COLD weather question

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have a tarp on the top of my run to keep out the rain and snow. I am putting plastic on the sides this week to keep out the wind.
I also bought a car broom with extending handle to clear the snow off the top.
I keep my pop door open all day and only close it after everyone has gone in to roost for the night. I have a window by the man door into my coop. Every morning I look in the window to see all these little faces looking up at me patiently waiting for me to open the pop door!! Cracks me up every time!!!

just curious as whether your tarp has ever collapsed, especially during an overnight blizzard, I used to use bird netting on my turkey run and that would collapse a lot.

 

[RonP]

My run is as secure as my coop also.

Poop door is open 24/7.

 

[Blooie]

Do you put plastic over the roof of your run, too? I'm still trying to figure out how to make that work. (Hubby says it won't work, which means, "I don't want to bother with it.") The run is 12x16' with 2x4" welded wire over the top. It's flat, so I can't just put plastic over it. It would hold too much snow in a snowy year and break the 2x4s that are supporting the wire. (We've had those boards break without anything on top of the wire to hold the snow on...)

I apologize...I didn't see your question for some reason! Yep, we cover the top of our run too, but our run is constructed totally differently than yours. Ours is a hoop run, and it has stood up against snow loads and winds in excess of 60mph, even with snow on it. Winds of 20+ are routine here, with gusts much higher, so we are very happy with our run's performance. Just 8 steel fence posts pounded into the ground with chicken wire covered cattle panels arched between them. The lattice fence in front was just to make it look pretty. The lattice on top acted like a spacer and kept the plastic from coming into direct contact with any pokey-outy wires left when we attached the chicken wire to the panels.


Ken putting the lattice fencing back up after covering the run in clear plastic, which you can see in the photo.


Absolutely no issues with rain, snow, or wind. Right after I took this shot I went in with a push broom and used the brush side of it to bump the snow from the inside the "ceiling". It slid right off.


Bright and cozy enough to raise chicks (in the brooder pen to the left) without a broody or a heat lamp - just a heating pad, wire frame, and straw. Temps in the teens and twenties.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I apologize...I didn't see your question for some reason! Yep, we cover the top of our run too, but our run is constructed totally differently than yours. Ours is a hoop run, and it has stood up against snow loads and winds in excess of 60mph, even with snow on it. Winds of 20+ are routine here, with gusts much higher, so we are very happy with our run's performance. Just 8 steel fence posts pounded into the ground with chicken wire covered cattle panels arched between them. The lattice fence in front was just to make it look pretty. The lattice on top acted like a spacer and kept the plastic from coming into direct contact with any pokey-outy wires left when we attached the chicken wire to the panels. [COLOR=B42000] [/COLOR] Ken putting the lattice fencing back up after covering the run in clear plastic, which you can see in the photo. [COLOR=B42000] [/COLOR] Absolutely no issues with rain, snow, or wind. Right after I took this shot I went in with a push broom and used the brush side of it to bump the snow from the inside the "ceiling". It slid right off. Bright and cozy enough to raise chicks (in the brooder pen to the left) without a broody or a heat lamp - just a heating pad, wire frame, and straw. Temps in the teens and twenties.

once again I'm jealous of others stuff, really great idea I may steal, thanks for sharing.

 

[Blooie]

once again I'm jealous of others stuff, really great idea I may steal, thanks for sharing.

I can't recall a time when I've signed on to (BYC or another forum that I'm on) and not had those same feelings at least once!

 

[bobbi-j]

I apologize...I didn't see your question for some reason! Yep, we cover the top of our run too, but our run is constructed totally differently than yours. Ours is a hoop run, and it has stood up against snow loads and winds in excess of 60mph, even with snow on it. Winds of 20+ are routine here, with gusts much higher, so we are very happy with our run's performance. Just 8 steel fence posts pounded into the ground with chicken wire covered cattle panels arched between them. The lattice fence in front was just to make it look pretty. The lattice on top acted like a spacer and kept the plastic from coming into direct contact with any pokey-outy wires left when we attached the chicken wire to the panels.


Ken putting the lattice fencing back up after covering the run in clear plastic, which you can see in the photo.


Absolutely no issues with rain, snow, or wind. Right after I took this shot I went in with a push broom and used the brush side of it to bump the snow from the inside the "ceiling". It slid right off.


Bright and cozy enough to raise chicks (in the brooder pen to the left) without a broody or a heat lamp - just a heating pad, wire frame, and straw. Temps in the teens and twenties.

Very nice! After harvest, hubby and I may need to have a talk...

ETA - After looking at my coops and runs, I'm wondering if it would work to use the welded wire I have over my runs now and try to make a PCV (Or is that PVC? I can never remember which is the heart thing, and which is the plumbing thing...) frame for an arched "cover" if you will, over my run. Definitely something to think about, anyway. Blooie, your setup looks like a nice place to just go hang out in the winter if you're tired of being inside.

 

[upinrunnin]

This is our first year with chickens. We have our coop in the garage with an attached secure run. The coop has four small windows that have been open all summer (have hardware cloth attached to outside to keep predators out). The temps are going to dip into the 30's this weekend and I'd like to keep the windows open if it won't harm the chickens. I want them to adapt to the cold because we don't have electricity out there and from what I've been reading, they will be fine this winter as long as they are prepared. Is it okay to leave the windows open with the temps in the 30's?

 

[Blooie]

Absolutely. The more ventilation they have the better off they'll be, as long as there is no wind ruffling their feathers and there isn't snow or rain blowing in. I'm assuming with no electricity out there you've come up with a battle plan for keeping water from freezing? A lot of people use those hard rubber tubs. In the morning they flip it upside down and the ice drops out, then they refill it.

 

[upinrunnin]

Haven't figured out the water thing yet. We are semi-retired and able to go out several times a day to refill and might do that. Do chickens get up at night to drink water and eat? If not, then night time shouldn't be a problem. Most of the time, I'm up before they are.

 

[Blooie]

Haven't figured out the water thing yet. We are semi-retired and able to go out several times a day to refill and might do that. Do chickens get up at night to drink water and eat? If not, then night time shouldn't be a problem. Most of the time, I'm up before they are.

Nope, when the sun goes down so do their eyelids and they stay that wall all night! So if you can get them some fresh water before they get up, you've got it covered!