Finishing our Run...what is best in MN for winter...

[JeninMN]

We are wondering what the best thing to use is for the top of our run..it is 20x26...we are using 2x4's framed on railroad ties and once it is completed (today or tomorro) we'll get the wire up...but we are wondering what the best thing would be to use for the top...chicken wire...netting....The run is pretty tall....so we were wondering if netting wouldn't be the way to go or not...

main concern is the snow...does the netting hold the snow or does it fall thru it...we don't need the netting getting weighed down by 5 ft of snow this winter....

also, we already have a bunch of 1 inch chicken wire that we were planning to use....we are going to keep the cheeps inside the coop from dusk to dawn....will the 1 inch chicken wire be sufficient?

Thanks!

Jen in MN

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Do you plan on shoveling the run? I ask this because I have a tin roof and I wrap the run in tarps & clear plastic. Then I don't have snow to shovel out. I can through some in for them to play in. Chickens have trouble getting around in deep snow.

As for the chicken wire-It depends on your prediators in the area. Here I wouldn't trust it. Chicken wire is real easy to break into.

 

[JeninMN]

The plan was to shovel it...but your way of putting tarps/clear plastic on it is an awesome idea!! We were hoping to do a tin roof...but haven't been able to come up with enough sheet metal.

 

[CarlaRiggs]

Jen,
Have you considered putting a roof over your run? Or is that too expensive? I would think in your area you may want to consider having a sheltered run that the hens can go out into during cold weather.
As for chicken wire.... it depends on the heaviness of the wire itself. If the wire is an 18 gauge, it will be good and sturdy. The smaller the number, the heavier the wire.
Raccoons can reach into a 1" hexagon on the wire (nasty things!) and wreck havoc with a chicken too close. I use 18 gauge 'stucco wire' with 1" hexagon for my run. It works perfectly, and nothing is getting into it!

Carla

 

[Farmer Kitty]

We redid our run this spring but, last winter I had chicken wire stretched over the framework and then put a tarp over the top of it. You will probably have to shovel it off. With the tin on a slant it should slide off but, the chicken wire stretches easy and will probably need shoveling off. But it would keep the snow and prediators out.

Here's what I had:

Here's what we changed it to:

Oh, and one more thing, with the roof the run has been much drier this year. Last year I fought with muddy conditions.

 

[Alaskan]

If the snow is wet/heavy it will stick to netting and you will have to shake it off before the weight of the snow breaks everything. I don't know how badly it sticks to metal.

I vote for a solid roof of some kind. You could also use ridged plastic, then you get the bonus of some light shining though.