Hoop Houses -Plus and Minuses

[Toshi]

That is a awesoem coop and i want to steal it

How would one winter proof it? Just a few tarps and stuff? Becuase when i get a biger coop, well make one, i have been thinking a bit on hoop coops.

Are those normal 2X4's?

 

[Hawkeye95]

WOW!!! This is a fabulous coop! I LOVE it! OKay, so I have a really good idea of how it's made now, thank you so much for your pictures! I was thinking cattle panels were something entirely different! LOL That is NOT what I was envisioning. I have horses and grew up with cows, and when we talk about "panels" we literally mean round Pipe metal panels that lock into each other. (like to make a round pen, or cattle panels that attach to chutes for vaccinations and branding!) I was scratching my head trying to figure out how THAT would make a hoop! ha!

This is really a great design! It looks fast and easy to put together, too! (oh, and i love the glow from your lights!) So fun!

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[binders]

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Whenever I heard someone referencing cattle panels I was thinking the same thing and was really wondering how they would work!

Glad to see I was not alone.

 

[Beekissed]

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They do if properly tarped but you could always add/stack hay or straw bales outside the coop and then bring the tarping out to cover that, if you felt they needed more insulation. Bringing your tarps all the way under the bales and attaching to the coop would keep the ground moisture from affecting your bales. One could even stack hay/straw bales strategically inside the hoop house to create nesting areas and provide insulation along the walls. A deep pine bedding on the floor afterwards and you have a warm, snug as a bug little coop with very little money invested.

Also? These coops are easily movable and easy to deconstruct.

 

[binders]

Thanks Beekissed for that info. How about protection from predators? I don't plan to move the coop so could I bury hardware cloth arounf the edges? Is it strong enought to keep out a determined dog or coyote?

 

[Beekissed]

A person could attach welded wire to the whole bottom of such a coop~like a giant wire floor~ and make it predator safe from anything digging in...well, except rats.

 

[Moogie]

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They are 2x4s, but some people use 4x4s.

Most people build a 2x4 frame and then try to curve the panels and attach them to the frame, which is really hard (we built a tomato tunnel that way, and my husband still doesn't like to talk about it.

)

But one smart BYCer attached the panels to each other and then to the two 16' long 2x4s while flat on the ground. Then they just scooted the 2x4s towards each other to form a hoop at the height needed and attached the two short 2x4s for the ends, adding the vertical ends and door last. If you're building it by yourself, you can just pound some stakes into the ground to hold that edge in place while you move the other side inwards. I wish I could give credit to the clever person who figured this out - if anyone knows, please let us all know.

For winterizing, I added a clear tarp and bought some really heavy clear vinyl (like that used for windows on tents) at a fabric store and am going to cover the vertical walls to act as a windbreak (leaving an opening at the apex of the walls for ventilation). It should also help to keep out a lot of the rain that blows in from the west.

Where winters are severe, some people use hay bales inside; hopefully those with more experience can give you some tips.

 

[Moogie]

One more thing...when you wire the hardware cloth to the cattle panels, be sure you have the wire "tails" on the inside of the hoop coop. Otherwise, when you drag the tarp across the panels, the wire ends will either poke through the tarp (creating leaks) or even tear it is it gets windblown.

I spent hours today bending all the wires to the inside before putting on the new tarp....

. It was cold & drizzly and my fingers were numb.

 

[swatchick]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS THREAD!!! I too have been trying to figure out the best solution for my situation and this, clearly, is it. Those pictures are fabulous, and the information about bending the panels --

thank you, thank you, thank you. I would totally have been the person in the ER having attempted to do it in the most ill advised possible way....

 

[RHRanch]

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I love the hoop house you built. Could you post a materials list? Like size and number of panels, etc?