# Coops



## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

Today I got into a conversation in regards to coops. I wanted to get the opinions of the people here as well. 
For some one who lives in a cold and snowy environment, that has long cold winters and short summers. What would the perfect coop be and why?
I currently use a 4x8 shed for a coop. It has worked well, but may not be what I want for my final coop.(which is why I used a shed, it will likely be repurposed into a seedling house)
Factors to consider:
Limited sunlight from November through March. (Less than 6 hours of sunlight due to mountains and sun angle)
Deep snow
Lots of predators(which i gladly control)
I feed FF 
I will be housing 9 hens and 1 rooster, once I have an incubator I will be doing a constant circulation, keeping only the freshest best laying hens around. 
If I left anything out let me know


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

How deeply do you want to get into this project? As in, heavy construction that is a permanent, one time build or something you don't want to invest too much time or money into?


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

Not fully permanent. I have work in just about every construction field and can get pretty technical with building.
My main focus is on the birds. It is not too uncommon to drop well below -40 here and that needs to be a factor in the build. 
I part-time free range the ladies and keep them in a secured pen when not ranging. The pen has a great active deep litter


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

I've always wanted to try a straw bale and cob coop construction on a stone or concrete footer. It would be warm in the winter, cool in the summer and a person could get real creative with the designs and features.

But..I think a hoop coop that could be covered with heavy gauge plastic to provide as much light and natural warmth from the sun as you can possibly get, with a few design features to capture that warmth and store it...possibly a passive solar storage with the use of the big, square cooking oil jugs you can collect from restaurants...fill them with water, paint them black on one side to absorb the sun's warmth, etc.

Or, even, a hoop coop with an earth berm that left the top of the coop covered in clear plastic to let in a lot of light and places for good ventilation, while using the earth walls for insulation. Here's some pics of structures using earth berm around the walls:


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## chicken_coop99 (Jun 19, 2013)

That would be the coolest coop ever


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

So in a way, make them a green house to live in. I already have passive solar with big drums that get filled with water and alcohol to keep them from freezing. 
They extend my grow season by 2 weeks typically.


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

And pouring a small concrete pad is within reason, but anything that goes in must be able to come out, so the pad would have to not be too large


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

I wouldn't pour a whole pad, just a foundation...I'd leave them on soil to get the benefit of the good composting of deep litter there but have that concrete border of 2 ft. in width under all the walls...keeps your hay bales(if you do hay bale construction) dry and also keeps out burrowing preds. 

If not doing hay bale construction and just using a hoop house as is, I'd just apply a wire skirt to the construction and pin it down to discourage the digging of preds. 

A very strong cattle panel hoop(not on a wood base but built onto post driven into the ground) with the use of earth berming up the sides would be a very interesting concept for a coop. With the top covered in clear plastic sheeting you'd get light, warmth, and insulation all in the same structure...and have a very neat conversation piece in your yard, particularly if you were to plant the sides of that berm with some good, native grasses for the chicken's consumption. 

You'd really have to place some PVC pipes at the base to provide air intake at the ground floor on a coop like that, and also leave good venting out the top. But...that's all just dreaming on my part and would probably be too big of an undertaking for most folks.

The simple hoop house construction with passive solar capture like you provide for your greenhouse is an excellent solution for chickens as well. Easy to remove also, so no permanent structuring that would be labor intensive. You'd have to have good, strong materials for your hoops if you get deep, wet snows in your area.


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

I'm liking the hoop coop idea more and more. I can have several in my yard for greenhouses and meat birds. And I found them for 25 a piece somewhat locally


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