Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[wyoDreamer]

I would be concerned about bad drafts more than cold temps. As long as there is good ventilation but NO WIND blowing on them, chickens can handle cold. I know it has been down to -20 in my coop this winter, and my chickens were still scratching around in the litter looking for snacks all day. Also, I am lazy and don't want to get up at O-dark thirty to go out and knock snow off the hoop house when we have those snow storms that dump over a foot of snow overnight.
My neighbors out in Wyoming had a hoop greenhouse and the wind just shredded it and snapped/bent every one of the hoops.

 

[Heinzie]

Hi, I'm new to WI! We just moved here over the summer and bought a house in Eagle. I've had chickens before (only for about a year or so) but I haven't gotten started here yet. We need to get a coop built (or bought, if we can snag a deal on craigslist) first. I'm trying to convince my husband to do a hoop coop, because they look relatively quick, easy, and inexpensive. And, quite frankly, I fear if he goes ahead and does some fancy shed style coop like he thinks he wants to it'll be years before he gets around to finishing and I want chickens nooow!! He's never built anything super elaborate before either.

Anyway, wonder if anyone has a hoop coop and how they work in the winter? Most the ones I see look pretty "airy" like they wouldn't offer a ton of protection from the elements. We have a lot of space and plan to put up some fencing around their area so they will have lots of space in the daytime so the coop would be just for night time/shelter not where they would be spending most their time. And I'd definitely want to do the corrugated roof style not just a tarp, haha. Does anyone have a hoop coop that provides adequate winter protection? Would love to see pics!

Welcome. I saw the hoop coop design when I first started last year, but didn't think it sturdy enough for the weather or critters around here so I went with a tractor design. The tractor was built to heavy to move around so now it is just a tractor style coop for my 3 birds. I attached it to a 5x20 dog kennel a friend gave me. The girls did good this winter's I think I will add 2 more to the flock this summer.

 

[bigzio]

Welcome to the cheeseheads rp! If you plan on raising chickens for the long term, then I suggest to build a nice big coop that is insulated with a lot of good windows and a good sized entry door for cleaning when needed. I love my coops and need to enter them and spend time there every day with chores and simply collecting eggs....you will enjoy chickens so much more with a coop you like to enter every day...day after day....and a nice dry warm and roomy coop will make your flock a happy one....seriously.

bigz

 

[RaisinPaw]

oh, it'd be big enough to enter I like the look of this one on this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/the-hoop-coop-build.1224595/ I think I would want to have a little more wood on the sides, maybe about 3 feet up, then cattle panel, and corrugated roof instead of just a tarp! I guess what I'm really hoping to do, is take the simplicity and ease of the hoop coop, but make it a little nicer? Definitely will have a fair amount of wood. The hoop coops are the only style of coop I've seen that REALLY makes me think, "yeah, i could do that!" (Thats also big enough for 10 or so chickens) I've scoured the net for plans and everything looks way too overwhelming, and expensive. Everything seems to have too many details and I just need simple, ya know?

 

[wyoDreamer]

You will need to figure out how to put some wood in there to hold up the roofing.

 

[bigzio]

I'm really a fan of a decent coop for the long term. Even a $2000.00 coop over 20 years is only $8 per month, and it will last prolly 40 years or more...the hoop coop will have costs to maintain making less expensive really not in the end...plus the real building is so much nicer year after year to enter with the feeling...I'm glad I did it.
If you only want a coop a coop for ten birds a really nice 8X8 coop would be half that cost...I have 2 coops. One is 10X16 and the other is 6X12…..I build the smaller one first and purchased the larger one delivered to my level sight...it's the only way to go...in my opinion.....for example abuilding4you.com is who I used and will again. I'm sure there are other quality builders also.....I've ran to the lumber yard enough for my liking....just sayin, and my opinion for what makes me happy.

bigz

 

[babylady4]

Welcome! I am not far from Eagle, over in the Lake Geneva area!

I am getting my first chickens this year too, and do not currently have a coop either; but I live next door to a former contractor and he is just itching to help us build one. This is the design I have picked out:
http://myoutdoorplans.com/shed/12x16-lean-to-shed-plans/

I live on a sloped property, so I plan on building the shed up off the ground like a deck. I have 18 birds on the way, and if anyone is interested I would love to hatch out some cream legbars..... With the shed this large, I can have a storage area inside the shed for feed, tools, etc. and also keep the birds from cramming the doorway when I first open the shed. I may build it a bit bigger, so I could potentially separate the birds into breeding areas...... it just depends on how many Roos I want to keep.

 

[Kildare49]

I agree with BigZ.
Build or buy a good coop. My business is tied to the construction
season. So there are a lot of days they will get 10 minutes of my time
max.
Check feed & water, do poop boards, get eggs.
Floor is deep litter. About as maintenance free as I can get.

And if we are gone....very simple for non chicken people to
take care of.

 

[RaisinPaw]

Welcome! I am not far from Eagle, over in the Lake Geneva area!

I am getting my first chickens this year too, and do not currently have a coop either; but I live next door to a former contractor and he is just itching to help us build one. This is the design I have picked out:
http://myoutdoorplans.com/shed/12x16-lean-to-shed-plans/

I live on a sloped property, so I plan on building the shed up off the ground like a deck. I have 18 birds on the way, and if anyone is interested I would love to hatch out some cream legbars..... With the shed this large, I can have a storage area inside the shed for feed, tools, etc. and also keep the birds from cramming the doorway when I first open the shed. I may build it a bit bigger, so I could potentially separate the birds into breeding areas...... it just depends on how many Roos I want to keep.

oooh, i love the lake geneva area! First time I was out that way, I was thinking, "why weren't we looking at houses around here?" and then I realized, it probably WAS within our search radius, but for all the things we wanted in the house/land anything in that area was probably filtered out by price, lol. Or maybe I deemed that area "too far from a costco" (lol) but wow, ya get used to driving real quick around here. Just last night we drove an hour round trip because we were hungry for some Kopps. Back where I'm from, in WA, I had 4 costcos within a 20 min radius. That coop plan doesn't look too awful. Maybe thats the trick though: look for plans for a shed instead of a coop! Coop plans seem to have too much "cutesy" extras.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Definately look for shed plans and figure out how to tweek them to be the coop you want. Let your hubby build it for you! If he has the skills it will save on cost and allow you to help him with the build. Living in a rural area, it will sure help to amp up your carpenter skills to boot!
@babylady4 I love those shed plans. Unfortunately, with 9 buildings here already and 4 of them being underused, I cannot justify building another one right now.