Hoop coop questions

[shartnett5]

Hey everybody.
My husband and I are building our fourth coop. We are building a hoop coop inspired by a few of you. We wanted the ventilation but were not ready to build a large Woods or Tolman house this year. Selling our old house is taking a lot of money and time.

So my three main questions are;
what kind of tarps/plastic did you use?
How high up did you put the Hardwire Cloth? We have some running under floor stapled to base boards. Keep out those digging critters.
And for those who put a wood coop on the back and used the hoop as a run. What are the big advantages to this? Are you satisfied or would you change anything. I have enough to make a 4 by 8 something in the back of the tunnel but not sure. Prob should for extra bird space. Any New Englanders please send any advise hoop coop or not

 

[rjohns39]

Hey everybody.
My husband and I are building our fourth coop. We are building a hoop coop inspired by a few of you. We wanted the ventilation but were not ready to build a large Woods or Tolman house this year. Selling our old house is taking a lot of money and time.

So my three main questions are;
what kind of tarps/plastic did you use?
How high up did you put the Hardwire Cloth? We have some running under floor stapled to base boards. Keep out those digging critters.
And for those who put a wood coop on the back and used the hoop as a run. What are the big advantages to this? Are you satisfied or would you change anything. I have enough to make a 4 by 8 something in the back of the tunnel but not sure. Prob should for extra bird space. Any New Englanders please send any advise hoop coop or not

Mine is a cattle panel construction, think you've already seen the pix. I like to use white, or silver heavy duty tarps that are uv treated. Mine, I googled the size and found a tarp dealer. As for welded wire I put it up 2' over the chicken wire that covers the whole structure. Since my shelters double as coops, my nest boxes are inside. I free range my birds inside electric fence during the day and leave the doors to their coops open so they can come and go as they please.

 

[shartnett5]

Thanks. We have the cattle panels chicken wire and hardware cloth. And have a temp tractor 8 by 10, since we are not ready to free range. Need a electric fence set up. Have some tenants ruining our duplex rental. It has been eating up all our free time. Checking out heavy duty uv treated tarps.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I am planning a hoop coop (someday) and my plan is to use metal roofing running lengthwise, so start at bottom and work up, I will have 1x4's underneath and fasten to those. It works great in my head anyways...

Good luck

Gary

 

[rjohns39]

Thanks. We have the cattle panels chicken wire and hardware cloth. And have a temp tractor 8 by 10, since we are not ready to free range. Need a electric fence set up. Have some tenants ruining our duplex rental. It has been eating up all our free time. Checking out heavy duty uv treated tarps.

here's where I got mine. It was a bit short... http://www.tarpsplus.com/aboutus.html

 

[Kellycbf]

I bought cheap white tarps from Menards. I think I spent about $10. Our run is 24 feet long. I love my hoop run. It is great. We have a coop attached to it, but one day, we may add another hoop and make it into a run. I need to see how to do that and how many it would hold.

We put hardware clothe over the entire thing and under the wooden base. Maybe one day, I will get flexible plastic panels that can be the roof.

 

[rjohns39]

I bought cheap white tarps from Menards. I think I spent about $10. Our run is 24 feet long. I love my hoop run. It is great. We have a coop attached to it, but one day, we may add another hoop and make it into a run. I need to see how to do that and how many it would hold.

We put hardware clothe over the entire thing and under the wooden base. Maybe one day, I will get flexible plastic panels that can be the roof.

clear anything will give you a greenhouse effect. I use white as it reflects and provides some measure of shade.

 

[Molpet]

the first year I used a tarp from the big box store... at least for 6 months until it started leaking... I now use a clear tarps from tarpsplus in the winter and a shade cloth over that in the summer...in winter the N end I put plastic over it and tucked under the tarp.. on warm days I can open it up a little. Mine is completely inclosed in 1/2 HWC with a 18" apron
I have lots of trees and 3 (soon to be 4) hoop coops.. as far as the poultry yard they run in during the day. trying to figure out how to run e fence w/out cutting down trees that interconnect to the woods... varmints travel the tree tops... too tall of trees for me to cut branches.

 

[rjohns39]

the first year I used a tarp from the big box store... at least for 6 months until it started leaking... I now use a clear tarps from tarpsplus in the winter and a shade cloth over that in the summer...in winter the N end I put plastic over it and tucked under the tarp.. on warm days I can open it up a little. Mine is completely inclosed in 1/2 HWC with a 18" apron
I have lots of trees and 3 (soon to be 4) hoop coops.. as far as the poultry yard they run in during the day. trying to figure out how to run e fence w/out cutting down trees that interconnect to the woods... varmints travel the tree tops... too tall of trees for me to cut branches.

That's an interesting challenge. I've cut my branches up as high as I can reach with the pole cutter--but if the trunk is next to or inside the fence with branches reaching into the woods, its an easy path. ARG

 

[shartnett5]

Yeah the trees here are way over grown. Around the home, yard, and surounding my farm "pasture" or area. I dont know what to call it. They are massive and some look to be dead. Tree services are on the to do list