Need to anchor down hoop coop

[SunnySkies]

Somthing nobody ever talks about is that these can and will blow away. I spent over an hour retrieving birds in the dark and rain very early this morning, after a 50-60 mph wind gust picked up my 2 cattle panel hoop coop (2x6x8 footers, not lightweight 2x4x8) and threw it over and down the hill about 20-30 feet. I m considering chaining it down to concrete deck footers, the ones with the metal loops, but what are some other ways people have fastened these down?

It was great during the summer. I like that I can move it and had plenty of ventilation and was easy to maintain. I had juat been thinking of building a second one this week. Winter...maybe not such a good idea

I hope it stays where it landed for now, instead of blowing into the road or my neighbor's property!

Birds are accounted for except for one

 

[striperon]

Canvas covered storage sheds are anchored with "dead man" style anchors and cables. The anchor kits can be purchased separately.

You can also make your own "dead men" by burying a short section of pressure treated 4" x 4" or 6" x 6" parallel to the long side of the hoop coop, attach a couple feet of cable, and use a u-bolt to attach the cable wrapped around the hoop frame. I don't know what size hoop frame you have, but one at each corner is good for starters. Then unbolt it next Spring to move it around. Use that spot for bad storms and winter, re-anchoring with the same cables.

 

[yogifink]

Thats the problem with making them light so that they can move around. Adding a tarp or canves on a portable coop is like turing the thing into a kite. I would go with a few tiw down ancors as a temp fix. http://www.advancegreenhouses.com/Solexx accessories/new_tie_down_b.jpg



You could also purchase a mesh tarp or a tarp with draft holes in it (not sure about the technical term), so that the wind can pass through without creating any lift.

 

[SunnySkies]

Thing is...I bought a similarly styled garage in a box (canvas covered building) I bought from TSC last year with in ground anchors, etc. Bought and used extra anchors as well.

I still have some of those anchors here (total pain to put in our ground...I broke off a ground rod for the electric fence because of the rocks and had to rent an auger after breaking two pairs of post hole diggers to finish the fence).

The winds here are so strong that some of the anchors broke off in the ground, and the airplane cable included as ties broke on other anchors, and the whole thing flipped over, broke off the T posts in the fenceline when it hit the fence, and destroyed the garage in a box completely during a storm last November. The warranty was useless, as they said they could not guarantee it would stay in place because of high winds. $399 down the drain.

So...I am not sure about this hoop coop at all now. I'm really not sure I can anchor it down well enough after that experience with the garage in a box. The winds that day also tipped over several 1000 lb round bales! I found them when I went out after the sun was up.

Winds were over 60 mph here the other day, and 75-80 is totally possible in severe storms. My farm is hilly, which is part of the problem. I may also see about moving this coop to the side pasture between the house and woods, which is lower on the hill and may be protected by the house. And not keeping chickens in it during times of bad weather. Not that the other coops were unscathed...another one, one which requires a full sized pickup to move, was also tipped over.

Missing bird was found by the LGDs.

Leaning on hubby to consider framing a permanent structure.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

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[3riverschick]

The pyramid shape is wind resistant. Maybe have Hubby make you something like that.
Wide at bottom and pointed at the top. Sounds like getting the hoop house more sheltered is a good idea.
Best,
Karen

 

[SunnySkies]

We had bigger tie downs than those in the link. I bought different ones that we used in conjunction with the ones in the kit. They broke off in the ground, and the airline cable -- same stuff they tie down planes with -- broke too. I haven't found bigger tie downs than those. Hence my thinking about concrete footers with chains, real chains, like tow chains.

Yes, the A frame coop I have is much more stable, but it cost about 3 times more to build and is much smaller. I can't move it myself either. I like it a lot though.

We are looking at different ways to fasten the kite coop down and I have a friend who is a structural engineer...I might put the problem to her. She has seen the coop and where it is located on my property.

I am really bummed about it though..I need another large coop, like yesterday, that I can build on my own and for next to nothing, but if the wind can toss it around like a toy -- the same winds that moved 1000 lb hay bales -- maybe not a good idea to have them here.

I had also been thinking about cutting down a panel and making a portable hoop style pig house for my feeder hogs that keep dismanteling their straw bale hut (the pigs are living in a portable pen I move every 3 days). I'll have to build them an A frame hut instead.

The beehives are going to get several anchors each to hold them in place, although where I am planning the apiary is much more sheltered and assuming I move forth with that plan.

My neighbor was telling me that when she moved here, the wind picked up the metal double seater patio swing she bought and smashed it into their house like it was nothing, and it wasn't even stormy that day. Somehow, I moved us into the wind tunnel of Maryland when I bought this place. Sigh. I grew up where it was windy all the time, but I had forgotten how awful the winds are.

 

[Primo]

How many of these tie downs did you have? They use these to anchor mobile homes (like the one in the link) They can also be found at home depot (longer with 2 or 3 augers to get down deep) and I have never seen 3/8 aircraft cable break. The connections let loose yes, but the cable break no. I have 6 of these holding down a 10x12 shed. It's one of those cheap thin metal sheds you see everywhere. It got hit by 90mph straight line winds from a thunderstorm that blew out the doors and basically turned it into a big parachute. It blew the metal outward making my once square shed round(like blowing up a balloon) The anchors and cable held it in place. My opinion is you need to use more tie downs and 3/8 cable with turnbuckles. Face the hoop perpendicular to prevailing storm winds. I just can't see how this wouldn't work.

 

[Primo]

You can also anchor down with these from the inside, right in the middle, the same way I do with my deer blinds. (right in the miidle, on the inside, run an anchor in the ground, attach the cable with a turnbuckle, tighten it up) It will hold

 

[SunnySkies]

How many of these tie downs did you have? They use these to anchor mobile homes (like the one in the link) They can also be found at home depot (longer with 2 or 3 augers to get down deep) and I have never seen 3/8 aircraft cable break. The connections let loose yes, but the cable break no. I have 6 of these holding down a 10x12 shed. It's one of those cheap thin metal sheds you see everywhere. It got hit by 90mph straight line winds from a thunderstorm that blew out the doors and basically turned it into a big parachute. It blew the metal outward making my once square shed round(like blowing up a balloon) The anchors and cable held it in place. My opinion is you need to use more tie downs and 3/8 cable with turnbuckles. Face the hoop perpendicular to prevailing storm winds. I just can't see how this wouldn't work.

We had 10 of them, 5 per side or one every 4 feet. The cable was suitable for tying down airplanes. And yep, it was destroyed. It doesn't always work, unfortunately.

My neighbor and I got to talking about it, and he said every time he has tried a hoop type building up here, and he has lived here for 15 years, it has been destroyed. So...maybe not a good idea.

We lived in a mobile home for 15 years, and the anchors used were very different than those and definitely did not come from HD...It's a conundrum. My engineer friend is suggesting to not use that style of coop here, period.