Underground animal housing

Earth sheltered livestock sheds work great. I've been interested in earth sheltered structures since the mid-1970's and have designed many. So far all I've built have been animal shelters - no homes. Some of our sheds here are of concrete, some of stone (granite) and we have some above ground structures such as pole barns, sheds and hoop houses. Our animals spend virtually all of their time outdoors grazing and use the shelters for bad weather, sleeping and during the extreme cold of the winter. In the hottest part of the day they like to nap in the earth sheltered sheds for the cool shade.

All of our sheds have lots of ventilation - they're open or more sides. In the Winter we close them more with hay bales that get eaten in the late Winter and early Spring. The hay is stored conviently close to the animals for the winter and it provides draft/wind block. We don't get tornados but we do get a lot of strong winds, up to 70 or even 80 mph, deep snows (thankfully) and very low temps (-45F, sometimes for days or weeks). It can be nasty up in the open but down in the corral/garden and the shelter of the three sided sheds it is be quite reasonable.

My favorite method of construction to date is not very practical for most people... I can get for free what are called 'skins' - these around 8" thick by 8' x 14' slabs of granite rock from the local quarries. They make great roofs for sheds. But this is a very local thing. I live near quarries and stone sheds. I also have the machinery to gently manipulate and lift these several ton rocks into place. Without a full size tractor it would be much more complicated. Look around and see what you find locally for resources in your area. The granite I get is 'waste' material they want to get rid of.

Another interesting way to do it that doesn't require big equipment is ferrocement. Properly designed ferrocement structures are very strong and will last. I am about to get a Tirolessa sprayer for this type of work. The ferrocement can also act as a shell that one pours over. There is a good discussion group about ferrocement and it has archives. http://ferrocement.net/list.htm

Our goal is to eventually build an earth sheltered house. I've been designing it for decades and we have the site picked out. We are going to be replacing our existing house which is a colonial farm house. (For Sale: 1825 post & beam farm house, 4 square cape with kitchen el, pit sawn boards, big beams, beehive oven, 2 fireplaces, helical chimney, own a piece of Vermont history - one of the first houses in the area. Must be moved! Foundation stones also available.

Cheers,

-Walter
West Topsham, Vermont
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I think this points out the confusion. In an earth sheltered chicken house the birds, and other animals, don't 'live' in the coop. They go in there at night, of their own volition, to roost. They go in there to lay their eggs because they like a dark familure nest box. They go in once in a while during the day if it is really bad weather. During the rest of the day they are outside on the pastures eating bugs, plants, dust bathing, etc.

My uncle has commercial style layer houses. They are hundreds of feet long quantaset style huts. They might as well be under ground. There is no natural air flow, now natural light. And they stink. They have artificial lights and it is far dimmer in there than it is out doors where the chickens naturally range or even in our animal shelters.

Personally I would never raise animals the way he does. He does it for the mass markets - I do it for our own homestead.

-Walter

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