that.) I saw one where that foam tubing stuff used to insulate water lines was attached around the edges. I think some old water hose would work just as well. Just split it and attach it to edges of the cattle panel with wire or zip ties. That will keep you from getting scratched up too.

or those little noodles you can get for swimming would work and they're only 1.00 @ the dollar stores. Yep that sunbrella fabric or whatever name it is, is VERY high per yard so I can see why they charge what they do. I've tried buying some of it before and it's up there in price on Ebay. I put a tarp over my chicks run a week ago and it's not working out. GOT to move the thing when I get the time because when it rains it's making water run into the run area that IS covered in tin and it's puddling up. lol Now they're just about under the 1x4 that the welded wire is nailed onto and I keep pushing soil back up against it so no critter can get inside after them when my back is turned during the day. I don't let them out to free range if I've got to be some where that day. I wait until I am home to let them free range.

 

[RoseMarie1]

We had a derecho here last year that blew over living trees and uprooted many of them but my hoop coop didn't even flutter...seriously, the tarping wasn't even fastened well, though they were lowered, on the sides and it didn't even flap. I think the streamlined design of the hoop lets air just slide right by. My coop is so heavy that it takes a truck to pull it and it's heavy going...unless we had a tornado here, this thing ain't budging.

My tarping is layered over 4 mil plastic and fastened down to firring strips on both sides of the coop, so the tarp does not have friction from wind movements along the spines of the coop. I added an additional, darker tarp to block out more sun, as the silver tarp was a tad too thin. This is the original tarp applied last spring and has shown virtually no wear and tear~and it was a cheapy.

that is what I was wanting to do on the sides of mine with the little canopy on the sides. This way when it rains it wont blow inside on that south side. Lowe's sells a fabric that is like 25 bucks for the roll and it's some type of porch fabric that is suppose to withstand the sun and blocks out the sun etc. My sister in law told me about it and it has a few yards of fabric in it. Ours sells it in the outside covered area in the gardening area. Comes in a roll and plastic is over it. I bought some to hang on our front porch a few years back because it is on the west and the sun was horrible in the evenings. I think it would leak if it got wet though so one couldn't use it as a tarp I don't think. NOT SURE on that though. But it would work for the canopies I think and hold up well to. That's what I thought about making mine with since we closed in the front porch and I don't need it for that anymore. I also NEED something at their door on the west because blowing rain comes in there to. The front of it is up so high I think that's what the main problem is there. I have a small oak growing off to the side of the front so ONE DAY there will be a large shade there. ;-)