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Sounds like you have your chicks all tarped up. I used the PVC stuff from Lowe's last year and it worked great. This summer I tried something a bit different out here in windy Oklahoma. I got some of those 26 inch X 8 ft long corrugated panels from Lowe's and just ratchet strapped them on for shade and to protect from the rain. So for winter I got three more clear ones to put on the north side so I could see through. I can look out my dining room sliding glass door and see if they are ok. This lets in the light also I added a small protected CFL light to restore longer hours so they will lay again.
You can not see through this stuff. Only drawback I guess.
These are last winters with black PVC on the roost/nest area.
This is the North side so I can see them, if I were trying to collect the solar energy it should be on the south side. lol
Here is the south side. I may get some of that plastic paint and paint these 8 ft panels black to absorb the sun's winter energy. Then just flip them over to white in the summer.
This would work on your Hoop Coops as well. They do come in 10 ft lengths as well. 15 year lifetime so better than tarps I think. You can also see one of those 60 led solar operated motion detector lights from Harbor Freight. Works great keeps predators away at night and helpful when I go out to close up the coop and the sun has slipped over the horizon. LOL BTW I electrified the portable fence also. I can post pictures of that if you are interested.
Good luck! BTW I also use wheat straw under the coop and liberal straw inside sort of a deep litter to also help keep them warm as their poo drops down into it to compost. It isn't hard to cleanout in summer and then give a good power wash to all of it.
NICE COOP. I've been thinking of using the corrugated panels, but it has to be simple. I use straw, too - so much nicer than muck in the pen. What about shade cloth for summer? OR one of those bamboo shades tied/ratcheted down? I'm still toying with the idea of growing vines, or pole beans, or cukes over the hoop for shade in the summer, but I'm sure my chickens will find a way to destroy whatever I might try to grow. OMG, we're going to get our first snow - a big one - in just a few hours, and already I'm thinking of shade options for the summer. Thanks for your pics and input!Sounds like you have your chicks all tarped up. I used the PVC stuff from Lowe's last year and it worked great. This summer I tried something a bit different out here in windy Oklahoma. I got some of those 26 inch X 8 ft long corrugated panels from Lowe's and just ratchet strapped them on for shade and to protect from the rain. So for winter I got three more clear ones to put on the north side so I could see through. I can look out my dining room sliding glass door and see if they are ok. This lets in the light also I added a small protected CFL light to restore longer hours so they will lay again.You can not see through this stuff. Only drawback I guess.
These are last winters with black PVC on the roost/nest area.
This is the North side so I can see them, if I were trying to collect the solar energy it should be on the south side. lol
Here is the south side. I may get some of that plastic paint and paint these 8 ft panels black to absorb the sun's winter energy. Then just flip them over to white in the summer. This would work on your Hoop Coops as well. They do come in 10 ft lengths as well. 15 year lifetime so better than tarps I think. You can also see one of those 60 led solar operated motion detector lights from Harbor Freight. Works great keeps predators away at night and helpful when I go out to close up the coop and the sun has slipped over the horizon. LOL BTW I electrified the portable fence also. I can post pictures of that if you are interested.
Good luck! BTW I also use wheat straw under the coop and liberal straw inside sort of a deep litter to also help keep them warm as their poo drops down into it to compost. It isn't hard to cleanout in summer and then give a good power wash to all of it.
RN, that is an awesome set up, so much attention to the needs of your charges. Looks like a model fence to me. Where did you get it? Right now, I am letting my chickens free range all over kingdom come, as long as they go back to the right coops at night. My dog is fanatical about rounding them up, and she seems to be a very efficient deterrent to predators way out here in the AG Zone. Soooo, while I have a number of small pens - for breeding groups - I've been kind of lax about setting up anything very nice or permanent. Your fence looks exactly like what I wanted a year ago. Portable is good. How tall is it? This fall I had trouble keeping my breeding birds inside their pens; they hopped their 4' wire fences and consistently returned to their old breeding grounds - my house - like salmon. So I'm using the hoop coops to keep them contained in shelter for the winter. I put a dog house in each coop, 2x4 roosts, and enough food and heated water to keep them feeling secure. If a fence like yours could keep my roosters contained, it would be worth setting one up. I am skeptical about a shade tarp like yours holding up in the northwestern exposure I have here. The wind can be horrible on occasion. Yeah, my birds like to be misted, too. And they like to "dust bathe" in the spots where I've let the hose run. They do this bathing communally in large craters they scratch out in our clay soil. If I fill these with coconut coir and then wet it down, these craters make GREAT dust baths that don't leave the bathers muddy. (They like to use my raised beds, too.). My coops look a lot like yours, but without any of the niceties; if I can figure out again how to upload a photo, I'll try to send a photo of my Lean-to coop made with the PVC conduit and radiused 90* elbows screwed and anchored on to the length of the wooden coop to which it is attached. It is 7'x7x6' and can be built in a few hours. It IS easy to take down, but it is not intended to be portable. How much maintenance does your fence require? GET WARMHey coop410silkies,
I used a good silver (aluminumized) tarp from Harbor freight from coop top to my electrified fence and a iron stake in the rocks with a rachett strap. I also bought and installed a 10 ft mister under it, on a 10 ft 1/2 inch PVC pipe, chicks loved it 20 degrees cooler. They would take a dirt bath then get wet and become mud hens. LOL
How do you like my portable electrified fence? 25 ft X 25 ft, four pieces easy for one person to unhook and move.
Yes, that is food for thought. I especially like your including details like "#8x/3/4 ss panhead screws"; they make make your wealth of information so much more usable to me. Those and all the pics with description and explanation. I put your post in my Reading List for future reference. I have winds like yours and have the same concerns as you. I forgot about clipping wings, but I've used that flimsy deer netting, and it works well where I can set it up. For some reason - maybe my dog - I've seen no predators in the last couple years, and they've become less of an issue. I am thinking of doing something tricky to my birds. Thank you for showing the details of your fence.Here are some pic's of the fence. I got the 40 inch high plastic fencing from Home Depot @ about $10 for a 40 inch X 25 ft roll, the 1 inch x 10 PVC is not sun resistant, the elbows are just PVC, BUT the 4 way and 5 way pieces are special order furniture grade PVC from Home Depot. These are the bottom pieces which enable making the feet so it just stands on any ground surface. I also used solid 4 inch cement blocks to easily give it weight and stand up to the Oklahoma winds. We get some storms roll through with 50-60 mph wind gusts. You can also get 10 inch spikes and drill holes and drive them into the ground, just harder to pull up when you want to relocate.This is my gate, showing the electric stand offs which hold the wire and the spring loaded handles all from Tractor supply. You can see the blocks which weight things down also.
A 25 foot section self standing, a 4 way on the ends and I think 12 inch feet (slept since then), there are uprights and feet every 5 feet which works great, no sag. My barred Lizzie, and Henny penny the RIR checking it all out.
Close up of 4 way on the ends, no glue just #8X3/4 ss pan head screws, lots of screws got two 50 ct boxes from Lowes
Close up of 5 way with feet. The fence is held on with black zip ties which will last in the sun. The only maintence is putting in the feet when I move it around I forgot to screw them in. LOL The ones that go horizontal to the main fence. I found removable zip ties at Lowes to attach the corners of the two fence sections together at three points top, middle, and bottom. http://www.lowes.com/pd_429462-1781-45-8BEADBK___?productId=4598550&pl=1&Ntt=zip+ties They come in two lengths 8 inch and 18 inch. I LOVE them! lol http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-40-in-x-25-ft-Green-Multi-Purpose-Fence-889250HD14/204331924 The fence material http://www.homedepot.com/p/Formufit...ay-Tee-in-White-4-Pack-F0014WT-WH-4/205749309 http://www.homedepot.com/p/Formufit...-Cross-in-White-4-Pack-F0015WC-WH-4/205749315 I ordered via internet and had them shipped. Well, food for thought for the spring, eh? ha ha Hope it all works out for you. The solar charger I got on sale from Tractor supply and keeps the coons and coyotes, and wild dogs out of the run at night. I forgot to close the coop one night and lost two of my girls to coons. I raised them from chicks and they were very friendly to me. I really felt bad about that so the electric fence, more to do harder to forget. lol :yiipchick Good luck on your fence project. BTW my girls flew over especially when they get excited for treats. I had to clip their flight feathers on one side and they learned to not do that. Now they are larger and too heavy to get altitude. LOL
