Reinforce hoop run?

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Hi All, we built a 32x14 foot run around an elevated coop this past summer. I adapted a greenhouse hoop house plan (https://www.noble.org/globalassets/docs/ag/pubs/horticulture/nf-ho-12-02.pdf ) with SDR-11 black poly pipe hoops to get aviary wire (1/2” squares galvanized metal, 22 gauge) over the top. I’m in mid Oklahoma, which typically has mild-ish winters but can get snow and ice storms. Of course, we’ve a snowier winter forecast and we’ve already had a storm with 1-2” snow, which stuck to the wire until I knocked it off. I’m worried about snow/ice weight crushing the hoops. I bought a telescoping handle snow brush for the next snowfall, but now we have freezing rain forecast for Friday night. I doubt I’ll get much done before then as I need to work, so I plan to try to break the ice every few hours as it forms on the flexible wire. Not fun. I guess I need to add hoop vertical supports? The hoop house guide talks about temporary 2x4s from the ground to the center of the hoop but there are ramps or coop at those ground points, so I can only see putting wood positioned from the coop roof (metal). Anyone with engineering/building/hoop house experience have any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[Grits&Eggs]

your setup is beautiful! mine is an "A" frame but love this concept

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

your setup is beautiful! mine is an "A" frame but love this concept

Thanks Grits&Eggs! I generally like it and I think it’s good for our very hot summers, but I don’t think I thought enough about winter!

 

[lcwmt]

Thanks Grits&Eggs! I generally like it and I think it’s good for our very hot summers, but I don’t think I thought enough about winter!

It's lovely! My hoop runs are smaller (one is 4x10', the other 4x6'). Both are external to the coop. The runs are built with black poly pipe coming up from brackets on the base, HWC on the sides and larger galvanized wire over the top.
I put greenhouse tarps and shade cloth over the top of the hoops, use zip ties to fasten. Snow and ice will accumulate but knock off easily and the runs stay reasonably dry.

 

[Percheron chick]

Nicely done I would add a support at the peak. Get some plumbing ts and tie the hoops together to provide side to side strength and rigidity. Easiest to just throw a tarp over the top to get the frozen rain to run off.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

It's lovely! My hoop runs are smaller (one is 4x10', the other 4x6'). Both are external to the coop. The runs are built with black poly pipe coming up from brackets on the base, HWC on the sides and larger galvanized wire over the top.
I put greenhouse tarps and shade cloth over the top of the hoops, use zip ties to fasten. Snow and ice will accumulate but knock off easily and the runs stay reasonably dry.

It’s not in the pictures above, but I had shade cloth up over the summer. I took it down in a hurry when I saw the snow sticking to it. I don’t really know how much weight the structure can take but I’ve seen pictures of hoop houses collapsed due to snow, so am pretty nervous!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Nicely done I would add a support at the peak. Get some plumbing ts and tie the hoops together to provide side to side strength and rigidity. Easiest to just throw a tarp over the top to get the frozen rain to run off.

Plumbing ts, like the PVC T connectors? To make a center purlin? I followed the portion of the instructions that called for baking twine purlins; there are three, one center and one at each side. Unfortunately, the twine purlin loosened when we positioned the wire, so I’ve been wondering about adding a rigid purlin, but I don’t know how much it would help with weight. The run structure currently does not have much wind stress, because the wire doesn’t catch the wind. The collapsed green house pics I’ve seen did have poly film, which snow seems to accumulate on since the upper pitch is not steep...

 

[Percheron chick]

Exactly.
The weight of build up ice on the wire will quickly cause problems

 

[aart]

You'd need 4-way connectors, not T's, to add a 'ridge pole' per se.
T's might work for poles to the ground,
or just pieces of lumber to support the arches vertically.
That pipe looks big...2-3"?.....more like 'flexible' irrigation pipe?
Can't think of a quick solution, just keep knocking stuff off with the rake/broom.

 

[kwhites634]

Hi All, we built a 32x14 foot run around an elevated coop this past summer. I adapted a greenhouse hoop house plan (https://www.noble.org/globalassets/docs/ag/pubs/horticulture/nf-ho-12-02.pdf ) with SDR-11 black poly pipe hoops to get aviary wire (1/2” squares galvanized metal, 22 gauge) over the top. I’m in mid Oklahoma, which typically has mild-ish winters but can get snow and ice storms. Of course, we’ve a snowier winter forecast and we’ve already had a storm with 1-2” snow, which stuck to the wire until I knocked it off. I’m worried about snow/ice weight crushing the hoops. I bought a telescoping handle snow brush for the next snowfall, but now we have freezing rain forecast for Friday night. I doubt I’ll get much done before then as I need to work, so I plan to try to break the ice every few hours as it forms on the flexible wire. Not fun. I guess I need to add hoop vertical supports? The hoop house guide talks about temporary 2x4s from the ground to the center of the hoop but there are ramps or coop at those ground points, so I can only see putting wood positioned from the coop roof (metal). Anyone with engineering/building/hoop house experience have any thoughts? Thanks!

It occurs to me that heavy-duty plastic tarps might do well here. Considering the pitch, snow should slide right off.