hello! hoop coop plywood question

[Jose Wales]

hi Guys, I'm new to all this, and had a question. I'm currently building a hoop coop from ideas I have seen here! So thanks! I'm wondering why the plywood in the back of the hoops vs. all hardware cloth, tarp etc..?

thanks

 

[rosemarythyme]

I don't have a hoop coop but if I did, I'd want a sturdy solid wall facing my predominant wind direction, to provide extra protection from rainstorms.

 

[NatJ]

hi Guys, I'm new to all this, and had a question. I'm currently building a hoop coop from ideas I have seen here! So thanks! I'm wondering why the plywood in the back of the hoops vs. all hardware cloth, tarp etc..?

I've never built one, so I'm guessing here...

Because people over-build?
Because it's easier to cut plywood into a round shape than to cut & attach hardware cloth that shape?
Because then people can attach things to the plywood?
Because it's rigid, so it helps keep the hoop-top from deforming?

I think there are two basic kinds of hoop coops: the lightweight ones that are meant to be easy to move, and the ones that are sturdy and heavy and stay in one place. The "right" way to build a coop depends a lot on what you want to do with it. I would use plywood in the heavy/sturdy/stationary kind, but not in the light/moveable kind.

 

[RoseHawke]

I suspect it's to give the structure some rigidity.

 

[David61]

Wind and blowing rain block?

 

[GhislaineDel]

I am building a hoop coop right now. One wall will be plywood while the other will be hardware cloth. In our case the walls will be built in such a way that they can be removed from the hoop as panels. We plan on moving a year from now and will disassemble the coop to move it to the new property for reassembly. It is not meant to be a chicken tractor type of hoop coop.

 

[neo71665]

I have a pvc hoop tractor and I wish it was a bit more sturdy. If I was gonna build another one I would put solid ends on it.

 

[lizo97]

I just plan to use a trap, mine is wrapped in hardware cloth.

 

[ILChickenTV]

For my A-frame end I used corrugated plastic reinforced with trellis wire, which I found at a local recycling drop-off. Lightweight and cheap.

 

[lizo97]

I was actually toying with the idea of making an A frame with air conditioning and putting the A frame within the run as a place for them to cool down.