Hoop house structures are commonly used in vegetable production, and we really like using them with our livestock as well. We have a few different hoop house structures for livestock, one being the Hoop Coop. We primarily use this structure for meat chickens in the summer and laying hens in the winter, but it has also been used as a winter shelter for sheep and as a farrowing structure in the late fall for pigs.
We use this Hoop Coop structure to raise broilers in the summer and to house laying hens in the winter. The Hoop Coop is a lightweight, portable, unheated hoop house structure that measures 16’ x 24’. Its metal frame is set onto skids, and it has a polycarbonate front and back with doors on either end. It is covered in a single layer of greenhouse plastic, with sides that can roll up to provide extra ventilation. During the hottest months of the year, we attach a shade cloth to the outer roof of the Hoop Coop. The shade cloth is tied to secure points on the frame by cord, and is folded in such a way that the cloth is doubled on the south facing side.
We line the sides of the structure with hog panels and hardware cloth to keep chickens in and predators out. Additionally, the bottom of the endwalls utilize irrigation tarps weighted with wood 2”x4” boards. This somewhat flexible barrier allows for movement across uneven ground, flexibility in the event of an animal being trapped during a move, but still contains animals and gives a level of protection from predators. If the ground is really uneven, we add additional weight on top of the tarp after the structure has moved.
We have DIY PVC feeders attached to the house and plasson bell waterers that are connected to a hose for automatic refill. The feeders move with the house, and we simply disconnect the house from the water set up for moves.
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