Building the Hoophouse Coop
This is part 5-1 of a 5 part series on our pastured chicken infrastructure. I started with the Salatin tractor: https://steemit.com/homesteading/@goldenoakfarm/building-the-salatin-pen
Next was the Mobile Coop: https://steemit.com/homesteading/@goldenoakfarm/building-the-pasture-coop
Then the Movable Pen for the coop: https://steemit.com/homesteading/@goldenoakfarm/building-the-mobile-pen
The Circus Tent:
Part 1 - An explanation of how we came to use the tent: https://steemit.com/livesustainably/@goldenoakfarm/building-the-circus-tent-part-1
Part 2 – How to build it:
https://steemit.com/livesustainably/@goldenoakfarm/building-the-circus-tent-part-2
This post will cover what we were trying to change and improve and the plans and material list. The next one will be building the frame. And a final post on finishing it.
Part 1 – The Plans
We’d built the above coops and each had multiple problems and pluses. We sat down and compiled a list of the things we did, and did not, want in a new pasture coop:
• Far better human access
• Enough area for 75+ birds
• Plenty of roost space for more birds
• Enough room for 2 hanging feeders, 1 waterer, roosts, nestboxes, a person, and the birds.
• Better ease of moving the coop
• Be multi-function: for little birds, growing out broilers, temporary layer shelter
• Plenty of predator protection
• Weather protection from rain, wind, and sun
• Ventilation
• Larger footprint for use by both chicks and older birds
• Durable construction for years of use
• Soil enhancement
I had come across hoophouse coops and did a study of the many styles people had come up with. I found several on http://www.backyardchickens.com. They were:
• https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=3227009 several of the messages on this long topic
• https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hoop-house-type-coop-question.669381/#post-9037674 #4 message, A.T.Hagan offered lots of good info on how he built his
• And Plamondon’s: http://www.plamondon.com/wp/better-chicken-tractors-hoophouse-chicken-coops/
Plamondon’s hoophouse plan
This looked like something that would work.
Cattle panels are 16’ x 50”. We made it 10’ x 12’, same footprint as the Salatin pen. That worked well when the chicks were still small. It would take 3 cattle panels. It would be high enough for us to walk in.
Our plan
Frame
It would not have a floor, but would have the dedicated charger and poultry netting for predator deterrent, until it went into the 50’ x 50’ pen.
Side view
Front and back view
Front
Back
We found the expensive UV resistant tarp only lasted a season, the same as the cheap one from Big Lots. That’s why it says, then $15.94.
Part 5-2 will cover building this coop. https://steemit.com/homesteading/@goldenoakfarm/building-the-hoophouse-coop-part-2
Part 5-3 will cover finishing and provisioning the coop. https://steemit.com/homesteading/@goldenoakfarm/building-the-hoophouse-coop-part-3
We have been using chicken tractors for a few years now. We love it. It is a great way for the chickens to get out on to the grass and not have to worry about preditors. Well for the most part. One year we had 4 legged and 2 legged preditors take our turkeys. That was not fun.
We've been doing this since 2008 and have only lost 4 birds to any sort of predator. One the wind blew the ropes open wider, 1 was a weasel (not much stops them), 1 was a juvenile Cooper's hawk that fit between the ropes, and 1 was a hen that got out of the pen and was picked off. So the system works real well here where our predator load is sky high.
I think that I might adopt the idea of the circus tent. Looks to be a solid idea. I would have never though of that.