Modified Hoop Coop Design Development

[Victoria-nola]

Quote: Wasn't concerned so much about their ability to fly as for the coop/roosts having enough space for them to spread their wings to provide a soft landing, sorry didn't really word it clearly.
Looking forward to more pics.

Well, that's the thing. The guineas are really good flyers in tight spaces, they can take off and wheel up/down/right/left instantly. I've been really impressed. And as youngsters of just a couple of weeks onward, they practice that kind of flying constantly. It looks like they are just "going crazy" but they are practicing (and showing off) their aerial skills. People often say that guineas would rather walk than fly and even say they are "poor flyers", but that's only because they hunt on the ground so they'd rather be where that action is. When they need to fly, they are way more light on their feet and nimble than chickens. Can you tell I'm falling in love with guineas!? I mean, I love my chickens and find them fascinating. But I'm expanding my repertoire of known birds and loving it.

But anyway, the new coop has a lot of space! Albeit, somewhat long and skinny by nature of the construction method. I still think chickens would be fine in it, esp since they'd probably just be roosting on the roosts we made along the side instead of roosting on the cross-ties. If using for chickens, we would have been a lot more serious about constructing roosts at appropriate stepped levels to get them up and down, etc.

Pictures soon, just have a lot going on here with farm life and harvest/food processing. Plus work deadlines.

 

[aart]

No problem on waiting for pics.
I too thought guineas were poor flyers.....never had them, could not stand the noise.

 

[Victoria-nola]

No problem on waiting for pics.
I too thought guineas were poor flyers.....never had them, could not stand the noise.

I totally understand. We lived next door to a guy once who had a flock of guineas naturalized up in his huge trees. We were fine with them. We like that they warn of intruders, they are guardians. And we're on 29 acres. But I totally understand and I think people do need to be honest with themselves and their capacities. I try very hard to do that.

 

[Victoria-nola]

The new High Hoop Coop is such a pleasure to work around and be inside.

Here are some more pictures. They aren't in a very good order-- I'm rushed again.

Below is the finished (for now) coop with guineas in residence. What you're seeing is the "clear tarp" on the top, attached with zipties. The light blue strips are a product called "sill gasket" that comes in a roll, another hoop-coop builder suggested using this to protect the tarp from the seams of the hardware cloth, so we've gone with that. It's a flexible foam. The waterer is missing here, I was in the middle of changing the water.



This next photo is how the guineas looked when I walked up to the coop at dusk. All 25 guineas like to align themselves on the first two cross-ties looking out over the field.



Aart you'd asked about what the corners looked like with the hardware cloth, so here are a couple of pics of that:





Turns out I don't have a great photo of the exterior, but here's what I've got to show how the tarp fits. If someone were just designing this, I would recommend to find out the exact dimensions of your tarp and ensure that your coop is a few inches shorter than that on both ends so you can wrap the end all the way over. As you see we don't have coverage of the whole roof and now if we want it we will have to figure out how to add more tarpage which will inevitably probably always be subject to leaks. So far, any storms we've had, the rain dries up quickly and it hasn't been a problem in terms of wetting the pine chip bedding too much, and we've had some doozies. Might look into creating a bit of an awning over the front door, but it's really not being a problem.

Of course we chose on purpose to leave the sidewalls uncovered, for ventilation. The rain runs off the tarp and trickles down the hardware cloth. I'm still mulling over how to work out the attachment of gutters along the edge of the tarp to channel rain away from the base better. I just need to also be able to attach sidewall tarps in the winter, or at least, intend to.



This is right after we got the tarp on-- we loosely piled it along the long side and pulled it up over the top with long strings tied to two corners as we each climbed a ladder and then coaxed it up, over, and down the other side. It started raining and we took shelter inside. You can see how wonderful it is inside with the clear tarp as opposed to an opaque tarp, at least, imo. These are sold a lot of places online, all about the same price, a bit of variation. The blue sill gasket is still hanging down, duct-taped in place; later we just cut off the excess with scissors and let the tarp hold it in place. We put extra swaths of the gasket on the back end where there were a lot of seams, where the tarp is folded over the edge, don't have a pic.

 

[aart]

Great pics (thanks for the corner shots), it looks fantastic!

The whole matching sizes of tarp, panels, HC.....yeah, hard to make it all match.
I guess adjusting everything else to the tarp size is the best way to go, I got lucky there and had a 6" overhang on each end.

 

[Victoria-nola]

Great pics (thanks for the corner shots), it looks fantastic!

The whole matching sizes of tarp, panels, HC.....yeah, hard to make it all match.
I guess adjusting everything else to the tarp size is the best way to go, I got lucky there and had a 6" overhang on each end.

Thanks so much for your help, Aart!!!!

Yes, I think the best thing would be to adjust to the tarp size and have done with futzing afterward. You're lucky yours just fit, that was cool.

Hey, I learned something in the construction that I think you'd like to know about. Turns out if you just bend the end of the ziptie, you can get it to go in and back out again easily. Just bend the very tip, where it's thinner, it naturally will bend for you and stay bent, but not be harmed for function. Our friend Joey showed us that trick, made everything a LOT easier!

--V

 

[aart]

Quote: You're more than welcome, was nice to do a design collaboration and see it realized so quickly.
About the only thing I miss about working, well that and the paychecks.

Yep, thanks, have done the bent tip thing....doesn't always work so have a hook on hand and am got so fast with that I rarely do anything else.
Except corners are easy, don't even have to bend!

 

[Victoria-nola]

It really was great to do the collaboration with you. !!

--V

 

[perchie.girl]

@Victoria-nola

I love your coop all design aspects of it.... One thing to consider.... I do a considerable amount of builindg things with the aid of zip ties. Even the ones that state they are UV resistant disintegrate in time.... My aviaries assembled this way were up for four years when I went to move them every last one of those ties snapped....

since then I use them for securing temporarily with the intention of using Galvanized hog clips for perminant structures. Especialy in areas of stress.

deb

 

[Victoria-nola]

@Victoria-nola

I love your coop all design aspects of it.... One thing to consider.... I do a considerable amount of builindg things with the aid of zip ties. Even the ones that state they are UV resistant disintegrate in time.... My aviaries assembled this way were up for four years when I went to move them every last one of those ties snapped....

since then I use them for securing temporarily with the intention of using Galvanized hog clips for perminant structures. Especialy in areas of stress.

deb

Thank you! It really looks wonderful in the landscape, too. And the guineas LOVE it.

I always meant to use hog rings to solidify, but the initial tool I bought to apply them turned out to not be usable and the rings were too small. So I've let it slide. Thanks for the reminder that we really do need to get that done. At least, as you say, on the stress points.

I too have used the UV-resistant zipties for fences and other constructions for years. If you don't move them, they can last for 7-8 years that I've seen so far. But yes, if any shear forces are applied they'll break.

Thanks again for the reminder.

--V