To winterize (the run) or not…

[CluckingLucky]

I’m wondering how extensively I need to winterized the run. Currently, it’s 20x27, and metal frame enclosed with HWC and chicken wire. I’m hesitant to wrap the entire run in tarps or plastic, we get some good wind out here, and I’m not sure it’s necessary.

Last year, in the chicken tractor, I wrapped the whole enclosure with transparent tarps, except for the very top. Largely, because there is zero space in the chicken tractor, besides the roost bars. Everyone did fine, and the only time I was worried was around Christmas time when we had a big artic blast. It was -30 windchill for a few days, not fun.

I’m considering doing a snow fence on out west side, or similar to cut down the wind, and possibly putting a tarp up a couple feet from the ground as well, to dampen the wind.

I’ve done a lot of reading about cold weather and chickens. Some people just let them do their thing, with minimal effort to protect them, and they do fine. Others have small resorts for chickens to make it through the winter. Our chickens are all cold weather tolerant breeds, if that matters.

Just wondering how far I should go with protecting the run from old man winter…

 

[wrathsfarm]

I do. Michigan winters here get cold and I'm surrounded by fields. DW always watches the dollar store for clear shower curtains on the cheap for our birds.

 

[WingsysRoost]

My coop gets wrapped in plastic until about halfway up. The plastic gets held down with pieces of wood that are screwed into the coop. I have a raised coop, so the part of the run that is under the coop ends up completely covered in plastic. The only portion that isn't covered in plastic is the front where the door is. It seemed to work fine last winter (which was my first year trying this method) even though there plenty of days last winter that were minimum -20C with windchill.

 

[Sally PB]

I do. Michigan winters here get cold and I'm surrounded by fields. DW always watches the dollar store for clear shower curtains on the cheap for our birds.

I use shower curtain too. They will be on their 4th winter this year. Definitely worth their low cost!

When I put on the solid roof, I saved the leftover pieces to make a solid windbreak. It goes on half of the prevailing wind (west) side, and covers the wall from the ground to the roof. The other half gets the shower curtain.

The north side (also gets a lot of wind), gets covered with shower curtain about 4-5 feet high. I cover the south side up about knee high. The east side is in the lee of the garage, and gets the least wind. I leave that side open.

 

[RojoMarz]

We are in a wind prone location. We keep our main run wrapped year round. It's wrapped in heavy plastic thas is reinforced with threads of some type. We than have snow fence on top of that. We discovered that by itself, the plastic flaps. The snow fence cuts down on the flapping. Our second run is larger and not wrapped. I do plan to add plastic & snow fence to the N and W sides, to help cut down the wind and snow drifts.

 

[DLA]

I do similar things to the above posts too. One thing I did that made it easier to lower the plastic on days it wasn't needed was put small hooks along the top of the run just below the roof. I can hook the plastic up when there's a bad storm for full protection but leave it down for full ventilation on days that aren't so bad. Making whatever wind break/blowing snow/freezing rain protection you put up easily movable to adjust for variable weather conditions will make your life a lot easier I think. I don't know how your weather is there but here in western PA it can be in the low teens one day and 45F the next during winter.

 

[SamCO]

I just wrapped our run with clear thread reinforced tarps on the north and west sides. There is an auto door on the north side for the birds to go from the covered run into the fenced, open top chicken yard so I wanted something that would protect the auto door. I attached old kennel panels at an angle off the run and covered the whole side in plastic. Sure how it holds up to the winds we get here in Colorado. Last year we used straw bales partway up, but our run was constantly filled with snow blown in. Hope this works better. Next year I’d like to do something more attractive, but ran out of time this year since the first snow should be this weekend.