# Hoophouse for chickens



## JoeKan (Feb 4, 2006)

I saw a site online today about a family that made a hoophouse for their chickens. It was very inexpesive to make and I thought if it was any good, I could make one and add more chickens.
Does anyone use one and do you think they are any good?
Thank you,
Joe


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## DWH Farm (Sep 1, 2010)

Here is ours. We originally made it for turkeys but now use it for meat chickens. DH also made some with houses and laying boxes attached for the laying hens, but those are harder to move. We also use these for goats and pigs and I have seen them used as greenhouses. Very versatile and if you keep a watch out on CL and auctions for used panels then a pretty good bargain..


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## JoeKan (Feb 4, 2006)

Thank you! This is exactly what I'm wanting to make. I'm planning on making it 10 x 10 with a run attached to it so we can add more chickens. Can I use milk creates laying on the side for a nesting box? 
Thanks so much for the picture,
Joe


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## DWH Farm (Sep 1, 2010)

JoeKan said:


> Thank you! This is exactly what I'm wanting to make. I'm planning on making it 10 x 10 with a run attached to it so we can add more chickens. Can I use milk creates laying on the side for a nesting box?
> Thanks so much for the picture,
> Joe


It is a good basic design and easy to customize to what you want.. I would think that the milk crates would work fine, we have some that have wooden boxes mounted and that works. I have even used 5 gallon buckets on their side.


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## Guest (Apr 19, 2011)

I have a fleet of hoophouse tractors.


















They're heavy, but work great for up to about twelve birds per.


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## JoeKan (Feb 4, 2006)

A.T. Hagan said:


> I have a fleet of hoophouse tractors.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you Alan for your pictures. If I remember correctly, you have a greenhouse that is similar, correct? Could you post a picture of that as well. That is another one of my "projects" I have planned for this summer.
Thanks,
Joe


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## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

AT Hagan
I love that. Any advice for building? I want at least 2. I have a coop but would like something more portable. think I could hook the truck up to these and move them? My girls need grass.


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## Guest (Apr 19, 2011)

OK, here are a few photos that might help with building one like I do:

This shows how I connect the 1x4 boards to the cattle panels. This allows some flexing while still remaining firmly attached.









A view of the front:









Some in process photos:

I don't use the wood blocks in the corners anymore. That did not work well.









Framing the ends: On the backside I now use a single vertical.









Hanging the nest box. It needs to be firmly attached to the upper and lower horizontal boards. I no longer use the interior partitions in favor of one big community nest.


















The wire and tin go on:









Hanging the roosts:









And the feeders and waterer:









I now use pressure treated 4x4s to make the sledge runners from. The cross pieces are still 2x4s. All other boards are 1x4s. Everything treated since this is Florida.

It's a good solid design, but somewhat heavy. If you're not going to pull it with a tractor I'd put at least the back end on wheels. Drill the axle holes through the 4x4s.

The apron wire you see running around the outside laying on the ground is important. It's what makes the thing work. Make the aprons at least eighteen inches wide,maybe even two feet if your ground is really uneven.

I've been using these things over four years now and the only time I have have a predator penetrate them was when the apron wire began to rot out about two and a half years into it so there were holes big enough for the **** to get through. That same weekend I also discovered that making the apron wire only twelve inches wide was not enough on uneven ground. I took care of both that day and have never had anything get into the tractors again.

Never had to contend with bears. Probably wouldn't hold up well to a determined one.


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## Curtis B (Aug 15, 2008)

dang A.T. Hagan, wish I would have seen the construction pics before I built mine. I think your way would have cut down on the weight of mine (BTW mine looks almost identical). Would also have saved welding, and I ended up using plumbers strap for attaching the wood. How hard is it to move yours, mine is heavy as sin.


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## Guest (Apr 19, 2011)

Not so bad _for a grown man_ using a balloon tired hand truck. The 4x4s helped a lot with that. Wouldn't want to be pulling them up a hillside every day, but for the relative gentle slopes I have it's not so bad.

The original Mk.1 tractor -the one that has all tin over the top and the wood blocks in the corners - is a bear when the ground is wet. The tin and the low clearance made it heavy and hard to clear obstacles. That's why I now use tarps over the top and the 2x4 cross-members on top of the 4x4s for more clearance. But that also makes using good apron wire more important so don't skimp on that.


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## blaineiac (Jan 10, 2010)

I really like these. I don't know if I missed it but what is the inside width and height. I'll be using combo panels for mine. I think I'll add a set of wheels like the one on the tractor thread. I think with wheels on all corners and a predator skirt, I can make something work. 
A big THANK YOU to everyone here who contributes. And good luck with everything


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## Guest (Apr 20, 2011)

I wanted to be able to stand up straight inside of mine without bumping my head, but they also had to be able to get through my ten foot gate width. So using a sixteen foot cattle panel the outside dimension is about nine feet wide. The cattle panels are 50 inches tall so two side by side makes it about 100 inches long, plus the nest box. I used ten foot 4x4s for the sledge runners.


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## Paul O (Sep 13, 2004)

A.T.
What's the material you used to connect the 1 x 4's to the panel? Is it soft wire? Or cord?
Paul


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## Guest (Apr 20, 2011)

14 gauge electric fence wire. 17 gauge will work as well, but it's not as durable.

Electric fence wire and the occasional piece of baling twine holds my world together.


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## Paul O (Sep 13, 2004)

A.T. Hagan said:


> 14 gauge electric fence wire. 17 gauge will work as well, but it's not as durable.
> 
> Electric fence wire and the occasional piece of baling twine holds my world together.


Don't forget the duct tape.


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## Immaculate Sublimity (Apr 30, 2003)

for those of you that have made these, any estimate on cost involved?


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## trbizwiz (Mar 26, 2010)

panels will cost $17 to $20 each, poultry wire will run $70 per 150 feet, lumber will run about $30 and hardware will run about $10. Wire about $10. Youcould get several out of 150 feet of wire. For mobility I would think that 1 or maybe 2 panels per tractor max. That would give you an 8 or 10 by 10 foot tractor depending on how tall you want it. Hope that helps. 
Asa some others said, watch craigslist for used items to off set a lot of costs. I bought 6 panels for $7 each adn they were barely used. Usually you will find them from first year gardeners during their second year.


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