I need to build a coop and am looking for advice from anyone who is using a permanent hoop coop. We have eight unsexed chicks - I'm expecting 3 to 5 hens and we have plenty of room. I bought the chicks from Andy and Pam at www.raincreekpottery.com, where they keep almost their entire flock in large, tarp-covered hoop tractors with plastic tubs for nesting boxes and they have been very happy with the system. We're in WA state (they're in Port Orchard, I'm in Seattle). Andy has posted a really nice set of photos on their website, of how to build the coops. I need to adapt their design for urban use, meaning a permanent, predator-proof hoop coop covered in something more acceptable than a tarp to appease my very particular neighbors. I'm thinking indoor-outdoor acrylic or polyester awning fabric over hardware cloth, with sides that can roll up when it's hot. I also want to use the deep bedding system, and be able to lift the entire coop up and away once a year for a thorough raking out. My questions are 1. will this fabric hold up for a couple of years, and 2. how to make it both predator-proof AND semi-movable? I don't want to predator-proof it with a hardware cloth base because I think that'll make it hard to rake out. The deep bedding system I've seen was directly on the ground (no plywood base) and I'd like to try that. I have a million ideas in my head but would love to hear from anybody who has tried something similar. If I make a 2x4 frame for the base, with hardware cloth attached to it and buried, then a hoop coop that fits inside the frame and is held in place by that, might this work? I'm butt lazy and trying to avoid cutting any more wood than I need, and avoid daily cleaning.
This is my first post, sort of an introduction, BTW. Have loved the threads I've been reading (particularly the tackiest coop contest, and the story of Nan).
Thanks!
This is my first post, sort of an introduction, BTW. Have loved the threads I've been reading (particularly the tackiest coop contest, and the story of Nan).
Thanks!