straw bale coop??

[mommainpa]

Fire, strangely enough, is not really a concern. Moisture is a much bigger enemy to straw walls than fire. (Which is why it is such a concern to get the walls plastered a.s.a.p.)

In 1993, SHB Agra Engineering and Environmental Services Laboratory (New Mexico) undertook a series of fire trials before admitting bale walls into the building code. Plastered bale-wall systerms actually outperformed wood-framed walls in fire tests.

The larger danger regarding fire during construction is the large amount of loose straw created by cutting bales, etc., that can catch fire from burning leftover wood (which we don't do) or from cigarettes that aren't properly extinguished.

 

[mommainpa]

Hello all! I wanted to get back and post an update about our straw bale coop. (We finally have a DSL line, so now I can post pictures directly!)

The weather turned very cold in December & we received so much snow! It was going to be too hard to try to move the girls, so we waited for January thaw, which came last week. We moved them on Sunday, and today was their first day out to play.

Here they are in front of the coop:

And a slightly closer picture. Here, you can see that I was only able to cover the bottom two bales with mud plaster before the freezing weather set in:

Just inside, nesting boxes to the left:

Roosts, food and water to the right:

As you can see, I have some finishing up to do. This spring and summer, I'll be able to finish plastering the outside of the coop. I still need to run electricity, but that will work out fine because I still have to run electricity to the rest of the garage, which shares a wall with the coop.

It's so nice to walk out my door and hear them talking to one another. (They were cooped at my grandmother's since May. Only 1/4 mile walk, but I still missed them!)

Shayne

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

That looks great. I was wondering about a straw bale coop just the other day, and here it is!

I have made a straw bale fortress around my run, essentially making part of the coop for winter. The birds seem pleased as can be, but it's just temporary. I'll stay posted for details.

 

[OverEggstended]

I have been doing a LOT of reading, being a newbie and all. One book I read is:

For the most part... not too helpful. And the guy's math is wacko. BUT... there IS a good pic/plan for straw coops that incorporate regular doors and such and tells how to install them and all.

As for what to coat the coop with over the earth plaster... lime plaster! This is what was used on Tudor houses built from the 13th century on!

As to fire issues: why would you have any? Insulation value of a hay coop made with bale walls is R-42! That is so much better than almost any house built today that it is frightning. Not likely to even need a heat lamp in that puppy. Just tell the chickens they are not allowed to smoke!



We are considering a hay bale house for the wee ones while we build the Gazebo monstrosity. Then we can just compost the stuff when no longer needed!