Desperate need help with run

[sshoreland]

My run in 15x28. I built it using 2x2's 6ft x 6ft panels, screwed together and held to the ground with t-post. We ran steel cable across and lengthwise to attach our top netting to. I have put a tarp over a portion of the pen (15ft across and 12 ft back) I attached the tarp to the outer frame on three sides but one side is just attached to the steel cable. I'm in Oklahoma and it has been such a hot dry summer but we get a lot of wind. When the wind blows the tarp beats up and down since one side has no structure to attach it to. As the tarp whips up and down it is pulling on the three sides of the pen framework and now my cable is not tight because the frame has shifted a little. Short of putting posts in the ground and running 2x2's across this one side, is there any other ideas. The ground is so hard from the drought I would not be able to get a post hole digger in the ground. Thanks for any ideas.

 

[Gargoyle]

Diagonal bracing is always a good idea. Perhaps if you can't do lumber diagonals you can run tight steel cable in an "X" on each side- upper right corner to lower left corner and upper left corner to lower right corner. Also do that across the top.

 

[kellanv]

It sounds like you have a lot of tension pulling to the inside of the run and there is nothing to keep the posts from starting to lean. You need either a rigid brace from the inside out or cable attached to the tops of the posts and anchored to stakes in the ground on the outside. Photos might be helpful.

Edit: I'm not sure adding posts along the bare edge of the tarp will help you anyway in the long run. You have to figure out a way to cancel out the lateral load. Plus, if you get a major rain you could end up with a lot of weight in the tarp as well, making that problem a lot worse!

 

[Gargoyle]

Kellanv, I like your suggestion of running cable from the tops of the posts down to stakes. Good stakes that hammer or twist into the ground are inexpensive or can be home made out of rebar.

 

[sshoreland]

Here is a picture of my run with the tarp over it (tarp would not be my preference if the run had not been so wide) I had to put a pole under the tarp last night and push it way up because the wind really came up. I like your idea of anchoring the frame by I guess strapping it from the outside down to the ground? but I have t-posts where every section meets and they are screwed into the frame. So were you talking about running a strap from the tarp outward away from the pen instead of attaching it to the frame? Well here are a couple of pictures. As
you can see there is no support across the center since it is so wide. Thanks for all you suggestions or if you know of a better way to cover a portion of the coop for shade and when it is raining.

 

[Tropical Chick]

Here in Florida we have cables that hold screen enclosures down to the ground with bolts and screws. You might be able to modify those kinds of bolts and screws to a rod pounded on an angle into the ground. You guys must not have raccoons out there because they would be through the roof netting here in heart beat to eat the chickens.

 

[kellanv]

So were you talking about running a strap from the tarp outward away from the pen instead of attaching it to the frame? Well here are a couple of pictures. As
you can see there is no support across the center since it is so wide. Thanks for all you suggestions or if you know of a better way to cover a portion of the coop for shade and when it is raining.

No I more meant that for each t-post/panel connection you should attach a cable or guy wire to the top of that t-post/top of the frame and then at an angle tie it into the ground. They make anchors for this purpose that screw into the ground or you could rig something up with stakes/t-posts/rebar. If you connected the tarp at the same points you connected the guy wire, it will both add tension to the tarp as well as prevent the top of the framing from buckling in. You could also set a couple of posts in concrete on the outside of the run and tie the unsupported edge of the tarp to those. They would have to be buried pretty deep tho.

 

[Gargoyle]

Here's the general idea:


these sort of anchors, made for tents and canopys, are pretty cheap, or you can make your own stakes.

 

[TerriLaChicks]

You also might want to cut slits in your tarp, or else if you get a heavy rain, it will hold the water & pull your fence down. Been down that road!

We use shade cloth for shade, not tarps. You can get it at Lowe's or Home Depot - I imagine most of the building material stores carry it. It's lightweight & porous.

 

[Gargoyle]

Farmtek carries a huge range of stuff, like shade cloth cut to size in any degree of shadiness, tarps, tie-downs, cable, etc.

I've never dealt with them, but I enjoy reading their catalog.

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/home