Strong All Weather Coops

[Alaskan]

I live in Indiana where the weather is all over the place and am looking for a sturdy run as well as a coop that can withhold the weight of snow. I've been thinking about a chicken tractor with a coop on the side.

The problem with most tractors is that they tend to be short. Short means it gets buried under snow.

Hoop coops qualify as tractors, and are taller and tend to have a good amount of space. I know a lady up here, in a older part of Alaska, that uses hoop coops. She tarps the top and keeps the front mostly open for ventilation, and it works well for her.

If you are worried about snow weight, just make the roof steep. A steep roof will shed snow.

My duck coop i used thin, partly rotted wood... it has been standing for years now. The key is a steep roof.

Also the problem I've been having is money limitations as well as I can't cement it into the ground because its not my actual property

My last tractor, and last 2 coops, were built for close to free.

I collected materials from the construction trash area of the town dump, collected pallets, and combed through the free pages on Facebook and Craigslist. You could also stop at all construction sites and ask to look through their trash. I also got paint from a painter. He gave me the leftovers from jobs.

I spread it out on my lawn, decided how it would fit together.... and then fit it together

Since you are building stuff on property that isn't yours, I would build in panels that screw together.

My duck house is built that way. Front wall frame, roof frame, and then a table is the back wall. All screwed together.

In Indiana, since from what I understand, you also get crazy heat... I would build a huge super steep roof, as big as you can... then do wire walls.

For winter you can tarp or pallet, or plywood the back end, but for summer it can be a huge aviary breezy coop.

 

[suburbanfarmermi]

How many chickens are you thinking about keeping? If your not on your own land you probably want to keep it small enough so it could be moved when you move?

 

[Sally PB]

I don't think I have to worry about snow load on the roof of my coop. DH stood on it while building it.

The run roof is a different story. It will hold up a substantial load, but I use a big push broom to pull down anything more than a few inches of snow.

 

[KyKyMarie77]

How many chickens are you thinking about keeping? If your not on your own land you probably want to keep it small enough so it could be moved when you move?

right now I have 30 that roam in the pasture and roost in the barn at night. these pens are for breeding coops as well as to seperate out into a few groups. It is families property, but since it is not permanent since I will be moving in the future thats why I need one that is moveable and not buried in the ground

 

[Alaskan]

right now I have 30 that roam in the pasture and roost in the barn at night. these pens are for breeding coops as well as to seperate out into a few groups. It is families property, but since it is not permanent since I will be moving in the future thats why I need one that is moveable and not buried in the ground

If they are for breeding only, maybe a hoop coop would be best.

I put all of my poultry together in the winter, and then put them into little tractors in the summer for breeding.

Summer only tractors are easy to manage.

In the winter I want to reduce the chores in the snow etc.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

We use two old abandoned camper trailers. Gutted the insides, put vinyl on the floor, wire hardware cloth over the windows, built roosting bars, and a rack to hold 5-gal buckets for nests. The bigger camper is divided in half inside with a screen door. Birds roost and nest in the back half, where we made a pop-door with ramp for their access. Front half is used for feed and equipment storage, and a brooder area. During the day, they can hide underneath from hawks and the blazing sun. In winter, under the camper is a playground free of ice and snow. PERFECT setup for us. It's absolutely secure, insulated, and plenty of windows for light and controlled ventilation. This one cost us $350 and a road trip. The smaller camper was given to us, free. We use it for broody hens and their babies until time to integrate to the flock.

When I was younger, my dad converted a camper into a coop. At the time, I didn't want anything to do with those chickens. But now I think it was a great idea!