Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Sally PB]

Let's hear it for woodstoves!!

 

[Folly's place]

Yes!
Mary

 

[1muttsfan]

15°, our warmest start to the day in weeks. This morning we have one of the more beautiful winter phenomena, an ice fog. When all the branches are covered with a fine rime of ice, it looks like a fairy land. I can hear the fog horns on the Mackinac bridge hooting off in the distance. One of our better starts to the day recently.

 

[Sally PB]

-1° here now, thanks to a clear sky. The sun will warm us up quickly, thank goodness. A week of 20s to come, and that sounds positively balmy!

 

[mi5chicks]

Hi, I have a question about hoop coops/runs. I live in the UP where we can get over 300 inches of snow in the winter. I'm thinking about doing a hoop coop and run and I'm wondering if it'll hold up to the snow. Anyone with experience I'd love to hear it!

 

[1muttsfan]

I don't know about snow load, most of them don't look sturdy enough to handle a lot but you could probably keep it shoveled off. The biggest problem would be making sure there were no drafts inside. I don't think a tarp wall is enough for the kind of extreme temperatures and weather that we get up here

 

[fuzzi]

Hi, I have a question about hoop coops/runs. I live in the UP where we can get over 300 inches of snow in the winter. I'm thinking about doing a hoop coop and run and I'm wondering if it'll hold up to the snow. Anyone with experience I'd love to hear it!

@Molpet has hoop coops in Illinois, might be able to elaborate how they hold up to winter.

'Mo's Cattle Panel Hoop Coops' https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/mos-cattle-panel-hoop-coops.73385/

 

[Molpet]

@Molpet has hoop coops in Illinois, might be able to elaborate how they hold up to winter.

'Mo's Cattle Panel Hoop Coops' https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/mos-cattle-panel-hoop-coops.73385/

I have 4, so far no problems with a 2x4 down the center as a ridge pole I guess you call it. I have shook the snow off when it a wet snow, usually it slides off. I wish I had the door higher so the ground heave and ice build up wasn't an issue. I had to take the bottom 2x4 off the door on a couple.

ETA The most snow I have had, at one time, since I built the first in 2015 was 19 inches

 

[mi5chicks]

Thank you! My thought was to do a metal roof over the coop part with wood walls, so enclose one end and then the rest would be the run which would get wrapped in plastic for winter. I actually already have a chicken coop and run but I'm looking into getting ducks this year and this would be for them.

I'd definitely support the top with wood and that's a good thought to raise the door up a bit!

 

[mi5chicks]

I'm not sure what the most we've gotten at a time is but so far this year I think we're up to 180ish total. I could clear the top as needed but if it's not going to withstand much snow then it would be difficult up here to keep up on.
Thanks for the info!

ETA 19 inches is quite a bit and if it held up with that it seems it might do OK.