...before my membership lapses ... my 'chicken dome' revisited

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
This is totally cool (and sorry that you can't have chickens any longer hens4fun

), but keep in mind that the OP lives in a warm area pretty much all year. It doesn't look like this set-up would be safe for folks who get a lot of snow, especially heavy, wet snow. I'm sure an inch or two would be no problem, but w/several inches I would worry about the weight collapsing onto my poor birds...

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
This is totally cool (and sorry that you can't have chickens any longer hens4fun

), but keep in mind that the OP lives in a warm area pretty much all year. It doesn't look like this set-up would be safe for folks who get a lot of snow, especially heavy, wet snow. I'm sure an inch or two would be no problem, but w/several inches I would worry about the weight collapsing onto my poor birds...

Ditto ditto ditto.

Tarping a run in areas that recieve snow is a bad idea unless you have things VERY STRONGLY SUPPORTED to withstand the weight (even just 2" of wet snow weighs a *lot*) -- while it might be possible to add internal beams and posts to brace this design, it would be foolish IMO because there are other designs much better suited to that sort of thing. If you are not going to build sufficient post/rafter structure to support, basically, a roofload's worth of snow load, your best bet is probably a cattle panel hoop (perhaps added to existing run) WITH ADDITIONAL BRACING (posts, and lumber along the spine, and solid or diagon

The run pictured in this thread looks TERRIFIC for snowless climates, though. If I lived about a thousand miles south of here, I would for sure be imitating it

Not only is it sensible and simple and functional, it looks really slick and elegant! <applause>

Pat

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Wow! That would be perfect where I live.

I'm sorry about your local chicken rules.

 

[SillyChicken]

I agree this is a great set up, but not good for cold weather.

It's too bad you can't keep your birds.... the silkies were so cute!

 

[Hens4Fun]

thanks everyone ... I miss my chickies soooooooo much. The one good note is that we didn't sell that house and are renting it to friends that are taking care of the chickens. Even have two small boys that love the chickens to death ... so that part is happy

Yeah .... I think the comments about weight of snow are good ones .... that's a quandry even where snow would be light. But for the West and especially the Pacific Southwest ... it's been awesome. It's even tall enough that I can almost stand (and I'm 5'6") ... obviously a higher side would make it really nice to walk under.

 

[Kittymomma]

Quote:
This is totally cool (and sorry that you can't have chickens any longer hens4fun

), but keep in mind that the OP lives in a warm area pretty much all year. It doesn't look like this set-up would be safe for folks who get a lot of snow, especially heavy, wet snow. I'm sure an inch or two would be no problem, but w/several inches I would worry about the weight collapsing onto my poor birds...

Thanks guys, I know it's a risk and will be keeping a close eye on it. We usually don't get more then a couple of inches of snow at a time (no measurable at all last year) but I keep hearing about how this winter is going to be really bad.

My situation is this:

I raise my replacement birds in our large yard, not the field with the main coop. They have a 7x13 kennel "run" and a converted igloo dog house and rabbit hutch for a "coop." This set-up is only supposed to be until they hit 12 weeks and I integrate with the main flock--everybody goes into lockdown for 2-weeks in the 8x10 coop and 10x30 run sometime in August.

This year our steers kept tearing apart the run. I don't know why they felt they needed that 300 sq' when they had nine acres, but they did. Since they also were breaking down the peremiter fence (Angus

) the solar charger I use for my run had to go over to the main fence--can't have cows in the road or in the neigbors new in ground pool. The steers are hanging at the butcher shop now so it's time to try to salvage this situation and get the chooks out where they belong and where they can be locked up safely at night.


Soooo, now it's November, the weather is wet and rainy and the chooks spend most of their time in the barn and leanto--except for the younger flock who are completely freerange since the 7x13 grow out pen is way to small for them--they're roosting on my covered front porch

The 8x10 coop is too small for all these birds to be "cooped up" in for a lockdown period and the run isn't usable everyday the way it is in August---Hence my plan to tarp it. I really hope I'll be able to maintain it thru the winter, but as long as I can keep it up for a couple of weeks while everyone is in lockdown it will have served its main purpose. I was just going to raise one end 8-12" and tack some 2x4's acrosse as supports before tossing the tarp over it--kind of a shallow lean-to, but I think the op's set-up has a better chance of staying up for awhile.

 

[Hens4Fun]

Very good luck kittymomma .... I hope it all works out!! I truly am no engineer, but I think if you are able to stay on top of it and it's short-term, you can make it work (barring an unexpected out-of-the-blue heavy snow) ..... and the pvc is a very inexpensive way to give it a short-term shot. I hope you have a super nice winter and it all works!