Arizona Chickens

We've had a steady drizzly rain for about an hour, plus some thunder and lightning! That's unusual for February. We actually had the power go out for about 20 minutes apparently due to a nearby lightning strike. Power outages are rare here.

Is anyone else getting some of this glorious rain?
I'm watching it slide up into the SE valley but It may just graze us
 
We've had a steady drizzly rain for about an hour, plus some thunder and lightning! That's unusual for February. We actually had the power go out for about 20 minutes apparently due to a nearby lightning strike. Power outages are rare here.

Is anyone else getting some of this glorious rain?
Got some good rain here off and on through the day. My seeds should be happy 🥰
 
What do y'all use to protect the wood of your coop/run?

I'm trying to find a brown paint/stain/sealer that will protect the wood against our extreme weather and is also safe for the chickens. The wood is fir and pine.

Also: if you get strong monsoon winds/downbursts where you live did you anchor your coop/run to the ground? What type of anchors did you use?

Anyone else have some thunderstorms this morning? ☔ Not great for working outdoors but we need the rain, of course. It's very windy now.
 
What do y'all use to protect the wood of your coop/run?

Just a normal urethane sealer like thompson's water seal. You have to apply it every year or 2 though.

I'm trying to find a brown paint/stain/sealer that will protect the wood against our extreme weather and is also safe for the chickens. The wood is fir and pine.

They're likely not going to care a lot about the paint, I just use water based latex. Never had a single problem.

Also: if you get strong monsoon winds/downbursts where you live did you anchor your coop/run to the ground? What type of anchors did you use?
Depends on your soil and coop size honestly. If it's a small prefab, pound a piece of rebar in and bend it over the footer rail like a hook. Should be enough unless you're getting a tornado. If it's something substantial, you're probably fine.

Anyone else have some thunderstorms this morning? ☔ Not great for working outdoors but we need the rain, of course. It's very windy now.
We've been getting storms in waves in the SE valley. In between right now.
 
That is good info, thank you. We don't want anything that would give off toxic fumes in 115F heat for example, or something that would be toxic if the chickens pecked at it.

I have livestock-safe white barn paint for part of the coop but the rest needs to be a stealthy brown color and barn paint can't be tinted. For some reason no one paints their barns brown. 🤷‍♀️

Stupid question: how do you bend rebar?

Ahahaha, I just noticed your location! I often tell people online that I live on Tatooine. Sure feels like it!
 
Also: if you get strong monsoon winds/downbursts where you live did you anchor your coop/run to the ground? What type of anchors did you use?

Anyone else have some thunderstorms this morning? ☔ Not great for working outdoors but we need the rain, of course. It's very windy now.
We had thunderstorms here last night. Puddles on the ground right now.

We get downbursts fairly frequently and it is a constant consideration whenever we put up any structure. If you get winds like us, rebar may not cut it. We put up a steel shade structure (from Costco) for our vehicle. We used 6 concrete footers to anchor it. During one wind episode, all 6 footers were pulled up out of the ground and the metal (not aluminum) structure was mangled.

Putting up our chicken run, I knew I'd have to come up with something else. Our "coop" we put within the 200 sq ft run. It's just open and airy, made with pallets. The run itself is an arched metal thing wrapped with hardware mesh and chicken wire-- so there is nothing to catch the wind.

But as you know, we must have shade for our chickens! I knew that if I attached a tarp to the top of the run, the entire structure would lift off with a good downburst. Instead, I sunk fence posts (those green ones for chicken wire) into the ground outside of the run. The tarp is tied to those posts. If the wind is strong enough to carry the tarp away (or even rip the posts out of the ground) the run itself won't be affected or moved. So far this has worked for us.

If you have a more solid wood coop, guess it will depend on how substantial/heavy it is and if its size or configuration allows for the wind to catch it well. Do you have a photo? Have you been having issues with the wind affecting it?
 
What do y'all use to protect the wood of your coop/run?

I'm trying to find a brown paint/stain/sealer that will protect the wood against our extreme weather and is also safe for the chickens. The wood is fir and pine.

Also: if you get strong monsoon winds/downbursts where you live did you anchor your coop/run to the ground? What type of anchors did you use?

Anyone else have some thunderstorms this morning? ☔ Not great for working outdoors but we need the rain, of course. It's very windy now.
I use regular old barn paint. It’s available in red or white; I use white because it’s cooler. I don’t anchor, but my coop is big and heavy so it takes a lot to move it. We’ve had some serious gully washers, only one has moved it and that storm also took out a ten year old mesquite plus several power poles and electricity. It won’t go anywhere but it might get pushed off the foundation, in which case we would put it back.

If you’re having issues with your coop moving and need to tie it down, some rebar and rope or straps may work. Bend one end of the rebar into a curve and drive the stakes into the ground like tent stakes around the coop. Attach rope or straps to the coop and tie out to the stakes.
 
What do y'all use to protect the wood of your coop/run?

I'm trying to find a brown paint/stain/sealer that will protect the wood against our extreme weather and is also safe for the chickens. The wood is fir and pine.

Also: if you get strong monsoon winds/downbursts where you live did you anchor your coop/run to the ground? What type of anchors did you use?

Anyone else have some thunderstorms this morning? ☔ Not great for working outdoors but we need the rain, of course. It's very windy now.

I use t-posts a lot. They hold excellent and come in various sizes so you can buy what fits your needs.

For paint it depends... regular latex works just fine though. Last year I used asphalt paint to hopefully long term protect some wood. It's black ands used for roof coating...it can also be used to protect planters ands used on the inside for that. Roof coat can also be bought in white and can be tinted.

For barn paint I'd try tinting it...just put some in a little cup and add some acrylic paint to see how it mixes. It might surprise you and work.
 

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