# Can you cover a hoop house with metal?



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

I have a friend who is milking in a hoop house, but she'd like to use some reclaimed roofing tin to cover it instead of using a tarp. 

Does anyone have an idea of how to attach the metal to the cattle panels?


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## Cannon_Farms (Aug 28, 2008)

I have been thinking of this same idea, since the metal lengthway wouldnt have to bend much it would be a matter of attaching the cattle pannels. most tin will already have small holes in the metal and you can just use wire, zip ties, or hay string (my fav.) to attach it to the wire pannels. You may at worst have to use a drill to create some holes so that it can be attached. Seal the holes with calk or like materal, for the life of me i cant seem to spell what we used just make sure its water proof. This is all my thinking last night came up with, putting it in action may be a totally different thing.
Now, with my hoop house the cattle pannels are achored to 4 10 foot poles driven 3.5 feet in the ground so stability is taken care of as much as it can be


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

I'm brainstorming here. Worried about the movement from the wind cutting the zip ties or baling twine. What do you think?


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## Wags (Jun 2, 2002)

You could get the little metal straps at the hardware store - and use them to screw the tin to the frame.


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

Could use metal screws like they use to put pole barns siding up with and run 2x4's along the inside of the hoop to screw into.


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## Cannon_Farms (Aug 28, 2008)

If you have bad wind, wich isnt a big of a concern here then it may be better to use metal wire such as the stuff you can buy in a roll for cut yourself fence ties or electric fence wire if you have some handy.
if you really want to secure it then use u bolts with nuts to tighten down on the ends at minimum.
This is the a project that if we deside to do it that way will be done this weekend, I have two plans in mind and a husband that is overdrawn on goat favors for the moment to ask what he thinks but I think thats the one that makes the most sence.
The other option im thinking on is using my cattle pannels as a center suport but making an A- frame out of wood and attaching the tin to the pannels like normal roofing. tin is cheaper than wood, and last a heck of allot longer and I dont have to use a hammer. Anchoring the cattle and tin both into the wood for good measure. This also gives me more head room.
I will not be adding sides to my temp barn but rather canvas tarps in the winter since we dont get that cold here, and the open sides will help in the warmer temps.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

This is in Southern Missouri, so wind is definitely an issue. We get some incredible straight line winds, around 70 mph sometimes.

I'm sort of liking the idea of screwing it to wood runners, sandwiching the cattle panel between the tin and the wood.

I'll let you know what we decide.


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## Cannon_Farms (Aug 28, 2008)

it would be nice to swap pics when we are done.


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

I'd also give serious thought to securing it to the ground...we made little run ins for our pasture from Hot Tub pallets ( 8x8 ) put plywood sides on it and used the sheet metal for the roof. Until we secured it to the ground, ( used re bar driven in and bent over the bottom ) We would occasionally find it upside down.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Our hoop house is cattle panels held in place with three T posts on each side. The cattle panels are secured to the T posts with heavy wire.

Yes, I'll post pics when we get it done!


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## hoofinitnorth (Oct 18, 2006)

Consider extreme temperatures, wind, snow load, and likelihood of fire. Those things can make a metal hoop house very dangerous. If they are not big factors, I don't see why you couldn't cover it with anything the hoops are capable of holding up.


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## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

know hoops and tarps don't hold up goats. I had a nice lil cattle panel and tarp hoop house..it is now bent and collapsing. goats like to crawl on it.please let me know how this project goes. I need to do somethng quick and cheap/.///I THINMK I have 4 about to kid.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

This is not the one we are going to cover with tin. 
Before:










We now have it propped inside, and they still get on it.


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## billooo2 (Nov 23, 2004)

lamoncha lover said:


> know hoops and tarps don't hold up goats. I had a nice lil cattle panel and tarp hoop house..it is now bent and collapsing. goats like to crawl on it.please let me know how this project goes. I need to do somethng quick and cheap/.///I THINMK I have 4 about to kid.


I have a couple hoop houses. The key is not to allow the goats to have access to the sides. One of mine is in a coner of the paddock.....and an extra section of livestock panel along the "exposed side" to keep them from the hoop house. The other hoop house is actually outside the buck pen. The opening to hoop house is alone the "fence line." I will try to past a pic in here


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## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

LOL yours has that familiar goat "lean" to it lol


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## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

oops alices has the lean
Billooo..now why did I not think of that?


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

I definitely wish I had seen that before we built the hoop house.


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## Wags (Jun 2, 2002)

Great looking hoop house, and a very smart way of keeping the goats off of it. I noticed baler twine ties - are those punched through the tarp? If so, doesn't that cause leaking?


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